Observation: Jeremiah is facing major resistance from the ruling class in Jerusalem because of his prophetic message. He laments in shocking words: he accuses God of "enticing" and even "overpowering" him with this prophetic call. Even when he tries to stay silent, God's word is like "fire shut up in my bones". Now that he has begun speaking God's truth, trying to hold it in is exhausting.
Application: Jesus says "the truth will set you free." I believe that, but in other ways, the truth can hold us captive. We can't unlearn what we have learned, and some truths are much less pleasant than the lie society tells us.
In the wake of so many accusations of prominent men sexually assaulting women, the truth is becoming clear: that our culture as a whole needs to examine how we are raising our boys, and be even more forceful in asserting that each person's body is her/his own. This is the work of generations, and we are not nearly as far along as we think.
As we reflect on the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr., another uncomfortable truth is that racism is far from dead in our society, and instead white supremacist organizations are increasingly in the spotlight. Racist language and attitudes are still all too common, even among the younger generations.
These are just two uncomfortable truths being told, and resisted, in the public sphere. Uncomfortable as they are, for those affected by them, they are inescapable. They are caught, as in a net, knowing they, too, are made in God's image, yet are not being treated as fully human. There is no escape rom this reality. Certainly, it would be "easier" for those not affected, to ask that these folks remain silent. To question their motives. To tell them it's all in their head. But for those who have to live with his truth every day, whether they like it or not, silence can be harmful and even deadly. As with Jeremiah, it is fire shut up in their bones. And rather than keep a lid on it and suffer for the sake of those who don't want to hear it, more and more people are asking that everybody "suffer" a little bit by hearing and acknowledging the truth. The truth is a burden best borne by a community, rather than by one individual or group. If we all tell these truths together, even those of us not affected by them directly, they will become lighter. We will share the weight of these revelations, rather than ask a few to keep on carrying them for us.
Prayer: God, I pray for prophets. I pray that the fire you have shut up in their bones would be let out. I pray you would entice and catch more of us with the uncomfortable truths our world would rather ignore. Catch me, too, and help me be a friend and ally. Amen.
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