Stirring the Pot

Have you ever wondered what it would have been like to live during the time of Jeremiah the prophet (627 - 586 BC)? 

Jeremiah began to prophesy in the 13th year of King Josiah’s reign. Josiah, the righteous reformer who zealously pulled down the pagan altars throughout the land. The one who stopped diabolical child sacrifice and re-instituted the celebration of the Passover.   

It was during King Josiah's righteous rule that Jeremiah began to prophesy about the nation’s impending doom and destruction.

So much evil had been done before Josiah, God’s justice was still approaching like a steam-billowing locomotive. Even a brief national reformation could not abort its arrival.

Josiah’s reign was a moment of mercy before the coming storm.

Could you imagine how unpopular the prophet's words would have been under Josiah’s rule and the reigns of his wicked sons and relatives that followed? With the former, people would have been frustrated for such harsh words when the current king was actually doing good and obeying God. During the rule of the latter, Jeremiah's words were piling gloom and fear onto an already oppressed citizenry.

Jeremiah’s call from God was to speak His words, no matter how they were received. Jeremiah himself describes the prophecies as fire pent up in his bones. Although he wanted to keep silent, the anointing was so troubling and so strong, he was compelled to declare the word of the Lord over and over again.

This holy compunction for speaking truth led to various punishments, including his being cast into a deep, muddy cistern in Jerusalem and left to starve. That was his society’s version of being “cancelled.” Thankfully, an Ethiopian official petitioned King Zedekiah to have Jeremiah rescued and moved to a courtyard for his confinement. 

As he and other prophets before him had declared, Jerusalem was besieged and overthrown in 597 BC. The best and brightest women and men of the land were taken captive to Babylon, with very few Jews being allowed to stay behind and care for the land. The Jews were thus conquered and exiled.

Although Jeremiah's words accurately predicted impending judgment, they also proclaimed great hope. After 70 years of captivity, the Lord promised to restore the Jews back to their homeland. And it was Jeremiah’s prophecies that inspired Daniel’s famous 21 day fast, the catalytic first step to seeing the fall of Babylon and the eventual return of the Jewish people to their homeland, where they rebuilt Jerusalem and God’s temple. (Check out Ezra and Nehemiah for the details.)

Why this Sunday School lesson?

I think it behooves us to listen to those people, especially followers of Christ, that frustrate, annoy, and even vex us with their cause.

I have a friend who has always been pro-life, but recently (from my vantage) has become even more vocal about the life issue. (I am sure some would say radical.) He posts things that confront the status quo, words intended to make us think. He doesn’t say things in the way some would like him to say them….but the point is he’s SAYING them and LIVING them. His words can stir up a veritable hornet’s nest, but he seems unfazed, even emboldened to keep stirring, to keep speaking out, because for him it’s a life and death issue.

I recently filmed an exit interview with my good friend and former boss JT Thomas. During the conversation, we discussed how he and I don’t always agree on issues, especially politics. We have both learned how to listen to each other, push back on faulty perceptions, and appreciate each other’s perspective. JT is one who is also known for “stirring the pot” with his social media posts and sermons. Sometimes even I will think, “Oooooh….I don’t think I would have phrased it like that.” (Ha!) But, I recognize he is called by God to speak an unadulterated message about righteousness and justice. Even when we disagree, especially when we disagree, I have learned to listen. When my soul feels pricked, perhaps the Lord is shining a light onto my blindspot. Maybe He’s exposing something in my heart or understanding that does not line up to what the He is declaring about a situation or person.  

Jonathan Tremaine Thomas

Have you ever studied the abolitionists of old or read the words of leaders from the Civil Rights movement? 

Elijah P. Lovejoy, a Presbyterian abolitionist and religious newspaper editor, so vexed the citizenry of St. Louis  with his anti-slavery articles, his printing press was destroyed by protesters. Thus, he was forced to move across the Mississippi to Illinois (a free state) and set up shop there. Once again, his paper became his anti-slavery pulpit, causing much anguish and rage in slave-holders. Not long after he moved, Lovejoy ended up being shot by a gang of anti-abolitionists during an armed ambush outside the  building that housed his printing press.

Elijah P. Lovejoy

Or, how about Martin Luther King, Jr’s words? Have you read just how fiery his writings were? I recently read his book “Where Do We Go From Here?” Talk about stirring the pot. He left no leaf unturned as he eloquently lampooned our nation’s lack of follow through when it came to addressing injustice. Let’s remember just how detested (and at the every least, misunderstood) Dr. King was by many in positions of power. In the end, his bold stand cost him his life.

Today, we honor men and women who became change agents during their time, yet blithely forget just how uncomfortable and convicted we may have felt listening to them promote their message if we lived as their contemporaries.

Does that mean Dr. King or Lovejoy went too far in their rhetoric? 

“I guess they should have known when to quit. They must have had it coming.” 

Just like Jeremiah who must have had it coming. 

Or, John the Baptist.

Or, Jesus.

Here’s my point: 

In His sovereignty, God raises up people who will boldly speak truth and act on their convictions no matter the consequences. 

Does it mean that whatever they say is the perfect word of the Lord? No, unless they are the Messiah or their words are canonized as the word of the Lord in scripture. Otherwise, no. 

Does this grant them the liberty to speak with a mean spirit? No again. What’s the difference between startling boldness (zealousness) and being mean? According to 1 Corinthians 13, it’s love. Mean-spirited truth clangs like a gong and resounds like a cymbal, i.e. NOISE. It’s like trying to plant good seeds with toxic waste. Although it is unlikely anything would grow, if something did sprout up, it wouldn’t be safe to consume.

All throughout history, God has used His imperfect sons and daughters with bold personalities to stir the waters in order to bring about societal change.

Next time you and I are nonplussed by “that” person on social media, in the break room, or in the news cycle, let’s PAUSE. Listen. Pray. Discern what the Lord is saying around whatever the issue that person is addressing.

And the next time you feel a message bubbling up in your spirit but you’re not sure what to do about it?

PAUSE. Listen. Pray. Discern what the Lord is saying about it.

Maybe, just maybe, God wants to use YOU.