Jeremiah's Tears

While riding my bike to the office today I came across an interesting traffic situation.  A driver tried to pull out into traffic on Austin St.  That should be a simple maneuver, right?  Well, another driver was illegally double parked in front of him.  A jaywalking pedestrian impatiently walked right in front of him to cut him off.  And another biker was riding down the middle of the road in the wrong lane, headed straight at him!  To top it all off, I was riding behind him.

The driver waited and proceeded with caution.  This is commonplace; he or she may not have even thought twice about the crazy pedestrians surrounding the car.  Because traffic laws are rather frequently ignored in NYC. 

However, what was interesting to me was the facial expressions of everyone who was breaking the law.  They all looked at the poor driver with disgust. 

“What do you think you are doing!?” 

“Well, I’m pulling out onto Austin St, while obeying all local, city, and federal driving laws.” 

“Of all the nerve!  I’m headed this way; don’t you dare get in my way!”

This was the attitude written on their faces.

This is a simple illustration of what happens when people are used to disobeying laws.  Those who try to obey the laws in place are looked at with disgust and disparaged.  Traffic police, who at times try to uphold these laws are ignored and cursed.  (Full disclosure, I have only seen NYC traffic police trying to uphold parking laws… and that gets rather nasty.)

This was Jeremiah’s position as he proclaimed God’s laws to Israel.  He knew that God’s laws were correct and he knew that Israel’s rejection of God’s laws would only lead to negative consequences for them individually and nationally.  And yet they still would not listen.  So Jeremiah sounded like a prude.  Listen to the people’s response.

“Therefore, Jeremiah, go and warn all Judah and Jerusalem. Say to them, 'This is what the LORD says: I am planning disaster against you instead of good. So turn from your evil ways, each of you, and do what is right.’ But they replied, ‘Don’t waste your breath. We will continue to live as we want to, following our own evil desires.’ … Then the people said, ‘Come on, let's find a way to stop Jeremiah. We have our own priests and wise men and prophets. We don't need him to teach the law and give us advice and prophecies. Let’s spread rumors about him and ignore what he says.’  ‘LORD, help me! Listen to what they are planning to do to me!’” (Jeremiah 18:11-19).

That’s not very nice. 

                                            

Jeremiah and his message (namely, God’s laws) were rejected.  Understandably so, this caused an emotional response from Jeremiah.  He was angry and he was sad.  He cried. 

His tears flowed from two truths.  First, he cried because people rejected him.  He took the rejection of God’s laws personally as they rejected his message he felt they rejected him. 

Second, he cried when God punished his society’s rejection of God’s laws.  In both cases he cried because both situations are deeply troubling and sorrowful.  His tears are recorded in the entire book of Lamentations.

A few quick lessons for Christians, especially if you are called to herald God’s Words to others on a regular basis:

1.      Don’t be afraid to cry.

When God’s message is rejected you might take it personally.  I do.  We are human.  Realize that Jesus cried when He saw that Israel rejected Him as Messiah.  We cry because when people do not respond to God’s message delivered through our lips it feels as if they are rejecting us.  And, in a way, they are rejecting us. 

We also cry when we see the sad results of individuals rejecting God’s ways.  God’s ways are always best.  As people reject God’s ways we know they are rejecting God’s best.  Perhaps other heralds do not cry because they really do not care.

2.      Expect rejection. 

Jeremiah was told that this would be the result of his ministry (Jeremiah 1:9-10, 16-19; like fire on wood! – 5:14).  We too are told that people will hire those who teach what they want to hear rather than what God says.

“For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to right teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever they want to hear.  They will reject the truth and follow strange myths” (2 Timothy 4:3-4).

We wonder why not everyone is on the narrow road that leads to life.  Why are they all on the broad road that leads to destruction!  Why wonder?  Jesus promised this traffic pattern (Matthew 7:13-14).

3.      Pray for Repentance

As you herald the truth of the Gospel, others will turn and be saved.  The message of sin, repentance, and faith in a Savior, though not popular is powerful through God unto salvation (Romans 1:16-17).  Don’t be ashamed, rejoice in those who respond!  Rejoice in the grace of God to minister the Gospel and watch the miraculous life changes.  Don’t morn over the many on the broad road as much as you rejoice over the few on the narrow road.  That is the miracle.  After humanity’s high handed rejection of God’s way in the Garden of Eden, it is a marvel that there is a narrow road back to life.  Thanks be to God for the cross!

Beyond that.  Let us pray that we will not share the entirety of Jeremiah’s ministry.  Historically, the Lord gives seasons of unusual regeneration where the broad and narrow principle flip-flops.  Pray that our culture will experience yet again that lovely centenialish experience of an unusual outpouring of heart change.  Jeremiah was not able to experience this in his life time.  But about every hundred years in our country, God’s Spirit responds to the prayers of His people, and the preaching of His heralds, to such an extent that large portions of populations are born again. 

In those times, hundreds of thousands (or in our city it would be millions) decry that they are on the broad way to destruction and they repent and follow Christ.  The message of repentance of sin and faith in Jesus’ cross-work never changes.  The herald heralds the same news.  But in these times huge percentages of those on the broad way of destruction do an about face.  They look at God’s laws not with a disparaging, “What in the world are you doing getting in the way of the way I want to live!”  Instead they say, “What am I doing going the wrong way!”  I must cry out to God for mercy or I will be destroyed.

We will still cry.  But then we will weep tears of joy that our prayers to God are heard, and the mercy drops have turned to showers of blessing!  I find myself praying this way with more and more faith the further and further our culture drifts from God’s laws.  

"I weep for the hurt of my people. I am stunned and silent, mute with grief.  Is there no medicine in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why is there no healing for the wounds of my people?  Oh, that my eyes were a fountain of tears; I would weep forever!" (Jeremiah 8:21-9:1 NLT)