Jermiah NL

The book of Jeremiah is a prophetic and often challenging text. Written in a time of turmoil, in the 6th century when the kingdom of Babylon was gaining power, which would lead to the destruction of Jerusalem, and eventually Israel’s exile to Babylon.  The book focuses on the problematic and corrupt leadership, who are supposed to be Israel’s shepherds, and yet have failed the people. God’s judgment is severe against those who lead with corruption and negligence, and yet still promises restoration and renewal.  It is a difficult read now and it was no different in Jeremiah’ s own time.

The message that Jeremiah preached told the people that the war with Babylon was of their own doing, that restoration with God was needed and that Babylon would destroy Jerusalem.  This message was so unpopular that the leadership of the city took hold of Jeremiah and threw in a mud filled well.  However, as we know now Jeremiah was a true prophet and God’s message was lived out, as we read in our reading today.

Our reading today dates from after the fall of Jerusalem when Jeremiah’s critique of the leadership of Jerusalem and Israel had proved true. 

“Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! says the Lord. Therefore, thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, concerning the shepherds who shepherd my people: It is you who have scattered my flock, and have driven them away, and you have not attended to them”

It’s interesting that we usually think of the ‘good Shepherd’ as Jesus, and so he is.  However, that isn’t the first usage of the term. In the ancient world, shepherds were not just caretakers of sheep; they were responsible for guiding, protecting, and ensuring the well-being of the flock. Thus, the leaders of Israel (both political and religious) were also referred to as shepherds because they were supposed to care for the people, guiding them in justice, mercy, and righteousness. 

Of course, as we know this was not always the case, and in Jeremiah 5 we hear what the people and the leadership were like:

“But this people has a stubborn and rebellious heart; they have turned aside and gone away. “…For the wicked are found among my people.  They lie in wait like hunters; destroyers, they catch humans.  Like a cage full of birds, their houses are full of treachery; …. They know no limits in deeds of wickedness; they do not judge with justice the cause of the orphan, to make it prosper, and they do not defend the rights of the needy. Shall I not punish them for these things?  says the Lord,”

And punishment was forth coming.  As Jeremiah prophesied Jerusalem was sacked by Babylon and it’s people were scattered, vulnerable, and left without direction, lost because of their poor shepherds.

Justice has always been key to the law of God, and an important aspect of faith and righteousness. One of the key aspects of the Book of Jeremiah is its emphasis on justice. Throughout the text, God calls the people of Judah to correct their injustice, especially towards the poor, the widows, and the orphans—the marginalized of society. , God condemned the rulers who build their wealth on the backs of the poor, the priests and the people for thinking that ritual sacrifices alone would protect them, while they neglect to “do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with their God” as the law and the prophets had told them.

However, just as the book of Jeremiah encompasses a vast amount of time, so too does his prophesies cover the vast extent of God’s mercy.  We hear about how the shepherds of Israel were neglecting and abusing their charge, and of the fall of Israel in consequence, and  we hear God through Jeremiah, calling for a new kind of leadership, one that would reflect God’s justice and mercy.

“I will gather the remnant of my flock from all the countries where I have driven them...”. —“I will place shepherds over them who will tend them.” “The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land.”

            God, the true shepherd, will reclaim and restore the people, and not just to the status quo, however. The restored flock will be under new leadership and these new shepherds will be different. They will lead with care and compassion.

Most significantly, Jeremiah also gives us one of the most powerful about the coming of a righteous king, often interpreted in Christian tradition as pointing to Jesus Christ. A good shepherd. A righteous branch.  A just and eternal king.

This "righteous Branch" is a direct contrast to the corrupt and negligent leaders of Israel. Where the former kings and rulers failed, this coming leader will embody righteousness, justice, and peace. The "Good Shepherd" will teach us compassion, sacrifice, and love, calling us to follow in His ways of justice, care for the marginalized, and the vulnerable.  The very basis of our Christian faith, and the purpose of Christ following.

If we were to read ahead to the 31st chapter we would read some of the most beautiful and poetic promises of redemption and restoration.  Jeremiah tells us that God does not want to punish, God wants to shepherd and guide, teach and empower his people.  In Jeremiah, we hear the prophet calls for repentance and reconciliation and God.

 “The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah…. I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.”

All those who have been scattered will be returned under the good shepherd and all that is broken will be rebuilt.

“Thus says the Lord: The people who survived the sword found grace in the wilderness;
when Israel sought for rest, the Lord appeared to him[a] from far away.
I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you. ...8 See, I am going to bring them from the land of the north and gather them from the farthest parts of the earth, among them the blind and the lame, those with child and those in labor together; a great company, they shall return here.   … I will let them walk by brooks of water,
    in a straight path where they shall not stumble, for I have become a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn.

Jeremiah offers us both a sobering critique of failed leadership and a hopeful vision of the future, centered in the coming of a righteous ruler who will lead with justice and compassion. Jeremian reminds us that God’s love is always at work, even in the darkest of times, calling us to repentance, to change, and to action.

The promise of restoration in this book is not just an individual promise, but a collective one. God’s vision is for the renewal of the entire community—“I will gather the remnant of my flock.” This is a call for us to work together and engage in the healing of our communities. We are called to be part of God’s ongoing work of restoration in the world.  To be good sheep under the guidance of the Good Shepherd,  Working with and through Christ for justice, peace, reconciliation and an opportunity for the most vulnerable among us to grow and thrive.

Jeremiah is a wake up call and one that was not only beneficial in biblical times, but now and likely in all times; until that time when Christ comes again.

amen