Lesson 11: New Testament Prophets
Prophecy moves in a very interesting direction in the New Testament. A good third of the Old Testament, 17 books in all, are records of prophetic visions. There is only one in the New.
That seems strange when the main character is portrayed as a prophet. Jesus is executed by the religious and political authorities for speaking truth to power. His resurrection authenticates that he speaks or God. Yet he is very seldom given the title prophet.
The only other prophet prominent in the testament is John who wrote Revelation. He, like Jesus, suffers for speaking truth to power. He is exiled for damming the evil practices of the Roman Empire. Yet he gets little recognition, because most Christians never get beyond his strange language.
Paul might indicate what happened when he speaks of prophecy as a spiritual gift that has become a problem. In I Corinthians 12- 14, he claims true prophecy builds up the church community and is characterized by love. It is obvious the prophets around him have been tearing down and not speaking with compassion.
The Didache, an early first century catechism, also finds it necessary to address the trouble. It maintains an easy way to identify false prophets is they remain in your community more than 3 days. Prophets have apparently become traveling preachers who tend to be critical of Christian communities trying to sustain themselves. Again, false prophets are troublemakers who tear down the Church.
It appears the early church ran into a prevalent problem of prophecy. It always breeds false prophets who claim to speak for God to promote their own ideas and prestige.
Peter’s explanation of the Pentecost experience might have been a way the church resolved this. He portrays the ecstasy as a fulfillment of the promise God made to Joel, “In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy.”
The risen Lord shares his spirit with all Christians so that they all receive the gift of prophecy. In the Old Testament, God sent his Spirit on special leaders such as the prophets so they could do some special work. Now, Christian baptism fills all believers with that Spirit. That means all Christians are able to discern what God is doing and speak for him.
That works for Christians living in a modern democracy. No Christian should be waiting for someone else in a special office to speak truth to power. Each of us has been given the gift of prophecy and, with it, goes the responsibility to speak up for justice, truth, peace, and love.
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