Friday 30 July 2010

Background

Chapter 26 of Jeremiah finds the prophet preaching God's wordoutside the Temple in Jerusalem, inevitably incurring the wrath ofthe priests and putting his life at considerable risk.

Jeremiah himself came from a priestly family but made enemies bydenouncing sacrificial worship and superstitious trust in theTemple. Indeed, there is a marked emphasis in his pronouncements onwhat John Wesley - one of the founders of Methodism - would haverecognised as 'personal holiness'. Perhaps it was inevitable thatJeremiah's frustrations with organised religion would come to ahead (just as they would for Jesus - see Matthew 21:12-13) in a final showdown at theTemple itself.

This is the second time that the book describes Jeremiah's 'Templesermon'. It occurs first in chapter 7, where Jeremiah roundly mocksthe "den of robbers" (Jeremiah 7:11) and warns the people that theyare being betrayed by "deceptive words" (Jeremiah 7:4). The Jerusalem Temple, he says,will suffer the same fate as the one in Shiloh, which was destroyedby the Philistines.

In this re-telling, there are some noticeable differences. Thistime we hear far less of what the prophet has to say and a gooddeal more of the response he gets from the priests: "You shalldie!" It's a stark reminder that to live and speak God's word canbe a dangerous occupation.

But whereas in chapter 7 God warns of the futility of Jeremiah'spreaching, saying that "they will not listen to you" (Jeremiah7:27), this time God holds out morehope... If you listen to my warnings,there will be no punishment. There is a choice.

The worst can be averted and there is still value in preachingGod's word, even at the eleventh hour. That said, as the peoplesurround Jeremiah at the end of this passage, things are lookingbad for God's messenger.

To Ponder

Has there been a situation in which you have feltvulnerable, or even endangered, by sharing your faith? What can youlearn from that experience?

In the face of economic pressures, global warningand extreme poverty, where can we point to hopeful signs? Is it toolate to declare them?

Think of one way in which you can offer a sign ofhope within your family or community without being dismissive ofthe reality of other's concerns or suffering.