God is with Jeremiah in his mission

February 1, 2004 -- 4th Sunday in Ordinary Time

By Fr. Richard Ver Bust

	Fr. Richard Ver Bust

The call of a prophet set the tone for the work and mission of that prophet. Jeremiah, one of the most important of the Hebrew prophets, was called by God and that call is described in the first chapter of his book. Our first reading today is a small portion of that chapter. We read verses that give us important clues to his mission.

Jeremiah lived and worked in one of the most difficult periods of Israel's history. He was born about 645 B.C. At the time, Israel's independence was already severely curtailed. Judah was a vassal state in the Assyrian Empire. Jeremiah was to see Judah devastated by war and Jerusalem destroyed with its leaders in successive waves carried into captivity.

The work of this sensitive prophet was most difficult. Even in the early attempt of religious reform by King Josiah, Jeremiah saw the lack of depth of renewal. The prophet called attention to the need for a spiritual reform. He saw the futility of fighting against overwhelming odds and advised a deeper trust in God. He announced the coming ruin of the country and denounced the King and princes who followed Josiah. He saw their wickedness and the development of policies that could only lead to the fall.

The call which is described in our reading seems to have happened when Jeremiah was barely 20. He, like Moses, would plead inexperience and a lack of talent. In Verse 6, a verse omitted today, he says he was too young. This reluctant prophet finally accepts. The call which is described is similar to the calls of others like Isaiah, Ezechiel and Moses.

Most of the calls have similar elements. They describe an encounter with God. They include a commission, some objections, and a sign of affirmation and assurance from God of support. We hear only some of the elements in our reading. The call of Jeremiah has no specifics as to where it took place. The word of God comes to him and indicates that God has known him from the beginning. The word "know" has more meaning than simply knowledge and indicates a sense of relationship. This God knows and loves the creation and creatures that belong to him and in particular Jeremiah.

The mission of Jeremiah is not only to his people but also to the Gentiles as indicated by the word nations. A prophet, of course, in the Biblical sense is not one who merely foretells the future but one who on the basis of the tradition calls attention to the demands of God. The final verses of our passage are an assurance that God will be with Jeremiah in his mission. He will be a pillar of iron, a wall of brass, and nothing must deter him.

The call of Jeremiah is paralleled in our Gospel reading by the declaration of the mission of Jesus to his own people in Nazareth. His call has taken place in the story of his baptism and his commission by the Spirit of God who has come upon him.

(The late Fr. Ver Bust directed the master's program in theology at St. Norbert College, De Pere.)