The WORD in LENT - Fifth week, Friday
March 31, 2023: Jeremiah 20: 10-13; John 10: 31-42
Jeremiah is indeed a perfect foreshadow of Jesus, except in one case! He was in distress too, just as Jesus, for the sake of the will of the One who called him and had sent him; he was cornered for nothing and taken to task for his dedication to the Lord and to the mission handed to him by the Lord. When they persecuted him with their hatred, he cried out to the Lord to come to his assistance and vindicate him in the presence of these people.
In contrast to Jeremiah, Jesus does not wish to see the vengeance that the Lord would take on those who did not heed his call, those who were persecuting him for wrong reasons, those who refused to see such an obvious point that he was mking amidst them, by his words and deeds. Jesus always wished that they turn to him, believe in him, in his words and in his works and realise that he is in the Father and the Father is in him.
Both Jeremiah and Jesus, give us one message: there can be no peace without suffering! They give this message in the very example of their lives, in distress for the Lord. Blessed are those who hunger for justice and peace, for they shall be filled; Blessed are they who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for their's is the kingdom of God. Being in distress for the Lord, for the Lord's purposes, is a crucial way to peace, and that would indicate an obvious truth - that peace entails suffering!