Jeremiah 14:(1-6) 7-10

Like Habbakuk, whose oracles we were considering four weeks ago, Jeremiah's period is shortly before, and, in fact, partly during, the conquest of Judah and Jerusalem by the Babylonians in 586 BC. It seems unnecessary to repeat here the historical sketch contained in that comment.

However, Jeremiah is immeasurably more significant than Habbakuk. Some theologians have even suggested that he may be the most Christ-like figure in the whole bible other than Jesus himself. His message is similar in important respects, and his very life (about which we are told more than is true of most of the other prophets) is in some ways a kind of preview of Jesus’ in terms of the way he was rejected and reviled and misunderstood for his integrity. Indeed, he came perilously close to suffering a similar fate.

Like most of the prophets of that great age of prophesy, his basic message may be summarized as one of warning that God will not tolerate for long the unfaithfulness of Israel, but that on the contrary, God is soon going to use Israel's powerful enemies as an instrument with which to punish - even destroy- his people.

Yet unlike many of his colleagues of that age - Amos a few centuries earlier is an example - Jeremiah derives no pleasure from what he foresees, nor from the keenness of his insight. Jeremiah never gloats.

On the contrary, he grieves to the point of heartbreak over the fate of his people, and remonstrates with God, pleading with God to reconsider his harsh sentence. He pleads often to be released from the harsh and thankless duty of proclaiming God's judgement.

There are other important features of Jeremiah's work. For example, his fierce denunciation of the false prophets who preach peace when there is no peace. Or again, his imaginative and powerful acting out of certain mini-dramas illustrating and symbolizing some of his chief points. These are reminiscent of Jesus’ teaching by means of parables.

Still, his most basic and persistent message is that of the combination of warning of the disaster to come, and pleading with the Lord to avert it.

Today's lesson is a typical example of this theme. Only in the last couple of verses does Jeremiah see a faint ray of hope, if only the people will follow his example and acknowledge their sin to God, and look to God alone for salvation.

The Gospel for this Sunday, Jesus' short parable of the Pharisee and the Publican, yet one of his most powerful and eternal, fits well with the message of Jeremiah.