Jeremiah's Challenge: Faith Beyond Ritual
July 27, 2024 - Saturday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Jeremiah 7:1-11
I have already mentioned that one of the characteristics of the prophets of Israel is to challenge "cherished beliefs and question established institutions" (Abraham Heschel). But the statement that Jeremiah delivered in the temple was blasphemy in the ears of his hearers: "Put not your trust in the deceitful words: 'This is the temple of the LORD! The temple of the LORD! The temple of the LORD!'" (Jer. 7:4).
Jeremiah delivered this shocking sermon in 609 BC, a few months after the death of King Josiah, one of the few kings of Judah evaluated positively by the biblical author. Josiah initiated a religious reform that centralized Israel's worship in Jerusalem's temple. But, as we all know, worship reform is one thing and a reform of the human heart is another. Vatican II also initiated a liturgical reform, but has it brought a change in our lifestyle?
At the heart of Jeremiah's sermon is the phrase "a den of thieves" (Jer. 7:11). What is a den of thieves? It is a place where a thief returns after mischief in the outside world. So imagine a Christian businessperson or politician who violates God's commandments, places profit above social justice, rejects the right to life from conception to natural death, and then comes to church on Sunday and raises their hands in prayer to the Lord. How is God going to react to such a prayer?
Jeremiah compared his people to "thieves" who "steal and murder, commit adultery and perjury, burn incense to Baal," and then come back to the temple and participate in the temple liturgy. They made a mockery of religion, which in the contemporary world is one of many reasons responsible for growing atheism. What kind of image of God does a person who does such things hold? A permissive god? A god who will excuse us of all the crimes we commit? Saint Paul powerfully captured Jeremiah's sentiment when he wrote: "The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you" (Romans 2:24).
But the God of the Bible is concerned with justice and He does not condone unjust living. The security of Judah was not in the temple but in a lifestyle according to the Ten Commandments. Today, we could paraphrase Jeremiah's thought and say that the security of a nation lies not in its economy and military power but in the quality of its moral life. If injustice, corruption, and rampant violation of the rights of ordinary citizens are prevalent in society, such a nation has no future.
However, to challenge "cherished beliefs and question established institutions" is a risky business. After his sermon, Jeremiah was seized and declared worthy of death, and only the protection of a powerful friend, Ahikam son of Shaphan, prevented his execution (see Jer. 26:1-24). Trying to save Israel of His time, Jesus quoted Jeremiah's phrase "the den of thieves" in His speech in the temple. But it only cemented the decision to kill Him. We would rather silence those who expose our hypocrisy and warn us of the consequences of our sinful lifestyle than reform our ways of life. And I am afraid that we are going to make that choice again, but this time with more disastrous consequences.