When I was a kid I thought my “job” of sorts was to go to school to learn things. School would help me to know what I needed to know when I grew up. And I thought that when you became an adult you kind of stopped learning and growing and just were static for the rest of life.
Well,
assuming that I have to consider myself to be an adult, I’ve learned that that
model of life just isn’t true. Life is
an ongoing process of growth, learning, and change. The world is not a static place. Because it is changing, we are changing along
with it. Perhaps education isn’t as
formal as an adult, or perhaps it is for those pursuing certifications and
degrees, but it is still learning.
I
participated in the annual synod ministerium for pastors last week. One of the keynote speakers was the Rev. Dr.
Donald Schwab. He’s a retired Catholic
priest, a teacher, a theologian, a psychologist, and a consultant often used by
the synod to help congregations in conflict.
He reminded the pastors -all of whom are showing fatigue from this
pandemic- of the one quality that almost all people who feel they are living
fulfilling lives have. These same people
also tend to be the people who are the most likable, the most highly valued,
and often the most effective leaders.
That quality they all share is not looks or money or charisma. It is an ongoing passion to learn and
explore. These people are constantly
growing. They are taking on new
challenges. They push themselves and
their boundaries constantly. And they do
so with a sense of humility. They are
not trying to get ahead and look down on others. They are trying to get ahead purely for the
purpose of being as effective as they can possibly be.
I’m
quite certain the prophet Jeremiah was not well liked. I don’t believe he lived a very fulfilling
life. In fact I believe he lived a very
miserable life. I could be wrong because
I have not researched this, but I could easily believe he was the most
persecuted person of that we meet in the Old Testament.
-The
religious leaders had him beaten and put in the stockade (Jeremiah 20)
-He
was basically put on trial and many called for his death (Jeremiah 26)
-He
was put in a cistern and left to die in the mud (Jer. 28)
-God
gave Jeremiah a message to write on a scroll.
He did so and while he was reading it to the king the king cut off the
portions Jeremiah had read and publicly burnt it. (Jeremiah 36)
-He
was called a liar by other prophets (Jeremiah 43)
-He
was accused of treason and insurrection and imprisoned for it. (Jeremiah 32)
No, I don’t pretend that Jeremiah
was well liked. I don’t begin to say he
lived a fulfilled life. In fact he cried
out to God many times for his sufferings and even cursed the day of his
birth. I do not believe people
considered Jeremiah to be a high value person.
And on the whole people ignored the truths he spoke, preferring instead
to believe the less painful words of those who were lying to them.
Yet
Jeremiah never quit. He never stopped
learning. He never stopped growing. And no matter how badly he was treated, he
stayed with his people even as they repeatedly ignored him and rejected the
word he brought from God.
Last
week we looked at the time between when the Babylonians first took control of
the nation in 597 B.C.E. and when they destroyed Jerusalem in 587 B.C.E. There Jeremiah was telling the people to
submit to their Babylonian conquerors. But
they ignored him. And because of it
Jerusalem was destroyed and the temple too.
It was too late. All was lost.
Many
people had been taken into exile in Babylon in 597. Many more were hauled off in 587. But some were left behind and some escaped by
fleeing. Jeremiah was among those left
behind.
The
Babylonians set up a Jew named Gedaliah to govern the territory. Under his leadership many Jews who had fled
began to return. They began to cultivate
the fields and restore the vineyards.
There was hope for the beginning of a society for those who were left.
You
won’t be surprised to learn that Jeremiah backed the leadership of
Gedaliah. Jeremiah told the people to
stay and make the best of it, for that was God’s will and a way God would bring
about a restoration of the nation; albeit in the distant future.
Given
the ways things had been going, you won’t be surprised to learn that after four
or five years of leadership Gedaliah was assassinated for his efforts by some
zealous Jews who were still trying to overthrow the enormously powerful
Babylonians. Those Jews who were left feared
repercussions from Nebuchadnezzar for this assassination. After all, the last time there was an
uprising the Babylonians were crushing.
So this remnant of the remnant decided to flee to Egypt.
That
takes us to the beginning of our reading in Jeremiah 42. If you’ve been following our journey through
Jeremiah you won’t be surprised to hear that Jeremiah’s message hasn’t
changed. It is still that God is telling
them to stay put and submit to the Babylonians.
And
as always, Jeremiah was ignored.
If
I was Jeremiah I’d throw my arms up in exasperation. I’d say “I told you so!” I mean, how many times can you give good
advice, be not only ignored but persecuted for it, and then continue to stick
around?
Jeremiah
could also have stayed behind. Instead
he went with them. As I said earlier, despite
the fact that they had shown themselves to be unfaithful time and time again,
Jeremiah continued to faithfully bring the word of God to them. He was a living statement of God’s enduring
and abiding love for them. Ultimately
the story of Jeremiah just goes silent after they’ve been in Egypt awhile. There’s no conclusion. Most scholars believe he died in Egypt.
Jeremiah’s
prophesy in chapter 43 about the Babylonians conquering Egypt never did come to
be. However, decades later there was a
great battle between the two empires.
There’s no consensus as to who actually won.
I
hope and pray your life is easier than that of Jeremiah. But I do hope God will give us all some of
the qualities he gave Jeremiah.
Jeremiah
knew an important truth. He knew that
change was hard. He knew that change
meant the death of the old and the pain of accepting something new. But that pain, that suffering, needed to be
accepted and worked through. Those who
seek quick solutions to avoid pain and suffering never learn or grow. They repeat their mistakes. They become miserable people to be around.
Though they are thousands of years
old, the words from St. Paul to the Romans that we read earlier are eternally
true. “Suffering produces endurance and
endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not
disappoint us.” Romans 5:3-4.
Now, I don’t recommend that people
go looking for suffering, but an extraordinary person -a highly effective person-
a person who is looked up to is a person who is not afraid of suffering.
Thus we see in Jeremiah. No fear of suffering deterred him from what
God called him to do. He promoted the
changes that were needed. He stuck with it.
The Jews suffered the loss of all
things when the Babylonians conquered their nation, destroyed Jerusalem and the
temple, and ended the monarchy. Through
that darkest time Jeremiah was a consistent voice of hope. He continuously proclaimed and embodied God’s
enduring love and promises for the future.
I wouldn’t wish you a life like
Jeremiah’s, but he is an excellent example of faith and courage. It is something to strive for. Life is an adventure. May you embrace the adventure. And also be a voice of real hope in our world
that needs real hope.
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