Gimme a Sign

I confess I have a love-hate relationship with the Old Testament prophetic writings.  I call it “love-hate” because I am both intrigued and rebuffed by their words and ministries.  Anytime I feel a little low or find myself twisting in the wind, I can count on some perspective – the tough love kind of perspective – from the prophets.

That brings me to Jeremiah.  Read the Book of Jeremiah lately?

What a great man of God.  He shows us the human side of the prophet more than any other Old Testament prophet.  In a word, his ministry was hard as nails. In fact, “going in” God told him his words and ministry would be resisted by the people.  And, his ministry of forty years proved God’s words to be true. 

Reading through Jeremiah chapter 16 recently, I was again reminded just how difficult it would have been to walk in Jeremiah's shoes.  It also reminded me of an often overlooked aspect of his life:  Jeremiah preached the word orally in many settings but he also taught through parabolic actions. Among other things, he used pottery, a linen waistband, some stones, and a wooden yoke to teach the word of God.  He did this to “reinforce” his larger preaching ministry.

Consider this from chapter 16:

The word of the Lord came to me: 2 “You shall not take a wife, nor shall you have sons or daughters in this place. 3 For thus says the Lord concerning the sons and daughters who are born in this place, and concerning the mothers who bore them and the fathers who fathered them in this land:4 They shall die of deadly diseases. They shall not be lamented, nor shall they be buried. They shall be as dung on the surface of the ground. They shall perish by the sword and by famine, and their dead bodies shall be food for the birds of the air and for the beasts of the earth.

5 “For thus says the Lord: Do not enter the house of mourning, or go to lament or grieve for them, for I have taken away my peace from this people, my steadfast love and mercy, declares the Lord. 6 Both great and small shall die in this land. They shall not be buried, and no one shall lament for them or cut himself or make himself bald for them. 7 No one shall break bread for the mourner, to comfort him for the dead, nor shall anyone give him the cup of consolation to drink for his father or his mother. 8 You shall not go into the house of feasting to sit with them, to eat and drink. 9 For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I will silence in this place, before your eyes and in your days, the voice of mirth and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride.

No wife.  Very little social life.  I understand the words but it is difficult to fully appreciate the emotional tension, loneliness and struggle that characterized his life.  Given Jerusalem's impending destruction, all social activity, whether it was going to funerals or enjoy social gatherings, mattered very little.  The calamity that was coming their way would dwarf every other social experience.  What is interesting about Jeremiah’s actions is that he could not reconcile “empathizing with the people and frolicking with them” with the knowledge that their world was about to be turned upside-down.  To give further credence to his message of repentance he had to stand clear of activities that might give them the idea that his message was just the rantings of a crazy man.  His entire life was a sign.

Jeremiah served in special times and under special circumstances.  That said, perhaps we could take a page from Jeremiah's life and make some application to our lives and to our congregations.  

Scripture describes Jesus’ disciples as salt, leaven and light.  We are to be in the world of humanity as a “presence.”  The kingdom of God exists as a “sign” of what God is doing and will do when this age gives way to the next. 

And that raises an interesting question:  How is our signage working?  What message is coming from our lives?   Are we signs…really? 

Paul said, “I carry in my body the dying of Jesus that the life of Jesus may be manifested in my mortal flesh.” (2 Corinthians 4:10).  He also said, “We are fools for Christ” (1 Corinthians 4:10).  What does that mean to you? 

By anybody’s standard, Jeremiah was a weird person.  His strange acts – modern day drama skits! – were simple to say the least.  His message was in crayon.  Have we gotten so sophisticated and consumerist in how we think about the gospel that people can't make out God's message through us?  

Ah….it’s got me thinking.  What do you think? 

I think it was Paul who said, “I have become all things to all men that I might win some.”  What word from Jesus are people seeing in our lives?  What do we need to do differently to help people see the gospel through our lives?  

Thank you Jeremiah….and thank you Lord Jesus!

O Father, help us to be what you need us to be wherever and whenever you need us to be it. 

Amen.

Randy Daughety

Stephenville, Texas