In the Book of Deuteronomy, Moses relays God’s promise of a prophet to come, one who will speak God’s words to the people of Israel: I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their kin, and will put my words into his mouth. But the people will have to take care to discern if those who purport to speak in God’s name are true prophets, for some may presume to speak in God’s name an oracle that God has not commanded him to speak, with dire consequences. Although the people have requested to no longer hear the voice of the Lord, our God, and thus do not wish to communicate directly with God, God will continue to communicate with them; God asks simply that they listen to his words. However, they must not, as Psalm 95 reminds us, harden their hearts; rather, they must come joyfully to the Lord with thanksgiving, ready to hear his voice and to enter into relationship with him through worship.
Many Christians see in this passage from Deuteronomy a promise of the coming Messiah, Jesus, and indeed Jesus does, as Mark’s Gospel tells us, speak as one having authority, committed to proclaiming what God has sent him to proclaim: the kingdom. Unlike the scribes who simply reiterate the law and the scriptures mechanically, unable to hear because their hearts are hardened, Jesus speaks from his heart to the hearts of all, and the Word of God is invested with all the love God has for God’s people. People are amazed, and their hearts are listening, open to seeing God at work in Jesus’ every action, be it healing, teaching or preaching. In so doing, they, like we, must strive, as Paul tells the Corinthians, to be free of anxieties. We might be married or unmarried, but the important thing is to make sure we are always as connected to the Lord as we are to the world, for adherence to the Lord without distraction will enable our hearts to remain open and our ears ready not only to hear his voice, but to listen to his Word!
This post is based on Fr. Pat’s Scripture class.
Image source: www.wordclouds.com
