THE PROPHETS' QUANDRY

THE PROPHETS’ QUANDRY

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Matthew [ESV] 13:9-17 [Jesus explaining] He who has ears, let him hear.” Then the disciples came and said to him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” And he answered them, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. For to the one who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. Indeed, in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says: “‘“You will indeed hear but never understand, and you will indeed see but never perceive.” For this people's heart has grown dull, and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them.’ But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. For truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it. 

  This week I was saddened by 2 informative news articles. The major provider of pollinators is moving all their beehives out of Nebraska as 82% of their stock has died. Then this morning “North America loses ‘dizzying’ number of birds: 3 billion since [19]70” I recalled swarms of bees and birds in my boyhood days, a common sight that is no more. This and other such news brought to remembrance reading Silent Spring, by Rachel Carlson, a book published in 1962 documenting the adverse environmental effects caused by the indiscriminate use of pesticides. How many listened then or since? How many did hear and change their way of doing things? Some, but comparatively few resulting in all being penalized.

  And so it is with prophets.

  And so it is of hearers that even choke up hearing Amazing Grace and those that tack “God bless” on the end of their speeches.

EBB4