May: Day 1: Teaching 2: Holy Prophet Jeremiah

May: Day 1: Teaching 2:
Holy Prophet Jeremiah
 
(Why Does Every Prophet Suffer Reproach From His Contemporaries?)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. Today the Holy Church commemorates the Holy Prophet Jeremiah. God called him to prophetic service towards the end of the reign of Josiah (in the 7th century BC). “Then the word of the Lord came to me,” says Jeremiah himself, “and said, ‘I have sanctified you and ordained you as a prophet to the nations.’ But I said, ‘O Lord God, I do not know how to speak, for I am still young.’ But the Lord said to me, ‘Do not talk about your youth, for you will go to everyone to whom I send you, and you will say everything I command you. Do not be afraid of anyone, for I am with you. Tell the Jews everything I command you, and do not be fainthearted before them.’”

Instructed by the Lord Himself and strengthened by the promise of His help, Jeremiah zealously began his prophetic ministry. He began to sternly rebuke the Jews for their apostasy from the true God and idolatry, threatening them with the disasters of the coming war. But the people did not heed the prophet's persuasions. Jeremiah prophesied for twenty-three years, convincing his compatriots to abandon the path of wickedness and return to the path of truth. He appeared everywhere where there was a significant gathering of people, admonishing with tears. But the Jews responded to all the prophet's admonitions with mockery, abuse, and even attempted to kill him.

The disasters predicted by Jeremiah to the Jews began soon after the death of King Josiah. The Jews elected Josiah's second son, Jehoahaz, to reign. But Pharaoh Necho, returning from the Euphrates to Egypt, took Jehoahaz captive, put Josiah's first son, Jehoiakim, in his place, and made him his tributary. Jeremiah then began to proclaim aloud to the inhabitants of Jerusalem: "Thus says the Lord God: I will send against you the tribes of the north and Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and I will bring them to this land, and I will destroy it and turn it into an eternal wilderness. And these nations will be in slavery to the king of Babylon seventy years." The elders and priests of Judea, irritated by these words of Jeremiah, wanted to put him to death; thanks to the intercession of one nobleman, his death sentence was commuted to imprisonment. Meanwhile, Nebuchadnezzar, having defeated the King of Egypt, took Jerusalem, seized many sacred vessels from the Temple, and carried off many youths of noble birth to Babylon; but when Jehoiakim refused to submit to Nebuchadnezzar and stopped paying tribute, Nebuchadnezzar took Jerusalem a second time and carried Jehoiakim and his mother captive to Babylon, where Jehoiakim soon died. His son Jeconiah reigned only a hundred days. After him, Nebuchadnezzar raised King Josiah's third son, Zedekiah, to the throne. During the reign of Zedekiah, the Jewish people reached the height of wickedness and corruption. Zedekiah was greatly mistaken, thinking that by betraying Nebuchadnezzar and by an alliance with the King of Egypt he could strengthen his position. In vain did Jeremiah dissuade him from this, predicting that for his treason Jerusalem would be burned, and Zedekiah would be carried away into captivity. And indeed, when Nebuchadnezzar learned of Zedekiah's treason, he sent a strong army to Jerusalem; the city was destroyed, the Temple and palace were burned. Zedekiah's sons were slaughtered before their father's eyes, and he himself was blinded and taken in chains to Babylon, where he died in prison. Most of the inhabitants of Judea were resettled to Babylon, and only a small part remained in their land. Thus, Jeremiah's prophecy about the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonian king was fulfilled. The angry Jews stoned the Holy Prophet.

II. a) Let us reflect, brethren, on why every prophet, instead of the honor he deserves, suffers in earthly life dishonor which he does not deserve? Because, specifically, he becomes higher than his contemporaries, clearly sees their errors, vices and impiety, and seeing them, he strongly denounces them, demanding repentance and correction. Envy, which does not tolerate elevation above itself, errors, vices and impiety, which do not tolerate denunciation, initially give rise to annoyance at the denouncer, then revenge, and finally dishonor. “If ye were of the world,” said the Savior to His disciples, “the world would love its own. But now you are not of the world, therefore the world hates you. If they have persecuted Me, they will persecute you also" (John 15:19, 20), that is, if you, as the Savior would say, stood on a level with everyone else, and did not notice anyone's shortcomings, errors and vices; then the host of people, referred to as "the world," would love you as one of their own and accomplices, sharing with them everything they love. But since I place you above this host in order to reveal, point out and expose its errors, vices and wickedness: then it cannot love you as people who disturb the conscience, shake the heart, disturb the peace of life by demanding feats of repentance and correction. Instead of satisfying your just demands, which are essentially useful for the world itself being corrected, the world hates you, and pays for your instructions with dishonor.

b) And on what does the world base its judgments by which it dishonors every prophet in his own country? On its supposed knowledge of him. But is it not unreasonable, that is to say, to dishonor people honored by God Himself on the basis of knowledge of their earthly life? Fellow countrymen usually say about their fellow citizen, who exalts himself above them in knowledge, kindness, and piety, “We have known this man from childhood, we know his father and mother, we know his whole family. Nothing extraordinary can be expected from him.” We do not take this knowledge from you, but do you know the relationship of your fellow citizen to God? This relationship is a secret known only to him, because “no man knows the things that are in a man, only the spirit of man which dwells in him” (1 Cor. 11). Perhaps, at the very time when you dishonor him, he prays to God for you in the closet of his house. Perhaps, at the very time when you indulge in feasts and amusements, he propitiates the Lord for you in fasting and prayer. Perhaps the world, persecuting the prophets with dishonor, would have long ago turned into primeval chaos from its own wickedness, if these, God's holy men, had not supported it with their piety. For "the holy seed shall be its stump" (Isaiah 6:13), of every society, city and village. The destruction of this holy seed has always been accompanied by death. The Great Flood, the fate of Sodom and Gomorrah, are known to one and all. When the faith preached by the prophets, apostles and teachers becomes scarce on earth, and the love inspired and supported by them dries up, then there will be that which cannot be thought of without horror.

III. Therefore, instead of the dishonor with which the prophets were generously rewarded by their countrymen and contemporaries, let us, therefore, render them honor and glory, as preachers of truth in the midst of errors, as exposers of impiety, for the confirmation and spread of piety, which is profitable for all; not only praising their labors and exploits in words, but also by their very life, realizing in it their divine instructions. For we constitute such a society, "having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone" (Eph. 2:20). Amen.

Source: A Complete Annual Cycle of Short Teachings, Composed for Each Day of the Year. Translated by John Sanidopoulos.