Fourth Sunday, Ordinary Time [B]

 


FOURTH SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME [B]


Paul favors the celibate life (1st Cor. 7:1-7). But clearly he’s not speaking with a prophetic voice. He presents his point of view as solid advice, not as an authoritative body of teaching (vs. 6). He understands our world as something that will pass away (7:31). Therefore, it’s best to limit the number of your attachments. At other times, Paul will express himself more authoritatively, using the kind of approach that an Old Testament prophet might use. However, in this case, he’s more of an advisor than a prophet. 


What do we know about the Old Testament prophets? They don’t appear until after the covenant has been established. Through Abraham a covenant will be initiated. And then through Moses that covenant will eventually be formalized. Deuteronomy 18 outlines a prophetic line that will subsequently be put into place. The prophet’s responsibility will be to call out when members of society begin to turn away from the principles of the covenant. Through the prophet, warnings will be issued, the alarm will be sounded. It’s about the delivery of a very necessary message. 


As you continue beyond the Book of Deuteronomy, you will encounter a series of prophets, some regarded as “major” and some regarded as “minor.”  Once we proceed into the New Testament, the prophet’s stature will begin to fade. Focus will shift to the Messiah, the person of Jesus Christ. John insists that his role must decrease so that the role of Jesus can increase (John 3:30). In taking center stage, the Messiah does more than just point toward an existing covenant; he will literally come to personify the dawning of a brand New Covenant. 


Jesus will be born of a human Mother so that we can be reborn as children of a divine Father. Through Jesus we are welcomed into the family of God himself. The previous covenant brought about a type of servant-master relationship: your standing depends upon your pattern of obedience. Now, in light of this New Covenant, you can move beyond the status of a servant; you can be looked upon as God’s child through adoption (see Rom. 8:14-17 & Gal. 4:5-7). Essentially, we’re experiencing what’s being foretold in Psalm 130: the FULLNESS of redemption. Or to put it another way, we’re being blessed with the gift of salvation. 


Therefore, what we offer to Jesus can be described as worship. Meanwhile, we bestow honor upon figures like Elijah and John the Baptist. And yet, we don’t want to be dismissive. Prophets have their significance. They fulfill a critical function. By way of illustration, ever since the 1940’s we’ve been hearing messages from Smokey the Bear about the importance of fire safety. The hope is that we will take these messages seriously. Even so, we need to make a distinction: if your house is on fire, it’s not Smokey who will come to the rescue; rather, it will be the fire department that responds to actually save you. In the same way, you value the prophet along with the message provided by the prophet. But the prophet operates much like Smokey the Bear. The message is something to appreciate. Nevertheless, the spokesperson is not the one who comes to save you. It's the fire department who saves you in the one instance. And Jesus is the one who saves you in the instance that matters the most. 

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