KEYWORDS: catholic; mt14; ordinarytime; prayer;
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From: Jeremiah 26:11-16, 24
Jeremiah arraigned (continued)
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[11] Then the priests and the prophets said to the princes and to all the people, "This man deserves the sentence of death, because he has prophesied against this city, as you have heard with your own ears."
[12] Then Jeremiah spoke to all the princes and all the people, saying, "The Lord sent me to prophesy against this house and this city all the words you have heard. [13] Now therefore amend your ways and your doings, and obey the voice of the Lord your God, and the Lord will repent of the evil which he has pronounced against you. [14] But as for me, behold, I am in your hands. Do with me as seems good and right to you. [15] Only know for certain that if you put me to death, you will bring innocent blood upon yourselves and upon this city and its inhabitants, for in truth the Lord sent me to you to speak all these words in your ears."
[16] Then the princes and all the people said to the priests and the prophets, "This man does not deserve the sentence of death, for he has spoken to us in the name of the Lord our God."
[24] But the hand of Ahikam the son of Shaphan was with Jeremiah so that he was not given over to the people to be put to death.
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Commentary:
26:1-24. This chapter deals with the same incident in the temple that was narrated in 7:1-8:3 (see note), and which occurred in 608 BC. It contains a summary of what the prophet said on that occasion, and people's reactions to it (vv. 7-24). The religious life of the nation hinged on the temple, whose importance had increased further as a result of Josiah's recent reforms; but Jeremiah proclaims that the temple will be destroyed; it will he reduced to rubble, like the old shrine at Shiloh (vv. 2-6). This prophecy so angered people, priests and prophets that they called for Jeremiah's death (vv. 7-9), but the authorities managed to calm them down and Jeremiah escaped with his life (vv. 10-19), probably because his sincerity impressed the rulers: he was a man ready to risk his life in order to be faithful to his prophetic mission. Although one cannot he sure where the New Gate (v. 10) was, the rulers' intervention clearly had a judicial character to it, since legal proceedings took place at the city gates. The New Testament contains clear echoes of this account -- in the deliberations of the Sanhedrin on what to do with Jesus after he was arrested (cf. Mt 26:5-68 and par.), in the sentence handed down by Pilate (cf. Lk 23:22), and also in the account of the martyrdom of St Stephen (cf. Acts 6: 12-14).
This episode dramatically illustrates the sort of clashes that Jeremiah became involved in when carrying out his mission from the Lord. He has harsh things to say, and meets resistance from the people, who have even begun to think that nothing that offends their sensibilities or contradicts their desires can come from God. Even so, Jeremiah does not back down, for the Lord gives him the strength to stay true to his calling (cf. 1:7-10).
26:18-24. In the course of these exchanges, some of the elders bring up the case of the prophet Micah (quoting words from Micah 3:12), in order to save Jeremiah's life. However, the sacred writer recalls what happened in the case of Uriah, who was put to death (vv. 17-24). These two prophets preached a message that was very similar to Jeremiah's. Because Hezekiah, the king, was very interested in religious reform, he listened to the prophet Micah. Jehoiakim, however, had a very different outlook: just as he killed Uriah, so he could kill Jeremiah. In other words, it could have gone either way for Jeremiah; fortunately, he was defended by a senior official of the late King Josiah, Ahikam, the father of Gedaliah, who would be governor of Judah after the last deportation (cf. 39:14; 2 Kings 25:22-26).