Jeremiah 26:7-24; 11-12
Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy.
I Corinthians 14:1
It’s easy to blithely read what Saint Paul says here in his letter to the Corinthians and think that, yes, the gift of prophecy would be cool. I’d like to proclaim an encouraging “word from the Lord” to those around me. I’d like to have special insight to know just exactly what to say to those facing difficult situations. I’d especially like to have a few visions of the future, particularly next week’s stock market! I could make a fortune (pun intended) — all for the church, of course! And I’d enjoy pats on the back, all the high esteem in which prophets are held. What a gloriously cool job!
But then we read Jeremiah and see that the reality of life as a prophet is not so pretty. There is no applause, no red-carpet treatment — just the opposite. We see that it is the church people — the “priests” and the (false) “prophets” — leading the charge, demanding Jeremiah’s execution. (Jer. 26:11) Why? Because they do not like what he says. They do not like the truth. It’s bad for business.
Lest we think that this is just poor unlucky Jeremiah, whose unpleasant personality must be the real reason for his unpopularity, we are told of another prophet, Uriah the son of Shemaiah from Kiriath-jearim, who says much the same thing as Jeremiah and whom the king hunts down, even in Egypt, and kills. (Jer. 26:20-23) No, Jeremiah is not alone in being ill-treated. And it’s not just a matter of his style or personality. Nor is it a minor misunderstanding that is easily cleared away. Rejection is what to expect as a true prophet of God. In fact, the LORD warns Jeremiah that it is going to get worse:
If you have raced with men on foot, and they have wearied you,
Jeremiah 12:5a
how will you compete with horses?
Make no mistake: true prophecy is not for sissies.
So am I here trying to discourage anyone from prophesying? Am I saying that Paul is crazy to say that we should seek this spiritual gift? Not at all! The Church most definitely needs people who will truly speak forth the Word of God. But we should all be sober-minded — not starry-eyed — about what it means to be a prophet. It’s certainly not going to make you popular.