Most of us would envy such a personal encounter with God as Jeremiah experienced as recorded in the opening chapter of the book that bears his name: Now the word of the Lord came to me saying,

⁵ ‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,

and before you were born, I consecrated you;

 I appointed you a prophet to the nations.’

God then empowered Jeremiah to speak the words necessary to be heard by the nation’s people and leaders.  These words chastised and warned of dire consequences for a people who ignored God’s demand of fidelity to God and care of each other, and were therefore not popular.

So Jeremiah found himself constantly in danger and life- threatening situations:

Then they said, ‘Come let us make plots against Jeremiah – for instruction shall not perish from the priest, or counsel from the wise, or the word from the prophet.  Come let us bring charges against him, and let us not heed any of his words’ 18:8

He could not even trust members of his own family:

‘For even your kinsfolk and your own family, even they have dealt treacherously with you; they are in full cry after you; do not believe them, though they speak friendly words to you.’ 12:6

Whatever delight Jeremiah might have found in being assured of God’s attention from before birth quickly evaporated.  He exclaims several times sentiments as these:

‘Woe is me, my mother, that you ever bore me, a man of strife and contention to the whole land! I have not lent, nor have I borrowed, yet all of them curse me.’  15:10…

…and the most heart-wrenching:

‘O Lord you have enticed me, and I was enticed;

You have overpowered me, and you have prevailed.

I have become a laughing-stock all day long; everyone mocks me. ⁸ For whenever I speak, I must cry out, I must shout, ‘Violence and destruction! For the word of the Lord has become for me a reproach and derision all day long’’. 20:7,8.

The words of today’s gospel reading, Luke 14:25-35 echo Jeremiah’s experience.  God does not leave Jeremiah struggling alone.  However Jeremiah’s circumstances do not change!

What changes is what goes on inside him. More of that next week.

Louis van Laar