Biblical Figures – Jeremiah the Prophet
His Holiness Pope Shenouda III speaks about the personality of the prophet Jeremiah, clarifying that he is “the weeping prophet” but also strong and brave, chosen by God to carry a difficult message to a corrupt people.
The prophet’s nature and his commission
His Holiness affirms that Jeremiah was calm and gentle by nature, but God chose him for a message of warning and punishment: to uproot and build, to warn of death and exile not only pleasant messages. God sanctified him from his mother’s womb and made him a prophet to the nations.
The prophet’s inner stance
Jeremiah confessed his weakness and fear — he said “I am a child” — but the Lord reassured him that He was with him, and put His words in his mouth. The word of the Lord for Jeremiah was a fire in his bones that he could not hold back.
Corruption of society and the false prophets’ reaction
The book records the corruption of kings, priests, and false prophets who reassure the people with falsehood. Jeremiah stood against this corruption and tried to warn the people but they did not listen.
Divine punishment and divine mercy
His Holiness explains that God’s judgment in His justice is sometimes punishment — the exile was the result of the cup of wrath being filled after the people rejected the warning — and the exile is a relative mercy better than total annihilation.
Persecution of the prophet and his endurance
Jeremiah suffered mockery, beating, imprisonment and being thrown into a pit, yet he remained steadfast and not silent, because he spoke the word of God with strength and sincerity.
Spiritual lesson and application
Includes His Holiness’s personal experience: Jeremiah’s words affected him and called him to difficult service, reminding that God sometimes chooses the gentle to carry powerful messages, and that the messenger’s strength is not in his temperament but in God’s presence with him.
Conclusion
The final message is that Jeremiah was a divine voice in a time filled with falsehood, and the believer must endure rejection and persecution if his message truly comes from God, trusting that God is with the chosen one.
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