Loving God, even in the midst of a mess, you breathe hope and new life into your people and promise a day of salvation.  Teach us to trust in your promises and to look to you for all that is needed, through Jesus Christ our Saviour.  Amen.

            At the time when Jeremiah was giving the prophecy that we heard today, Jerusalem was in a mess.  The city was surrounded by the Babylonian army and was under siege. Food and water were running out, and disease was settling in.  Meanwhile, Jeremiah was in prison because the king at the time didn’t like the kind of prophecies that he was giving.  Yet, into the midst of this mess, God speaks words of hope to the people through the prophet Jeremiah.

         Oddly enough, the Hebrew in this passage is chock full of plays on words.  Taken literally, it is, “I will cause a righteous sprout to sprout for David” (Jer. 33:15).  [cue Green Giant and Little Sprout]  A “righteous Branch”, however, sounds a little bit stronger and is a term that is used quite often in the Hebrew Scriptures to refer to the promised Messiah.  The image is of new growth on David’s family tree, which might get cut down, but will not die off.

         The interesting thing is that at this point in time, when Jeremiah is giving this prophecy, there is a descendant of David still ruling in Jerusalem (although he won’t be for long).  His name is Zedekiah, which means “the Lord is righteous.”  When Jeremiah then says that Jerusalem will be called “The Lord is our righteousness”, it is a play on Zedekiah’s name.  Even more ironic is the fact that Zedekiah was not the king’s original name, but was given to him by the king of Babylon (cf. Ezek. 17:11-14)!  Ultimately, though, whether you like word-play or not, God’s righteousness is all over the place in these verses, as are God’s promises.

         Even though Jerusalem will be destroyed and the Temple will be torn down, God’s promises still stand.  The promise that a descendant of David would rule in Israel forever was given way back in 2 Samuel 7.  And the promise that the Levitical priests would continue in God’s presence for all time goes back to Deuteronomy (18:5).  Jeremiah lifts up these promises in the midst of a mess and says, “God has not forgotten.”

         Verse 16 in today’s reading promises that “in those days Judah will be saved” – yasha’.  And then, about 600 years later, along comes a guy named Yeshua’, or Jesus.  As Christians, we see the fulfillment of many of these promises in Jesus – the one who comes as a descendant of David; the one who executes justice and righteousness; the one who saves not just Israel, but all people; the one who rules forever in the heavenly Jerusalem.

         As Christians, we also haven’t paid as much attention to the other promise that is mentioned in this passage – the promise that the Levitical priests would never be cut off from standing in the presence of God.  Given that the descendants of Levi served in the Temple in Jerusalem and offered sacrifices there, I was curious how Jewish rabbis speak about this promise – especially since there hasn’t been a Temple in Jerusalem since the first century. 

         One Jewish commentary that is available online explains it something like this:  There will always be descendants of Levi who are fit to make burnt offerings and grain offerings in the presence of God.  In other words, the seed of Levi will not be cut off, just as the seed of David will not be cut off (chabad.org).  This interpretation does not require an actual Temple with actual sacrifices.

         For us, however, a more immediate question might be what message there is for us in today’s reading.  We started out today by acknowledging that Jerusalem was a city under siege when Jeremiah spoke these words.  Some might say that we live in a city and on a planet that is also under siege.  Whether you want to think about crime and violence and drugs or pollution and climate change and flooding, it can certainly feel as though we, too, are under siege.  At the same time, there are many who feel quite desperate and who simply do not see any light at the end of the tunnel.  Is there not some hope in Jesus for them as well?

         For Jeremiah, his message of hope was based on the coming Messiah, as well as God’s promises.  From our perspective, Jesus the Messiah has already come, and we have seen in him the fulfilling of many of God’s promises.  Yet, we continue to remember the promise that Christ will come again.  While Jesus’ second coming or final appearing is a cause for us to have hope, it is entirely possible that there are still many years before this happens.  And in the meantime, Jesus is not exactly absent.

         Jesus continues to be here among us through the presence and power of the Holy Spirit – and that in itself is a reason for hope.  When we are mired in darkness and despair, Jesus is there with us, leading us toward the light.  When we are filled with fear and anxiety, Jesus is there with us, leading us into love and trust.  When we are dismayed at the things that are happening around us, Jesus is there with us, working through us in order to bring hope and healing to those in need.  And, when an opportunity presents itself to share God’s love with anybody and everybody, Jesus is there with us, empowering our actions and giving us the words that we need.

         God’s promises continue to stand, including the promise of salvation and eternal life through faith in Jesus.  At the same time, God continues to speak through the prophet Jeremiah:

For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope (Jer. 29:11).

Thanks be to God, through Jesus Christ our Lord!  Amen.

Advent 1 (NL 2)                                Jeremiah 33:14-18

December 1, 2019

St. Luke’s Zion Lutheran Church

Pastor Lynne Hutchison

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