The prophet Jeremiah had it rough. In many ways all the Old Testament prophets did. Look at what they were called to do: go to the people and tell them that they are sinning against the Lord. If they do not change their ways and repent of their sins, then the Lord will bring the ultimate curse, exile!
Jeremiah most definitely knew the burden of a prophet’s ministry. Interestingly, there are moments when his actions and thoughts cannot be clearly distinguished from those of the Lord. For example, Jeremiah 4:19-22 and 8:18-9:11 record the tormented cries of an anguished speaker who laments over the sins of the city of Jerusalem. Who is this speaker? Jeremiah? The Lord? Commentators do not agree. The text does not make this clear. What this demonstrates is a radical and close identification between the great Suzerain and his suffering messenger. Therefore, to know the heart of Jeremiah is also to know the heart of the Lord.
The ambiguity of speakers is only one example of several that illustrate how the prophet and the Divine Sovereign share similar experiences. The Lord says that these people in turning against Jeremiah have turned against Him (12:8). Both weep and mourn for the people (Jeremiah in 9:1 and 13:17; the Lord in 9:10; 14:17; cf. Luke 19:41). Both are portrayed as a suffering servant. In Jeremiah 11:19 the prophet is described as like a “gentle lamb led to the slaughter.” This image reminds the reader of another figure described in the same way, the suffering servant in Isaiah 53:7. In the Book of Isaiah, the servant is one who is “despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief” (Isa. 53:3). In the Book of Jeremiah, the suffering servant is the prophet Jeremiah himself whose “joy is gone; grief is upon me; my heart is sick within me” (Jer 8:18). In the case of Jeremiah, the prophet is called to experience and share in the same rejection and oppression that the true Suffering Servant will experience centuries later (John 1:29, 36). In fact, Jeremiah 24 depicts the prophet falsely accused of crimes, facing a bloodthirsty mob eager to condemn him to death, standing before royal officials who see his innocence yet succumb to the will of the masses and imprison him nonetheless. This sequence of events is reenacted in the city of Jerusalem later in the history of redemption, only it is the Lord Himself in His incarnate form, Jesus Christ, who endures these trials during the final days of His earthly life as recorded in the New Testament gospels.
Jeremiah’s identification with the sufferings of the Lord is established early in his prophetic career. According to Jeremiah 11:21-23, he was called to preach to his hometown of Anathoth, where they abhorred his message. Not only did they try to prevent him from carrying out his prophetic task of proclaiming the divine word, they warned him that he would do so at the risk of his very life. Some of the persecution and rejection that Jeremiah faced were not merely from his fellow countrymen, but specifically from members of his very own family. By preaching the Word of the Lord, Jeremiah put himself in harms way. Such hardship reflects another Prophet who “came to his own, and his own people did not receive him” (John 1:11).
Perhaps it is difficult for us to imagine someone called to such a grim ministry. But try. Imagine someone called by the Lord to preach a message of life and hope that comes through the accomplished work of the Messianic Priest-King Jesus Christ. Imagine, however, that the community that this person is called to preach to does not receive this message, but rather rejects it with hostility and offense. This preacher loves these people and only desires to see their salvation from eternal condemnation, but they scorn him and that ridiculous message. He is given no guarantee of success. He cannot preach morals alone because he knows that what is needed is a deep, heartfelt repentance. Imagine such a life. Perhaps it is not as difficult to imagine after all. Perhaps modern preachers of the Gospel can identify with Jeremiah and the prophets of old. Pastors sacrifice so much. They live meagerly, sacrifice time away from family friends, even personal interests. They live with a constant mental strain and burdens of ministry every day. This effects their mental and physical health. Many retire after years of service with little income, some even with minimal fruits of decades of pastoral work. However, there is a special and powerful bond for those who are bold enough to proclaim a beautiful message and to do so at their own peril—a bond with Another who knew modeled such sorrows and sacrifice. To know such heartache is to fellowship not only with the historic Jeremiah, but also to fellowship with the true Jeremiah.
The overall effect of the shared suffering between the Lord and His gospel messengers portrays them as one invited by the Lord to experience and know His suffering as a righteous sufferer. According to 1 Peter 4:12-13, to experience this “fiery trial” is not something that should be taken as unusual in the life of a believer but expected. He says that “to this you have been called” (1 Pet 2:21). Indeed, according to the Apostle Peter, to know such righteous suffering is to “share Christ’s sufferings.” This is the reason, the cause, the rationale for why believers can rejoice (1 Pet 4:13; Phil 1:29; 4:4)—because they can now say they know Jesus.
To what extent are believers eager to “conform to the image of His Son” (Rom 8:29)? We desire to know our union with Christ in His justification (1 Tim 3:16), sanctification (Rom 6), and glorification (1 Cor 15). These are spiritual blessings in Christ that we receive thankfully by the grace of God. But are we also willing to know Christ in His suffering and to see this also as a gracious gift? This is difficult and goes against our natural proclivity to avoid pain and heartache. Yet, to know one (His glory) without the other (His suffering) will not give us a full, holistic knowledge of our Savior because His life and ministry included both. Christ Himself summarized His life as suffering to glory, and this two-part summation applies also to the entirety of the Old Testament Scriptures (Luke 24:26, 46) and His New Testament church. The Apostle Peter teaches the same (1 Pet 1:10-11). The Apostle Paul does so also (Phil 2:5-11).
Although 1 Peter 4:12-13 does not explicitly refer to Jeremiah, the principle he champions can be applied to him nonetheless—he “fellowshipped” with Jesus in fullness, meaning in His suffering and he does so now in glory. All God’s faithful preachers also fellowship with the True Jeremiah. For this reason, they can be considered people endowed with extraordinary grace (cf. Phil 1:29). Jeremiah could claim to have a deep union with his Suzerain since they knew similar agony. To not have such heartache would deny Jeremiah the richness of this fellowship. For that reason, this prophet can say that he has a “joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory” (1 Pet 1:8). So can you….by faith in Christ who suffered before entering into glory.
Redeeming Chillingworth 