Prophets, Rabbis and Pastors

After many years of sitting through first synagogue then Church and back to synagogue services, here are a few observations about Prophets, Rabbis and Pastors.

Rabbis and Pastors are translators of their respective traditions. Their job is to communicate and facilitate the truth of their traditions.   They have not been trained to teach people to think but rather to  believe.  Most are employed or called by congregations to perform certain functions.  They are administrators of an organization whose members voluntarily attend worship.  They usually avail themselves of various tax breaks, have 401 K’s, get regular salaried checks and vacations and are part of a larger denominational religious structure.  Many live comfortable middle-class lives.  Many have learned how to be politically tactful and manage their congregants with diplomacy.  Many are very nice and friendly.  If you are in the hospital, as part of their routines, they will come visit and pray over you.  Some Rabbis and Pastors are much too certain about what they proclaim.  Many have learned how to give their respective sermons without aggravating their followers too much.  Finally, most Pastors, Priests and Rabbis are not interested in taking risks for the sake of their messages.  

A prophet, on the other hand, is someone who speaks the truth.  You might reasonably assume that is also what Pastors and Rabbis do.  But there is a difference between being a prophet and being a religious functionary.

The only prophets we know are the Biblical prophets.  In their day, Prophets were not part of the religious establishment.  They usually had other vocations and were called by God to leave their day jobs and go to a certain place to deliver a message.  Their message was intended to get people to repent, to be changed radically at the core.  Prophets charged people to care for the poor, widows and orphans.  Prophets were not tactful.  They were not nice.  They got in people’s faces in order to wake them up.  They were critical of any religion that did not result in concern and action for justice.  Prophets used shocking sexual language to awaken people from their spiritual slumber.  Most prophets did not want to be prophets and protested to God over what they were compelled to proclaim.  Finally, most prophets were killed for what they were saying.

Prophets can be criticized for not being tactful enough while Rabbis and Pastors can be criticized for being full of tact.  The fact is they are each performing a different function.

Many years ago, a fine Lutheran pastor spoke these wise words to me, “Murray, my friend, the people in the pews, you are their servant, but they are not your master.”  A few Pastors and Rabbis know this to be true.  These special clergy have integrity and have gained the trust of their worshippers.  That trust allows them to periodically step up and speak truthfully and prophetically without fear of retribution. 

It doesn’t make them prophets, but it means they have the courage to speak against too much religious certainty and arrogance.  And they also find themselves proclaiming how faith and concern for justice are inextricable.  They are not frightened of their members.

When you meet such a Pastor or Rabbi, you are witnessing the potential integrity and strength of religious faith. And that’s something!