Memorial of Saint Martha

Lectionary: 403/607

Because I bore your name,
O LORD, God of hosts.
I did not sit celebrating
in the circle of merrymakers;
Under the weight of your hand I sat alone because you filled me with indignation.
Why is my pain continuous, my wound incurable, refusing to be healed?

The Prophet Jeremiah has been described as the most Christlike of the prophets. A young man, he heard his calling before he was born. Largely despised by other prophets, who were organized, salaried, and integrated into the religious systems of the temple, Jeremiah had to trust the Spirit that moved him rather than the resistance and criticism he got from others. Unlike the guild prophets, he so often predicted gloom and doom his name has become identified with angry rants, which are called jeremiads. 

His moods, as we find in today's reading, might be called depressed. He did not socialize easily with others; he could not ignore approaching enemies. The Spirit of God affirmed to him what anyone could see if they opened their eyes: there was no escape. 

The story is told of British aristocrats who sat and sipped cocktails on their shaded verandas in Singapore as the Japanese armies penetrated the "impassable" jungle behind them. They would certainly not enter such a forbidden forest; they assumed the despised Japanese would not do it either. Jeremiah would not have sat among them. 

Where modern historians see the sweep of history, logistics and strategy, the Hebrew prophets saw God's spirit. If the Lord condemned the sins of his people, they would not have the spirit to defend themselves. Their best efforts of preparation and prayer would fail. And Jeremiah's worst predictions were right; he lived to see the siege of Jerusalem and the razing of Solomon's temple. When the royal dignitaries of the city were slaughtered or imprisoned, he was taken by refugees to Egypt, apparently against his will. 

Despite his unpopularity, Jeremiah had the Lord's favor. He had been called and blessed; he was obedient; and so the Lord continued to use him as his spokesman: 

Then it shall be they who turn to you,

and you shall not turn to them;

And I will make you toward this people

a solid wall of brass.

Though they fight against you,

they shall not prevail,

For I am with you,

to deliver and rescue you, says the LORD.

 

In this way also, he resembles Jesus Christ, who retained God's favor despite his violent end. He heard at the outset of his ministry, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”

Christians, called to be prophets, cannot expect our life, work, and mission to be comfortable, easy, or successful. Our presence, prayer, and critique of the cultures in which we live might not be welcome. Even civility toward aliens and minorities, adherence to law, and efforts to build community, reach consensus, and strike compromise  might be despised. Those Christians who are members of despised minorities will find their religious credentials win them no friends, not even among their coreligionists. 

We are not often directed by the Spirit to level jeremiads at our fellow citizens. Rather, Saint Peter instructs us: 

Do not return evil for evil, or insult for insult; but, on the contrary, a blessing, because to this you were called, that you might inherit a blessing.