URC Daily Devotion 4 March 2026

St Matthew 23: 29 – 36
 
‘Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous, and you say, “If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.” Thus you testify against yourselves that you are descendants of those who murdered the prophets.  Fill up, then, the measure of your ancestors.  You snakes, you brood of vipers! How can you escape being sentenced to hell?  Therefore I send you prophets, sages, and scribes, some of whom you will kill and crucify, and some you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town, so that upon you may come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar.  Truly I tell you, all this will come upon this generation.
 
Reflection
 
I don’t suppose anyone reading this has physically killed a prophet, but are we guilty of “killing” God’s messages by ignoring or rejecting them as too hard, or from fear of not being good enough or not having the right words or skill set ?
 
But what is a prophet ? One dictionary definition is: “someone regarded as being in contact with God, speaking on God’s behalf and serving as an intermediary with humanity by delivering messages or teachings from God to others”.
 
As we read the Bible, the prophets and their messages are clearly identified. God uses them to communicate warnings, comfort, hope, direction, judgments, or promises. Such messages were not always well received, hence Jesus’ references to prophets being ill-treated or murdered. Prophecies can be hard to hear, deliver and act upon.
 
But what of now? God’s communication with humankind has evolved over time, as has our knowledge and understanding of the world, and we believe that God speaks to each of us personally. And in this sense, are we not all prophets? Each being in relationship with God, and as his disciples, required to respond to his message.
 
But discerning whether the ideas and thoughts we have are messages from God is the crux of it.
 
Such thoughts and ideas may enter our consciousness through the persistent ‘nudge’ or thought that won’t go away, our experiences with social media, AI, TV news, our interactions with other people of any faith or none, embracing nature as God’s creation – a whole variety of ways.
 
But we are warned against false prophets and prophecies, so how do we discern the true messages of God? If the message is from God, be it to us, a group or for the public good, it can be tested against the question -“is it loving?”  Where love is, there is God also.
 
Don’t let us kill the message by inaction. God still provides the courage and resources as he did for the prophets of old.
 
Prayer  
 
Lord, help me to hear the prophetic voices of today
and to recognise your speaking to me.
Give me the wisdom to recognise those messages
which are from you and the courage to act upon them.
Save me from the complacency of thinking
that it is others who should respond.
Make me a willing contributor to your prophetic messages
for your people and the world. Amen