Each will say, 'I am not a prophet. I am a farmer; the land has been my livelihood since my youth. – Zechariah 13:5

Today's Scripture Reading (October 14, 2023): Zechariah 12 & 13

One of my favorite quotes is that evangelism is "one beggar telling another beggar where to find food." R. C. Sproul paraphrased Niles when he said, "Evangelism is just one beggar telling another beggar where to find bread." It is the Sproul version that I use most often. But it is something that I think we need to remember. I grew up in an era where people seemed to want to be a church leader because of the prestige or power they believed such people possessed. As someone who often shows up at work in track pants and a T-shirt, I have friends who would never go anywhere without wearing their clerical collar. (I have never worn or even purchased a clerical collar). My associate pastor many years ago offered the motivation for our ministry. I was in it for the power, and she was in it for the money. The truth is that I never paid her what she was worth, something that I wish was not true, but the money just wasn't there.

The truth is that there is no power or financial benefit in being in a ministry of any kind. In fact, I am a beggar. And all I know how to do is show people where to find bread. Oh, I am a blogger and a writer. (Just as an aside, I had a professor in Seminary who warned his students not to say they were an author unless they had been paid to publish something. I disagree. Being an author is in your heart, not your pocketbook. If you have dared to put the center of your being in any medium for others to read, you are an author. So don't be afraid to proclaim it.) I am a musician and an actor. But above all, I am a beggar.

Zechariah says that no one should proclaim that they are prophets. They should say that they are farmers. Maybe today, we call ourselves welders or mechanics. But not prophets. Most Commentators seem to believe this command was intended for false prophets, which might be true. But part of me wonders, what if it wasn't? What if it was designed for us? What if it was intended for me? Can I afford not to listen?

I am not a prophet, a priest, or a pastor. I am a farmer; more precisely, I am a beggar. I don't know much, but I know where to find bread. And nothing else is important.

It is Isaiah who issues the invitation. "Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost" (Isaiah 55:1). Jesus responded with," I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they died. But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which anyone may eat and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world" (John 6:48-51).

I am not a prophet. I am a beggar. And all I know is where to find bread.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Zechariah 14