Jeremiah has often been seen as a figure foreshadowing Christ. Not only does he speak in God’s name and predict the future, but his very life and ministry have prophetic overtones.
Just as Jesus would do after him, Jeremiah foretold the destruction of the Temple, wept over the future ruin of Jerusalem, condemned the conduct of the priests, was misunderstood by his countrymen, and was humiliated and sentenced to death. Yet the prophet’s condemnation of sin and prophecies of misfortune are always linked to a message of hope and the prospects for rebirth, for return from the Babylonian exile.
Christ, too, in order to affirm his victory over death, would first have to endure the cross on Calvary. The prophet Jeremiah’s very life prepares for the acceptance of the bitterness of the cross and the glory of the resurrection.
I thought this a lovely reflection and quoted a section in yesterday’s sermon. Read it all
Very nice thoughts. I always banged my head against a wall in seminary preaching classes and such when we were told over and over again “to use our prophetic voice.” Prophets don’t self proclaim as such, and usually when they did speak, bad things would or could have happened to them.
A bunch of rich, white people in a cozy seminary have no clue what it would mean to truly be a prophet.
No true prophet identifies himself as such–you can just start there.
[i]While typing up a response and all the ministry things that can happen in the meantime delayed my posting, Kendall chimed in. And I would disagree with him, but not now…..time for dinner.[/i]
Just to carry on a bit from Archer’s comments, I’d like to say first that my initial thought after reading only the blog comment heading “the Cost of Authentic Prophecy” was one of skepticism. I’m having a hard time finding anybody who knows how to define what authentic prophecy actually is.
I suppose if one speaks either God’s actual words given or impressed upon, or they speak in the Name of God with some sort of exhortation without actually having God’s words in or before them, and either situation is culturally untenable, they will encounter hard resistance.
But I get the impression that the author’s address is based on the latter understanding of prophecy, and not on the former as I have laid it out above.
(By the way, how “young” do you think Jeremiah was? I don’t know, but the intro in vs 1 does not imply underage. In any case, he seems to be quite cognizant of the ramifications of speaking forth God’s word.)
The author says, “Jeremiah has often been seen as a figure foreshadowing Christ. Not only does he speak in God’s name and predict the future, but his very life and ministry have prophetic overtones.”
Would our author be willing to say that Jeremiah not just spoke “in God’s name” but actually speaks God’s words “as commanded” (vs 7)? Can the author not apply the phrase “I have put my words in your mouth” as more than “I am allowing you to make application?”
The author’s reflections on personal discipleship and dedication in the face of every obstacle are fine and valuable for encouragement. But why misconstrue the whole nature of prophecy (even if ignorantly) while in the course of providing otherwise helpful wisdom for the disciple?
Really. Do pray for prophets in our Church.
In looking at what the Prophets proclaimed, they constantly called Israel back to its covenant with God. They never called Israel to abandon its covenant or to move forward to a new inclusiveness of Baal or Astoreth. They called again and again for Israel to return to YHWH and to remember their promises.
When they did talk about a “new thing” the “new thing” was that the “old thing” (the Covenant) would be written on our hearts.
They also showed that how they treated the poor, the widow, and the orphan were indicative of how they were keeping the Covenant with God.
The same could be said with us. The prophets today are those who are calling the People of God to remember their promises in baptism and to remember the poor, the powerless, the voiceless. As a deacon, I sense a lot in common with the prophets. How we treat the “least of these” is a very good indication of how well we are remembering our Baptismal Covenant (including the first, and most important, promise – to continue in the Apostles teaching and fellowship).
YBIC,
Phil Snyder
“Yet Jesus knows that his townspeople want to possess him for themselves”
” ‘Do here in your own town what we have heard you did in Capernaum.’ But he refuses to do so.”
“Jesus refuses to place his extraordinary gifts at the service of his own people, putting strangers first.”
In my humble opinion, I simply do not see the basis in scripture for attributing such intentions to Jesus or the others in the synagogue.
Mark Brown
San Angelo, Texas
February 1, 2010