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.