Jeremiah 20:10-13; Romans 5:12-15; Matthew 10:26-33

“This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Listen! I am going to bring a disaster on this place that will make the ears of everyone who hears of it tingle.” This is what God had said to the prophet Jeremiah, but the people didn’t listen. Jeremiah’s warnings were in vain. Instead of being listened to, he was mocked, and the powerful priest Pashur had him beaten and locked up for his messages of warning.
Jeremiah gets desperate as he continues proclaiming God’s message. He calls Pashur, the man who beat him ‘Terror on Every Side’. These criticisms are dangerous in a society with clear hierarchical structure. Parrhesia, speaking truth to power, takes courage. Jeremiah believes that God is more powerful than any human being – but what if God doesn’t want to act? If God doesn’t carry out the punishments that Jeremiah announces, who will take him seriously? Hence, Jeremiah wants to see the consequences. How would the people trust him and learn their lessons if the warning doesn’t come true?

To hear, listen and obey are the three steps to follow God’s Commandments. As St Paul points out in his letter to the Romans, Adam lived before the Mosaic Law and the Commandments were given. Yet, still, Adam is blamed for bringing sin and death to all human beings.
In contrast to Adam, Jesus Christ is the one man who will save everyone. Jesus Christ is considered to be the positive antidote to Adam and so, people will be saved by divine grace rather than by purely obeying the laws.

Jeremiah has been asking God to make the warnings true that he was asked to proclaim. The people didn’t listen to the God of Israel but had started worshipping other gods. The truth seemed to have been hidden from them – possibly as their ears and eyes were closed.
St Paul believes that it is through Jesus that we can see and understand that it is through God’s grace and through the gift of faith that we are saved.

The twelve apostles Jesus had chosen are still working in the background. Their time of proclaiming openly the Good News has not come yet. Jesus prepares them for their role. The apostles would have known about Jeremiah and other prophets who were punished by the people for proclaiming the Word of God. Jesus comforts them: “every hair on your head has been counted”. God knows every human being very well. Whatever we do, God will see and recognise. While humans can only see physical actions and can kill a body, God can see what is hidden to our eyes. God can see and save our souls.

The Twelve were given the power to heal people. However, Jesus makes it clear that the students are not above the teacher. They might be able to perform some miracles, but this power is not theirs. They only have the power that was given to them and that will be unveiled when God decides to do so. ‘So if anyone declares himself for me in the presence of men, I will declare myself for him in the presence of my Father in heaven. But the one who disowns me in the presence of men, I will disown in the presence of my Father in heaven.’

BM