"I have come to set the earth on fire . . . "
Jeremiah 38: 4-6, 8-10
Hebrews 12: 1-4
Lk 12: 49-53
It’s
tough being a prophet. No doubt about
it! Just ask Jeremiah who stands this
Sunday in his muddy prison. What did this reluctant prophet do to deserve such
punishment – to be thrown into a cistern filled with mud? It seems he did what prophets do – he carried
God’s message to those who would rather hear something else so they temporarily
silence him.
Jerusalem
at this time is surrounded by the Babylonian army and Jeremiah goes to the
King, advising that he surrender and all will go well for him and his
family. Either surrender a humiliating
defeat or continue to resist at the peril of your own life, the destruction of
Jerusalem and the capture of its citizens. No wonder poor Jeremiah was treated
like a pesky fly on the wall. Yet that is what happened – off to Babylon went
the vast majority of Jewish people in a destructive melee of the city and
Jeremiah with them due to the King’s obstinacy.
This
great prophet of the Old Testament paid a price for speaking the truth as God
had so inspired him. The “Babylonian captivity,” as is this period of Jewish
history is called, was a time to call the nation to its senses; a time to
regroup and renew the Covenant made between God and his people. Eventually, a remnant returned and Jeremiah
was vindicated. The truth, we might say, caught on fire in the hearts of people
and the flame originally lit by God’s spirit never was extinguished.
The
Gospel from Luke holds a further insight into the power of truth telling. Yet, it is uncomfortable to hear. From the lips of Jesus we hear what may be
somewhat uncharacteristic as a prophet of peace and love: “I have come to set
the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing! . . . Do you think
that I have come to establish peace on the earth? No, I tell you, but rather
division . . .” (Lk 12: 49 ff).
What
is that “fire” that Jesus desires? In this summer season of forest fires these
words may hold uncomfortable meaning.
But, it’s clear that Jesus does not speak of a literal fire in the woods
but the fire of God’s truth which has the power to both bring change for the
better and at the same time cause division – even in families themselves as he
states in the Gospel.
Like
Jeremiah the prophet and Jesus who spoke as God’s Word, the truth when
proclaimed and even more importantly lived out with conviction can
disturb.
As
we approach this Sunday, it might be good to think about the times that we have
spoken or witnessed to the truth of the Gospel of Christ and been threatened,
judged, misunderstood, ignored, or perhaps even rejected all together. Was there also a time that your courage
changed someone for the better?
More
to come . . .
1 comment:
Many years ago I was visiting a church and there was a women who was sitting in front of me who was visiting too. I felt the power of the Holy Spirit prompting me to declare the word of God to her. So I asked her if I could share the Word God gave to me concerning her. She said, Yes. The scripture passage was from John 10:28...no one shall snatch my sheep out of my hands. Come to find out that this woman had just received Christ after being in a Satanic cult. And was fearful of being snatched back into it. When she got home she sent me a note saying how it had been that scripture that had truly given her peace in knowing that she was safe in the Good Sheperd's care. Yes, it took courage to do what the Spirit was asking, but by obeying it also built my faith up to yield more quickly to the Spirit's prompting.
Cecelia
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