spectacles

American Idol is based on the spectacle concept. Only those who have the stomach to be in the spotlight (no matter how bad their act is) are willing to go there. Maybe this is Madonna's and Andy Warhol's wisdom played out. (If I recall, it was Madonna who said, "All publicity is good publicity," and Warhol who made the famous "15 minutes of fame" quote.)

But the spectacle concept has ancient roots. It is one of the signs of a biblical prophet. From Noah's spectacular boat-building project to Jesus' death on the cross, these men of God followed his instructions in such a way that they made themselves spectacles in a world that heaped derision on them for their other-worldly priorities and defiance of the world's values.

  • Noah's ark
  • Abraham's circumcision
  • Moses' plagues, the Exodus, and the wilderness wanderings
  • David's dance (2 Sam. 6:14-22) and Bathsheba-related sins (2 Sam. 11, 12)
  • Job's suffering
  • Solomon's extravagence (wisdom, wealth and wives)
  • Elijah's battle with Ahab, Jezebel and the prophets of Baal
  • Isaiah's nakedness (Is. 20:3) and his children (their names: Is. 8:18)
  • Jeremiah's tears (Jer 13:17)
  • Ezekiel's laying on his side (Ez. 4), exile (Ez. 12), and the death of his wife (Ez. 24:15ff)
  • Jonah's fish experience
  • Hosea's prostitute wife
  • John the Baptist's ministry and death
  • Jesus' ministry and death (Luke 23:48)
  • the apostles' ministries and deaths (1 Cor. 4:9)
Their submission to God's instructions, or in some cases, the elevation of their behavior into cautionary tales, become key milestones in the Scriptures defining what the character of God is, and what he demands of his prophets and people.

Prophet is not a voluntary role or title. It's an assignment by an almighty God to a servant who generally has indicated a willingness to partner with his sovereign. (See Jonah for the classic example of the unwilling prophet.) I venture to guess that all of these men struggled with their calling to be such a spectacle.

What triggered this reflection? Tom Johnson's sermon at Garden City Christian Church today dealt with John 12:20-25. Some Greeks wanted to see Jesus; Philip and Andrew pass the request along to Jesus, and he answers so cryptically. The spectacular "seeing" that these Greeks--and everyone else in Jerusalem--were about to witness becomes the answer to their question, "We wish to see Jesus." Oh, how they would see him: high and lifted up on a cross, paying the price for the sins of all mankind. What a spectacle.

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