On one of the...
Illustration
On one of the early episodes of the television program My Sister Sam, the gist of the show was how hard it is to take the parental role and say "No." It is difficult to set limits and stick to them.
The true prophets of ancient Israel were cast, more often than not, in this same role. They were called to say the unpopular thing. They were called to criticize some of the pet notions of their fellow members in the family of Israel. They were called to challenge their hearers to rethink some of the things that had been taken for granted.
There is a time for a parent to be a parent, so that the child knows who is the parent and who is the child. Without such limits and definitions there will be chaos. People also need to know, sometimes, that they have been criticized and called to task by a true prophet.
-- Jech
