The World of the Prophet
Luke 13:31-35
Illustration
by James T. Batchelor

What would you do if someone gave you one million dollars and then told you to come back as often as you liked and you could have whatever money you needed whenever you wanted?  Just ask and it is yours.  What if he told you to tell all your friends and they could also come and have a million dollars?  Do you think you would tell your friends?  Do you think you would show up regularly to receive more from this very wealthy and very generous person?

What would you think if you told your friends and they had you arrested?  What would you think if people said you were an idiot for getting money from this generous person?  What if people killed you for telling them about this person who was giving away free money?  Would you expect people to accuse you of being narrow minded when you told people that they couldn't get free money from any other person?  Would you expect people to say things like, "You know if we get our money every week, we won't really appreciate it?" Would you expect people to hunt down this very wealthy, very generous person and kill him?

Welcome to the world of the prophet.  If you were to take these examples and replace the money with forgiveness, you would exactly describe the insanity that faces the prophet, the apostle, and all the messengers of God.  God wants to cover us in His gifts of forgiveness, life, and salvation and for some reason, that makes people angry.

ChristianGlobe Networks, Inc., by James T. Batchelor