Again with the Dead Prophets

Scripture: Once when Jesus was praying in private and his disciples were with him, he asked them, “Who do the crowds say I am?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, that one of the prophets of long ago has come back to life.” Luke 9:18-19

Observation: This is the passage where Peter declares Jesus is the Messiah, and the conversation begins with Jesus asking who others say he is. This is in several of the gospels, and the response is the same ... John the Baptist brought back to life, Elijah reincarnate, or some other random prophet also reincarnate.

Soon, Jesus will be raised from the dead and most won't believe it, yet they are willing to believe John was raised from the dead. Jews know their scriptures well and know that only Elijah (and Enoch) never died, yet they are ready to guess Jesus might be one of those dead prophets. As for Elijah, yes he never died, and yes there is a prophesy that somehow he proceeds Messiah, so at least those thinking of Elijah are on the path to thinking about Messiah.

The bottom line is, truly none of these "guesses" fits Jesus and his ministry, and most don't fit any part at all about the Jewish faith and their scriptural teachings. Again, it is wildly confusing that the Jews would be willing to think that Jesus is someone - doing something - that does not align at all with their scriptures and faith, instead of thinking that Jesus is exactly that one person who was always predicted to do exactly the things Jesus is doing.

There is little to no context to this thought, but here is a total guess as to why this happens:

1) Messiah represents massive change. Some think it's great change (leading rebellion against Rome), some might be less certain (war against an empire?), and in all cases it means an overhaul of their systems of life and faith. All of that, even the good parts, are scary, so the idea gets shoved aside.

2) An ancient prophet represents the good ol' days of Israel. Elijah spoke truth to power and condemned corrupt rulers. Other prophets corrected bad kings while speaking hope. Even John was fun and eclectic and encouraged personal growth while standing up to a king. Such prophets would oppose Roman (and/or Herodian) rule, but do so in their proven formula, and all while the people just sit back and listen while the prophet takes all the risk.

Application: The promise of history in every culture is clear. First, it was always better than today. Second, great people did great things, and thus when situations repeat "average citizens" can either just kick back and benefit, or maybe 'become' that great and famous person. Third, outcomes are known, so we can either embrace and receive them, or correct them.

Jesus doesn't call Christians to live safely in the good ol' days. The bible doesn't show us the mistakes of the Israelites so that we can live through the exact same things while waiting for a hero to emerge. At no point are we to think our past lives were better, but we are to always strive toward change and improvement, leaning into the promises of Jesus that come with obedient faith.

Ancient prophets corrected and tried to teach the powerful, and protected the weak. Jesus calls and then teaches everyone, weak and powerful alike (during which we discover we are actually all weak).

No one needs the return of any dead prophet. We all need Jesus.

Prayer: Jesus, you are my savior and my Lord. I am not a person of power, yet I hope, I pray, you will correct and teach me today as an outpouring of your love and mercy. Amen.

The Always-Wrong Timing Issue

Scripture: Then a man named Jairus, a synagogue leader, came and fell at Jesus’ feet, pleading with him to come to his house because his only daughter, a girl of about twelve, was dying. As Jesus was on his way, the crowds almost crushed him. And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years, but no one could heal her. Luke 8:41-43

Observation: As Jesus returns to the Galilee region, he is sought out by many, and in this circumstance the stories of two females merge. One is a poor older woman who has spent everything she has to try to heal her long-term health issue, and the other is a young girl from one of the finest families in town who is sick and dying. These might be considered just two events that occur simultaneously by coincidence, except for two facts Luke highlights in the narrative. Both involve a timeframe of 12 years.

Diving deeper, there are many aspects of these two characters and their shared timeframe that compare and contrast them. The young girl is the daughter of a synagogue leader and has likely spent her entire 12-year life in and out of that facility, however the older woman is permanently ceremonially unclean and thus barred from synagogue for these 12 years. The death of the young girl would be a tragedy as 12 years is such a short life, yet the woman bleeding and weakened for 12 years represents a very long and prolonged hardship.

In other words, for one person, 12 years is a period of time filled with joy and ease and closeness to the Lord, and therefore is well understood to be far too short of a time. For the other person, 12 years is a period of time filled with shame and pain and isolation from the Lord, and therefore is well understood to be far too long of a time.

While there could be many obvious and nuanced elements of these two females and how they are interconnected by Luke's narrative, this one lesson - a commentary on human perception of time and thus by extension our opinions about the Lord's timing - seems noteworthy. The same timeframe can be both far too long or far too short of a period of time ... and all would agree it isn't the 'right' timeline.

Application: My son - a diligent and responsible young man of uncompromising faith, with a master's in computer science and four years working at one of the most successful software companies in the world - is now 10 months unemployed and without any prospects on the horizon. It's unexplainable. He has had professionals work with him and coach him on everything from resume building, to interview techniques, to search best practices, and he barely gets any response while applying for 12-25 jobs per week. He has run through unemployment insurance, spent his savings, cashed out his stock awards, and is now facing the reality of needing to sell his house. We pray, we cry out, and we all collectively hear nothing from the Lord and see no progress nor hope.

We are sludging through a "God's timing" issue, and frankly ... I absolutely don't understand it. It is top of mind and central in our hearts, and we just don't know why the Lord would take so long to step in and help resolve this earthly matter. Why is this taking so long? What could the Lord have in mind as a plan by placing this hardship and worry and strife on this man of faith?

Today I realize ... we often say over and over and over again that the Lord's timing is perfect, but we have to remind ourselves of that because we - as humans and as Christians - often think over and over and over again that the Lord's timing is always wrong. In hindsight, we get it and see how great it was. In real time, it feels like hopeless neglect.

I feel everything from hurt to anger to frustration to hopelessness to sadness to emptiness for my son's situation. I pray daily, and those prayers now include challenges to the Lord, asking 'why' even more than I ask 'please'. If he wanted to strip away my son's earthly retirement funds, take away his house, and force him to move somewhere else in the world ... he really could have just said so and my son would have complied gladly. I don't understand this approach and this prolonged process.

I have faith. My wife has faith. My son has even more faith than both of us combined. Today, God's timing appears wrong. I will try to adjust my thinking.

Prayer: Lord, you know we cry out to you for action and hope and intervention. I admit I do not understand your plan at all. However, I have faith, and I have hope. Please show up soon. Amen.