Prophecy

"You duped me, O LORD, and I let myself be duped; you were too strong for me, and you triumphed." Jer 20:7

Not infrequently when we were children our parents duped us. Unwilling to get out of bed or do a simple chore, our parents reminded us we would not get dessert unless we got up on time. Reluctantly, we obeyed but still resisted. The same thing happened to Jeremiah the prophet. Thinking the role of the prophet would bring him honor in the community, Jeremiah accepts God's to be his spokeperson but struggles with the result. Overwhelmed by the constant mockery of the people who resisted his word, he accused God of alluring him with false promises of fame and importance. Jeremiah was indeed important to the people of Israel, just not in the way he envisioned it.

The same is often true of us in the United States and other developed countries. Our insistence that there has to be a better distribution of wealth, that immigrants have rights and that we need to care more deeply for the earth and all creation often leads to snickers or outright rejection. Some even accuse us of being disloyal to our nation. Speaking God's work simply and with power costs us and every person or church that risks announcing Good News for all.

Today, listen carefully to someone with whom you disagree religiously or politically.

What must today's prophets expect if they are willing to speak the hard sayings of Jesus?