Word to the Wise
Wednesday, March 4, 2015 - 2nd Week of Lent - Wed
[Jer 18:18-20 and Matt 20:17-28]"Come, let us contrive a plot against Jeremiah. It will not mean the loss of instruction from the priests, nor of counsel from the wise, nor of messages from the prophets. Andso, let us destroy him by his own tongue; let us carefully note his every word." [Jeremiah]
The scriptures today pair Jeremiah and Jesus, two preachers whose words and actions spawned violent responses and plots to get rid of them. To listen to Jeremiah, one would think the whole world was against him. He is traditionally known as the "reluctant prophet." He seems almost paranoid, but, in this case, there were folks who really did want to get rid of him! Jesus is certain that his preaching and healing were offending powerful people and that he would end in an ignominious death. His predictions of his suffering and death were a puzzle to his disciples. That they did not understand is illustrated in today's gospel by the efforts of the mother of the sons of Zebedee, two of his closest disciples, to lobby on their behalf for positions of honor in the "kingdom" that Jesus was promising!
I think that many of us are reluctant to share our faith because we think it will offend others or that others will find a way to cause us inconvenience or even harm. There is an old expression: "Faith is not taught but caught." However, I fear many do everything they can to avoid being "contagious." The road to resurrection leads past the cross and we have to approach both. Jeremiah and Jesus both assure us that rejection can be hard, but consider the good that has ultimately resulted and in which we share. Can we share it with others? AMEN