The Taste of the Prophetic Message
Preparing for the Fifth Sunday in Lent: Three Days before Sunday (Year A)
Scripture
Psalter: Psalm 130
Old Testament: Ezekiel 1:1-3; 2:8—3:3
Epistle: Revelation 10:1-11
___
Prayer
God of all consolation and compassion, your Son comforted the grieving sisters, Martha and Mary; your breath alone brings life to dry bones and weary souls. Pour out your Spirit upon us, that we may face despair and death with the hope of resurrection and faith in the One who called Lazarus forth from the grave. Amen.
___
Reflection
“But you, mortal, hear what I say to you; do not be rebellious like that rebellious house; open your mouth and eat what I give you.” I looked, and a hand was stretched out to me, and a written scroll was in it. He spread it before me; it had writing on the front and on the back, and written on it were words of lamentation and mourning and woe (Ezekiel 2:8-10).
Then the voice that I had heard from heaven spoke to me again, saying, “Go, take the scroll that is open in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land.” So I went to the angel and told him to give me the little scroll, and he said to me, “Take it and eat; it will be bitter to your stomach but sweet as honey in your mouth.” So I took the little scroll from the hand of the angel and ate it; it was sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it my stomach was made bitter (Revelation 10:8-10).
I like the taste of sour foods. Whether it is sour candy or sour food—some might call it tangy—my mouth waters when I think of it. In fact, my mouth is watering as I write this.
I also like sweet foods, but not too sweet. I never seem to be able to find a glass of lemonade or a piece of pecan pie I like because there is always too much sugar added. It is a joy when I manage to find a delicious piece of pecan pie and a glass of refreshing lemonade where the maker did not go wild in adding sweetness.
In Scripture, the bitter and sweet scroll is a metaphor used to describe the character of the message that the prophet is supposed to deliver to the people. The scroll represents the word of God itself and the consequences of disobedience and repentance. That it is bitter and sweet is a stark reminder of the judgment that awaits those who do not heed God’s warnings and the hope that comes from turning away from sin and returning to God.
Like all of Israel’s prophets, Ezekiel’s message to the people was a bitter one, as it called for repentance and obedience in order to avoid God’s judgment; and like the other prophets it was not well received by the people. It always seems that the sweet words of promised salvation spoken by the prophets are never tasted by the current generation. They prefer to remain in the bitterness of their sin.
In Revelation 10, John is given a similar scroll to eat. Like Ezekiel, the scroll is sweet as honey in his mouth, but turns bitter in his stomach. The sweetness represents the promises of God and the hope of salvation for those who remain faithful to him. The bitterness represents the judgment that will come upon the wicked. The bitter and sweet scroll is a symbolic reminder of the consequences of our actions and the importance of repentance and obedience to God.
The prophetic proclamation most of the time is bitter and sweet. The question for those of us hear its words is which taste we prefer.
PRAYER: God of wilderness and water, your Son was baptized and tempted as we are. Guide us through this season, that we may not avoid struggle, but open ourselves to blessing, through the cleansing depths of repentance and the heaven-rending words of the Spirit. Amen.
___
Check out my author page on Amazon here.