Today's passage from the Bible In a Year Reading Plan is Jeremiah 1-2; Matthew 20:17-34
Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage passage: Jeremiah 3-5; Matthew 21:1-22
Jeremiah presents credentials for his authority to speak and
for his claim to be heard. He is the ambassador of the Lord God, who shapes the
lives of individuals and determines the destiny of nations. He introduces
himself and the historical context of his ministry. God sent prophets like
Jeremiah to convict His people of their sin so that they might repent and
return to Him. In mercy, God patiently waited, providing ample time for
repentance. He is likewise patient toward you, whom He calls to repentance and
true faith in Christ. Consecrated to the prophetic office before he was born,
this youth was neither a wide-eyed visionary nor a self-appointed
rabble-rouser. God commissioned Jeremiah to speak His words, charged with the
power to destroy whatever opposed the kingdom of God and to build whatever
would promote its coming. It was only natural for the timid, inexperienced
young man from a country town to stand aghast at the worldwide results his
ministry was to produce. The Lord therefore reveals to Jeremiah that he is
simply to announce what is to happen; the responsibility for bringing about the
threats and promises belongs to the Lord Himself. He records the details of his
call to the prophetic ministry, including two visions and God’s promises to be
with him. Through Jeremiah, God would warn His people of impending judgment for
their sins. Idolatry and immorality eventually bring disaster upon sinners God
wants His people to repent and turn back to Him, averting disaster and
receiving God’s mercy.
Further evidence of Israel’s defection was their trust in
foreign alliances with godless nations rather than in God Himself. This foolish
policy caused the Northern Kingdom to fall prey to the Assyrians, to whom King
Ahaz earlier had appealed for help. Negotiations with Egypt would also be as
disastrous as they had been in the past. Israel’s sin of faithlessness would
condemn them to matter which foreign nation they turned to for relief. At
Carchemish in 605 BC, the combined forces of Egypt and Assyria could not
repulse the Babylonians from marching into Israel. Revolts against Babylonian
domination, inspired by promises of help from Egypt, also proved futile. The
struggle for supremacy between the world powers, represented by the Euphrates
in the northeast and the Nile in the southwest, would end in the subjugation of
Israel and Judah.
In our Gospel reading, we find that serving the Lord’s
kingdom is a privilege and labor of love, not something undertaken to gain a
reward. When we begin to think that God’s kingdom needs or depends on us, we
get it completely backward. We need and depend on it! Through forgiveness and
the renewing work of God’s Spirit, we can indeed be used by God for vital
service in His kingdom. For a third and final time, Jesus predicts His Passion.
Ironically, Jesus’ three predictions match the number of Peter’s denials. The
depth of humanity’s sin is such that only the death of God’s Son can atone for
it. No one took Jesus’ life from Him, as His Passion predictions make clear.
Rather, He willingly laid down His life in order to save us.
Jesus continues to convince His disciples that in His
kingdom, humility and service, not acclaim and power, are most highly valued
just as it was among the Twelve, so also today the lush for power and control over
others continues to be a problem in the Christian community. Though may things
make Jesus great-among them His role in creating and preserving all things-it
is His sacrificial death that is most wonderful for us. Though the nearness of
the crowd and His own impending death weigh heavily on Him, Jesus is not too
preoccupied to help two men in desperate need Like the people in Jericho who
tried to silence the two blind men, we also may tend to treat persons in need
as nuisances. Yet Jesus painstakingly extended His ministry to all in need,
showing care and concern for them. We, too, have received His grace.
3 comments:
I too, took note of how Jesus teaches for us to be servants rather than strive to be in authority.
"So Jesus called the followers together. He said, “You know that the rulers of the non-Jewish people love to show their power over the people. And their important leaders love to use all their authority over the people. 26 But it should not be that way with you. Whoever wants to be your leader must be your servant. 27 Whoever wants to be first must serve the rest of you like a slave. 28 Do as I did: The Son of Man did not come for people to serve him. He came to serve others and to give his life to save many people.”
A great reminder to myself
What stood out to me in Jeremiah was the admonishment (and encouragement) to not let our youth keep us from obedience to God's call on our lives.
I also noted, from early in Jeremiah 2, the reminder of how quick we are to forget God's goodness, and to attribute to someone else (often ourselves!) or simply take it for granted, and to only rely on God when we are desperate.
"My people have committed two sins: they have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water." Jeremiah 2:13
Jeremiah described the stark reality of sin among God's people. Sin began in the dark recesses of the heart and was expressed in a multitude of ways among the Israelites - idolatry, child sacrifice, and false prophecy. Dishonesty and greed was throughout the land. With that in mind, Jeremiah called the people to forsake their evil ways and return to God. A call that relates to us no less than them.
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