“No prophet is acceptable in his own country.” Jesus says it in Nazareth, after a rather chilly reception in his home synagogue (Luke 4:24). We might add: nor on his own keyboard. There is no prophet emoji at all, even though the Bible is full of them.
In the Bible, a prophet is not first of all someone who predicts the future. A prophet speaks in God’s name, often at the worst possible moment, and rarely to tell the king what he wanted to hear. Isaiah announces a child who will be called “Prince of Peace”, Jeremiah pleads with a people who will not listen, Elijah is carried up to heaven in a chariot of fire (2 Kings 2:11), Jonah tries to run away from his mission and spends three days inside a great fish. John the Baptist, dressed in camel’s hair, lives on locusts and wild honey (Matt 3:4). Michelangelo painted seven prophets on the Sistine Chapel ceiling.
The cast is ready, props included: 🔥 for Elijah, 🐋 for Jonah (even if the text only mentions a great fish), 🦗 and 🍯 for John the Baptist. What is missing is the character himself. A bearded man, cloak over one shoulder, finger pointing to heaven? Lips touched by a burning coal, as in Isaiah’s call (Isa 6:6-7)? Show us your prophet, the form is waiting.
Amen !by AI Generator
Amen !by AI Generator
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