December 21, 2003
Micah 5:2-5a; Luke 1:39-45, 47-55; Hebrews 10:5-10
Micah is typically listed among the 8th century prophets. Among other things, that means he was both realistic and hopeful. He also believed he had a message from God to share with his people. If in fact, he had been able to look ahead and forecast a time 700 years in the future when a wonderful person would be born in Bethlehem to rule Israel in a way that would deliver them from their enemies and restore the nation to former glory, it would have been a miraculous wonder. Such fulfilled prophecy is not a usual human gift and can be categorized as miraculous. It has been this kind of prophecy which has encouraged persons to believe in Jesus as the ONLY Son of God and to acclaim the Bible as the literally inspired word of God. If both of these assumptions were true it is not a long step to make the Judeo-Christian tradition (and doctrines) the "only" true "way" and thus have the foundation for the kind of religious arrogance which has been, and continues to be, a trademark of Christianity.
My purpose is not to downplay the importance of Micah and his message or that of any of the other 8th century prophets. It is, however, easier to define and interpret prophecy in hindsight than it is to look into the future with accuracy. My purpose is to assume that God worked then as today. Today we are able to observe awesome creative wonders through an evolving process as we look into the past and study the wonders of the present. It is further to assume that it is the gift God has given to the human part of creation with an ability to do relational thinking which enabled Micah, and us, to draw conclusions related to the future on the basis of our understanding of what is happening now and what has happened in the past. In other words, on the basis of what has happened in the past and what we observe to be happening at any given point in time, one is likely to be able to presume that certain things will happen in the future. Keep in mind that the cornerstone of Judaism as a religion which functioned in the daily lives and history of the Hebrews was HOPE. What they believed to be true, and the nature of the God in whom they believed, enabled them to have hope for the future. Given the experience of Micah where he lived and when he lived, his was a wonderful message of hope for the future. As typical in Hebrew history, this hope was incorporated in a special person sent and empowered by God, i.e. the Messiah.
Life for the Hebrews was just as bleak under the Romans as it had been centuries before under the rule of the Assyrians. But HOPE reigned supreme! The story of Luke includes a wonderful story of two women who were so completely committed to a belief in the work of God in the history of their people and to the hope which had its roots in the faith they had in their God, that they were bold enough to believe that they could give birth to babies who could fulfill the promises of the ancient prophets. I speak of course, of Elizabeth the mother of John the Baptist and of Mary the mother of Jesus. One can only be impressed with their piety which impacted not just their daily lives, but way they viewed their pregnancy. They truly believed they were capable of bearing a child who could make a difference. It is not unreasonable to supposed that each of them reared the child they produced with that thought in mind. The New Testament story is based on the belief that both John and Jesus made a difference. History testifies to the fact that Jesus made the kind of difference which altered the course of world events. The life and ministry of Jesus made the kind of compounding difference that the influence of his teachings and the example of his life continues to inspire lives today and thus continues to impact an important part of the world. Given contemporary means of sharing the world has become so small that it can be said without being egotistical that Christianity has a major opportunity to influence the world for good in a way greater than ever before.
One needs to acknowledge that the "dreams" of parents are not always fulfilled in their children. Both John and Jesus had something to say about the course of their lives. It was clearly o.k. with John to "prepare the way" for Jesus to do great things. It is clear that Jesus had freedom of choice and chose to fulfill the dreams of the prophets--and his mother. Jesus was quite clear in stating that his ministry was directed toward the human spirit, and not a grab for political power in the world. Although Jesus and his contemporaries would only view the world in relation to the general knowledge of the day, he believed that he could make a difference, and did. That is a clear message and challenge for each of us today. Their is great need in the Christian faith for persons to take personal responsibility for the way they invest their lives, rather than to assume that Jesus invested his life on behalf of all who would believe in him. "Believing" ought to mean to cultivate the same loving spirit and utilize available resources in a good way to the same extent that he did. Don't forget, the resources available to us in the 21 century are far greater than those available to Jesus 2000 plus years ago!
The passage from the book of Hebrews is a wonderful example of how good people with good intentions can "go off course". After the fact of the life and teachings of Jesus, and after the fact of his death in an undeserved manner, the early church regressed to the former belief in God's requirement for the offering of a sacrifice. It should be noted that it was the early church, not the teachings of Jesus, which created the belief in Jesus as the sacrifice to end the need for all sacrifices. The story of the ministry of Jesus indicates that his major theme was on faith, love, relationships, and right living. It was not on himself as a sacrifice given by God to neutralize the sins of the world!