000 Allen FMT (i-xxii) - The Presbyterian Leader

82 Proper 17 [22]/Year A
Hebrew means “YHWH exalts” (15:16). Because of Jeremiah’s call, the
prophet leads an isolated existence (15:17). Jeremiah’s life is like an incurable
wound (15:18a). His deepest lament is that God deceived him. Instead
of being a living fountain (2:13), God is a “deceitful [untrustworthy] brook,”
or “waters that fail” (15:18b; cf. 2:31). Unfortunately Jeremiah does not
specify how God is deceitful, but some commentators speculate that Jeremiah
feels abandoned, even overwhelmed by opponents.
God responds with a statement that may catch today’s congregation off
guard. “If you [Jeremiah] turn back [repent], I will take you back” (Jer.
15:19a). Jeremiah has done something serious enough to compromise the
prophet’s vocation and God calls for repentance. While the text does not
specify what he has done, 15:19b suggests that Jeremiah may have uttered
something “worthless,” perhaps that God deceived the prophet (15:18).
The people (who complained about God’s faithfulness, Proper 25/Year C)
are to turn to Jeremiah for help; the prophet is not to speak in their mistaken
ways (15:19c).
If Jeremiah returns, God will make Jeremiah as a “fortified wall of
bronze,” that is, immensely secure. No matter how contentious his enemies,
they will not prevail because God has sealed the promise (Jer. 15:20).
Jeremiah can count on God for deliverance from the wicked (15:21; cf.
Proper 20/Year B).
On the one hand, this passage can serve as a pastoral warning that
prophetic ministry—either individually or as a community—can arouse
opposition and suffering kin to that experienced by Jeremiah. The suffering
Jeremiah has in mind is not general suffering but comes about as others
oppose prophetic evaluation of their situations. The sermon can
prepare the congregation for such encounters and can help the congregation
develop resources to sustain them through such confrontations.
On the other hand, the preacher does not want to speak glibly of such
intense difficulties, nor to encourage neuroses around suffering. The
preacher might even raise the question whether the congregation is challenging
today’s idolaters with enough voltage to inspire opposition.
This passage also reminds today’s congregation not to idealize Jeremiah
(or other biblical characters). Jeremiah evidently lost sight of his vocation
for a time so that God had to invite the prophet to repent, that is, to return
to faithfully enacting his calling. Perhaps that awareness can help ministers
be a little more patient with themselves and their congregations in
similar circumstances.
The text also encourages humility on the part of would-be prophets.
Not everything that Jeremiah said proved to be prophetic. The fact that