An Unpopular Prophet

We continue our trip through the Bible with today’s readings from the prophet Jeremiah. In this passage we find God calling Jeremiah to prophesy when he is merely a boy. Jeremiah cannot understand why he would be called as a mere child, and, throughout his prophetic career, his prophetic tasks are often sharp rebukes of his own people. Jeremiah seems to be a prophet who struggled at times, wishing he wouldn’t have to say God’s words, but he can’t stop himself. While others were advising the king to ally with Egypt or Babylon to avoid being conquered by them, Jeremiah says they must suffer the history that God has meted out. He was, of course, greatly unpopular, and he ended up in prison. In the New Testament, the word of Jesus was also wildly unpopular. In Acts, Peter and John ended up in prison, too. Carol also describes some history of the Wesley family, and how some roles that were considered “vile” were actually God-given. There are, at times, calls for us to be unpopular and to deliver words of God that will sting, but for those times God assures us of God’s presence. We have amazing songs of grace to sing to the world, but when the going gets tough, we know we are spreading God’s word.