Down in the Mud

A Reflection on the First Reading for August 14th, 2022:
Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time

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Jeremiah
38:4-6, 8-10
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The officials said to the king, “This man ought to be put to death, because he is discouraging the soldiers who are left in this city, and all the people, by speaking such words to them. For this man is not seeking the welfare of this people, but their harm.” 

King Zedekiah said, “Here he is; he is in your hands; for the king is powerless against you.”

So they took Jeremiah and threw him into the cistern of Malchiah, the king’s son, which was in the court of the guard, letting Jeremiah down by ropes. Now there was no water in the cistern, but only mud, and Jeremiah sank in the mud.

So Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, an officer in the king’s house, left the king’s house and spoke to the king, “My lord king, these men have acted wickedly in all they did to the Prophet Jeremiah by throwing him into the cistern to die there of hunger, for there is no bread left in the city.” Then the king commanded Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, “Take three men with you from here, and pull the Prophet Jeremiah up from the cistern before he dies.”

Our First Reading is set in a time of war. Jerusalem is surrounded by the army of Babylon. The prophet Jeremiah has been telling everybody that, if they surrender, all will go well— but things don’t go especially well for Jeremiah, who experiences harsh consequences for expressing the prophetic Word of God that burns within him. Upon hearing his strange message the soldiers and officials complain to King Zedekiah, who hands Jeremiah over to them. They put him out of commission temporarily by dropping him into a muddy well. Hearing of this, an official of the court relates to the king that the prophet may starve. So, the king relents and has Jeremiah brought to him for a chat. 
 
We do not hear their conversation in today’s reading, but it seems as though Jeremiah tells the king exactly what he has been saying in the city: that surrendering to the enemy will result, not in death, but in life for the king, his family, and the city of Jerusalem. Jeremiah, whose life was marked by suffering and opposition, bears the cost of following God’s Word (a point emphasized by Jesus in the Gospel for this Sunday).
 
When as Christian disciples we are trying our best to live out God’s instructions, life can feel (in a theoretical sense) a lot like being thrown into the mud. As I reflected on this reading, the beautiful hymn “O God Beyond All Praising” (the recessional hymn at my wedding Mass) filled my mind. I realized how accurately its concept of “sacrificial praise” captures the hardship of following God. The lyrics at the end of the hymn are so powerful:

And whether our tomorrows
Be filled with good or ill, 
We’ll triumph through our sorrows, 
And rise to bless you still:
To marvel at your beauty
And glory in your ways,
And make a joyful duty
Our sacrifice of praise.

Let us, even in times when we don’t see or understand God’s plan, bless Him still.

I'm praying for you all.


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Theresa James

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