Being Unpopular

Prophets, whether ancient or modern, have never been popular. They claim to be the voice of God and the conscience of the society. They are the arch-enemies for those who are in power, who cling on to the status quo. Most scholars agree that Jeremiah was the prototype of Jesus. Both of them shared the same fate, being rejected and killed by the people in authority.
In Jeremiah 19, the fate of Judah was pronounced. First of all, Jeremiah listed their sins: The people had forsaken the Lord (Jeremiah 19:4a)

1. They profaned the place by burning incense to alien gods (Jeremiah 19:4b)
2. They shed the blood of the innocents (Jeremiah 19:4c)
3. They built altars to worship Baal (Jeremiah 19:5a)
4. They burned their sons as burnt-offerings to Baal (Jeremiah 19:5b)

How horrible! It is beyond imagination how parents would offer up their sons as holocaust to gods. It is simply disgusting and offends the sensibilities of modern man. Although Yahweh denied any interest in human sacrifice
which I did not command or decree, nor did it come into my mind (Jeremiah 19:5c),
this was exactly what He instructed Abraham to do in Genesis 22! Of course, it was a test of Abraham's faith and Abraham passed this test with flying colours. Although the holocaust of Isaac was never realized, many a Catholic (Mr. Peter Chiu, ex-vice principal of La Salle College) finds it hard to swallow such cruelty towards a 107-year-old Abraham. Anyway, for all the sins committed, Judah would be conquered and the people sent to exile. The siege of the land was so severe that
And I will make them eat the flesh of their sons and their daughters, and every one shall eat the flesh of his neighbor in the siege and in the distress, with which their enemies and those who seek their life afflict them (Jeremiah 19:9). Cannibalism awaited them!
After hearing this prophecy, the priest Pashhur beat Jeremiah and locked him up (Jeremiah 20:2). Then Jeremiah revealed the identify of the enemy: Babylon.
For thus says the LORD: Behold, I will make you a terror to yourself and to all your friends. They shall fall by the sword of their enemies while you look on. And I will give all Judah into the hand of the king of Babylon; he shall carry them captive to Babylon, and shall slay them with the sword.
Moreover, I will give all the wealth of the city, all its gains, all its prized belongings, and all the treasures of the kings of Judah into the hand of their enemies, who shall plunder them, and seize them, and carry them to Babylon.
And you, Pashhur, and all who dwell in your house, shall go into captivity; to Babylon you shall go; and there you shall die, and there you shall be buried, you and all your friends, to whom you have prophesied falsely." (Jeremiah 20:4-6)
Jeremiah had God on his side so that he was able to confront people in authority. Prophets always think that they possess the truth. That's why many people in authority find them offensive. Sometimes, some prophets were smart enough to package their message in a more palatable coating such as the beautiful parable of 'the poor man and his ewe' by Nathan in 2 Samuel 12:1-5. Jeremiah did not enjoy such luxury. His was a generation of imminent disaster. Here, we have a rare glimpse of the psychology of prophets.
O LORD, thou hast deceived me, and I was deceived;
thou art stronger than I, and thou hast prevailed.
I have become a laughingstock all the day; every one mocks me.
For whenever I speak, I cry out, I shout, "Violence and destruction!"
For the word of the LORD has become for me a reproach and derision all day long.
If I say, "I will not mention him, or speak any more in his name,"
there is in my heart as it were a burning fire shut up in my bones,
and I am weary with holding it in, and I cannot (Jeremiah 20:7-9).
Indeed, the life of a prophet is anything but to be envied. If you proclaim the truth, you will be derided or even die. If you don't, God's word will burn in your bones. Woe to you, prophets of Yahweh. You will suffer unto death if you insist on standing your ground. What will be your reward?
Yet it was the will of the LORD to bruise him; he has put him to grief;
when he makes himself an offering for sin, he shall see his offspring, he shall prolong his days;
the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand;
he shall see the fruit of the travail of his soul and be satisfied;
by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant,
make many to be accounted righteous; and he shall bear their iniquities (Isaiah 53:10-11).

My God, I thank You for sending Your Servant to suffer for us so that we may have life. I am not the stuff of a prophet. I am only an insignificant teaching man. May Your Word be planted in the hearts of students who lend me their ears. May this Word of Yours grow and prosper in their hearts so that they may become loving children of Yours. Console me when I am depressed, often. Prod me on when I am tired. May Your kingdom come. Amen.