In our scripture readings for today, the prophet Jeremiah dictates a scroll of prophecy to his secretary, and has him read the bad news aloud to the people. A snitch for the regime hears it, and reports the contents of the scroll to the council of the king, and they confiscate it. And when the bad news is read to the king, he handles it the way WE often handle bad news... instead of taking the scroll seriously, he throws it into the fire, piece by piece....
How long has it been since you visited the dentist? A surprising percentage of the population, even those with dental insurance, avoid the dentist for long periods of time, because we don't have to fix problems we don't know about. So it's best not to know! This same twisted logic applies medically when we ignore potentially dangerous symptoms. This logic applies financially, at a national level when we refuse to face our debt crisis, and at a personal level when we make only the minimum payment on our credit card. This logic applies to physiology when we downplay the consequences of our addiction or our disability. And this logic applies spiritually when we assume that God is just fine with the results of our sins, regardless of what they are. This twisted logic of avoidance tells us, no matter what, do whatever is necessary to BLOCK OUT bad news.
To this end, the religious elite in our readings today had taken the step of banishing Jeremiah from the temple. Problem solved – no more prophecies of bad news! But God and Jeremiah found a work-around. Jeremiah gave the words of God's prophecy to his secretary Baruch, and he recorded them permanently in ink on a scroll. And then, Jeremiah ordered Baruch to read the scroll aloud in the hearing of the people on an occasion when people would be most receptive – a day of fasting.
Unfortunately for Baruch, Micaiah, the son of the temple secretary, was present for the reading. And he immediately reported to all of the king's officials. They called Baruch to the carpet, and while they did not want Baruch and Jeremiah to be arrested, they did feel obligated to inform the king of the bad news. They took the scroll and Jehudi read it to the king. And after every few paragraphs, the king took his penknife, cut the section from the scroll, and threw it into the fire. If King Jehoiakim even heard the bad news, he did not respond in the slightest, other than to destroy the source of the bad news. And, to try to arrest the originators of the bad news. Turns out it didn't work – Jeremiah and Baruch recreated the scroll, in fact, they even made it longer.
Avoid the bad news at all costs – I wonder if that will be the general tone of the National Convention of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada, which starts Thursday in Winnipeg. Please pray that it isn't! Please pray that the convention will take seriously the scroll of membership statistics and church closures and pastor retirements, and elect a national bishop prepared to change direction, and not just throw the scroll in the fire.
Avoid the bad news at all costs – I wonder if that will be the general tone of the NEXT Canadian federal election, whenever it occurs. Will the media take the scroll of Canada's recent GDP performance, housing prices and health care wait times, and read it to the people? Or will the regime convince the media to throw the scroll in the fire?
Avoid the bad news at all costs – I wonder if that will be the general tone of the next time you visit your unbelieving relative in the hospital. We have a culture that won't even tolerate bringing up the bad news of death, how are we going to bring up the bad news of the unsaved afterlife? The temptation is very strong to NOT read them the scroll that clearly outlines their eternal condition, but to throw that scroll in the fire.
As we have heard in the book of Jeremiah, God the Father has had many challenges in getting his message through to people. 600 years after King Jehoiakim burned the scroll of his prophecy, God had GOOD news he wanted to deliver - “the kingdom of heaven has come near.” And instead of writing it down on a scroll, God sent his son Jesus to deliver the message personally. The response was the same. The regime tried to destroy the message, this time by killing the messenger, crucifying Jesus on the cross. Problem solved – no more promises of good news! But God and Jesus found a work-around! God raised Jesus to new life on the third day, and now Jesus carries the message directly to the hearts of his followers, through the words of his followers, and the biblical record of his life, death, and resurrection.
We HAVE the scroll of God's promises written for us in the Bible, and we are blessed to live in a country where you can read them aloud. And this GOOD news helps us deal with the BAD news we would rather avoid. As followers of Jesus, no matter what circumstances we face in this life, the future is bright with the light of resurrection. No matter what tribulations we dread coming up, they will be temporary, and what will be permanent is bliss. Under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we will be sustained in the grace of Christ, and we will be welcomed into the Father's house forever.
Gracious God, help us to hear your words of correction clearly in your word and in the circumstances of our lives. Keep us from evil ways, in Jesus' name, amen.