Measuring a Prophet

Ezekiel 2 provides us with the commission of Ezekiel to the prophetic ministry. God tells him that his audience is a rebellious people (v. 3). They are described as “impudent children” and “stiffhearted” (v. 4, KJV). Ezekiel is given every indication that they will probably not listen to his message.

This passage teaches us that the worth of a prophet is not determined by the response of the people. Rather, the worth of a prophet is determined by his obedience in the proclamation of the message. We tend to judge on audience size and audience response. God judges obedience. When we judge on the audience and response, we are in danger of creating celebrity cults.

In Ezekiel 33.30ff, God describes a people who come to be entertained but are not changed by the word. It is not Ezekiel’s fault as he delivers faithfully the message given. It is the people’s fault as they are more interested in the experience of the moment than in life change.

The church in America today has become such a people of God. We have created celebrity cults around the speakers who make us feel good and entertain us. Some of those speakers tell us what we want to hear. Others proclaim a definitive “thus saith the Lord” yet we are so focused on the experience of the moment that we are not challenged to change. God is not measuring the prophets on the number of seats filled in arenas. He is measuring the obedience of the speaker to the command to proclaim the word. He measures the audience not on attendance and experiences but on the changes in life.

Remember, in John 6, Jesus begins with a multitude of 5000+, by the end of the chapter, he is down to the twelve (really, eleven, since one is a betrayer) and Jesus is asking if they too will leave. If we had measured Jesus by the standards of the cult of celebrity, we would have to count him a failure. Clearly, God measures by a different rubric altogether. By the measure of obedience, Jesus is a clear success.