In the first reading today from Jeremiah 28, we see a new prophet on the scene, Hananiah. Or do we? Hananiah makes a prophesy, but it turns out that he was speaking on his own, not from the Lord. God doesn’t look too kindly on this sort of thing. In the Gospel reading from Matthew 14, Jesus feeds the five thousand.
Hananiah prophesied that the people would be freed from the tyranny of Babylon within two years. A bold prediction, one that fueled (false) hope in the people's hearts. But this message was from Hananiah, not from the LORD. It was a false prophesy, and Hananiah paid the price for speaking out of turn.
This story reminds me that there have always been, and are still today, false prophets. For instance, those who have foretold the very date of the return of the Lord. There are many other instances. We must always have hope, but we must always be wary of false hope - both receiving and giving. And be mindful of those who are only speaking for themselves, and not for - or from - the Lord.
Father, keep us always mindful of the false prophets. May we never fall into that trap ourselves. Amen.
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