When you convey to them the message of the Lord God, they shall know that a prophet has been among them. Prophecy as we know or perceive of it today comes to us from the history of the nation of Israel that is recounted in the Old Testament. Because of the relationship that existed between God and the sons and daughters of Israel, a prophet was a very important figure in the community. A prophet was more than a soothsayer or a foreteller of the future as we have come to think of the prophetic profession. A prophet’s task was not one of reporting on the events of tomorrow in order to satisfy human curiosity or the human need for security (wanting to have some idea of what will happen in order to be adequately prepared). A prophet was first of all a messenger of God. He/she was chosen from among the people and raised by God to a position of being intermediary and/or intercessor. It was through the prophet that God relayed his communication to the people. It was also through the prophet that the people reached out to God with their petitions and needs.
While the institution of prophecy (and the prophets for that matter) grew to become an indispensable part of the life of the community, prophets (and the role they played) became more visible during times of crisis. The covenantal relationship that existed between God and his people was hinged upon faithful observance of the terms of the covenant that brought together the Lord and his people. The Lord was to remain the community’s God even as he fought and won battles on the community’s behalf. On her side, the community was to exclusively serve the Lord God, remaining loyal to him and keeping his commands (cf. Leviticus 26:3-13; Jeremiah 11:4). However, time and again, the community rebelled against God and did as it pleased (cf. 2 Kings 17:13-18). The community’s rebellion resulted in God “abandoning” the people and leaving them prey to their enemies who overran and carted them off into exile on a couple of occasions. But since the Lord is a faithful God, he remained determined to fulfill the promises he had made to them. It is to this end that the Lord raised the prophets to shepherd people back to the covenantal relationship by reminding them of their obligation as a party to the covenant. The prophets often did this by reminding the people that their failure to return to the Lord would spell doom for the community (hence the name prophets of doom), a task that more often than not turned most prophets into unpopular figures in their communities. But no matter how unpopular their messages to the people were, the prophets were expected by God to relay his messages. This is the instruction that we find God giving Ezekiel in today’s First Reading: “Whether they heed or resist my message that you will proclaim to them, let them know that a prophet has been among them.”
Ezekiel received his prophetic call in Babylon where his community was exiled. It was definitely a difficult time for Ezekiel’s community who had to adjust to a life away from their homeland. And even though they must have been aware why they ended up in exile, they were still asking themselves where the Lord their God was and why the Lord had abandoned them. It is a situation that must have made Ezekiel’s task even more difficult since before he could assure them that God had not abandoned them, he had to reproach them for their rebellious attitude and ask them to abandon their waywardness. It was not going to be the first time that this was happening, and the Lord was more than aware of the reaction Ezekiel’s preaching would elicit from the people. Whichever way the people reacted, Ezekiel was not to stop preaching. He had to let the people become aware of their failure and then prescribe for them a way out. Such was the prophet’s task.
In the Gospel reading, Jesus who is the prophet par excellence is rejected in his village on account of familiarity. It had not been long since he had publicly begun his ministry, and because of the mighty signs God was working through him, many of those who encountered him started to regard him highly. A confusion about his identity notwithstanding, (cf. Mark 8:27-30), a consensus was slowly being arrived at that he was no ordinary man. Many agreed that he was a prophet of some sort. And they were right, for Jesus is THE prophet per se. Those who encountered him were rightly confused about his identity because Jesus brings together the ministries of all the prophets, from Moses to John the Baptist. His proclamation of the good news of the kingdom of God was in word and deed. He is THE prophet because he is the embodiment of the good news that he was preaching. Jesus does not just tell us about God. He shows us God. As the Word of God Incarnate, Jesus shows us a God who has come down to us in order to give us life (feeding the hungry, healing the sick, raising those who are bowed down). But for us to receive the fullness of life that Jesus brings, we must accept him as a prophet of God. Unlike the folks from his village who took offense at him because they knew his family, we must delight in his presence and show our appreciation for the new life that God affords us in him.