“But as for me, behold, I am in your hands; do with me as is good and right in your sight. Only know for certain that if you put me to death, you will bring innocent blood on yourselves, and on this city and on its inhabitants; for truly the LORD has sent me to you to speak all these words in your hearing” (Jer 26:14-15).
Reading through Jeremiah 26 this morning, I am reminded again of how important Jeremiah’s story is for helping us recognize the Messiah. Consider, for example, all the parallels between Jeremiah and Yeshua in Jeremiah 26. Both men preached in the temple (Jer 26:2; Matt 21:12-13). Both men are sent by God (Jer 26:5, 12, 15; John 5:36). Both men prophesy about the temple’s destruction (Jer 26:6; Matt 24:2). Both men are rejected and deemed worthy of death by our religious leaders (Jer 26:7-11; Matt 26:65-68). Both men bring words of forgiveness and life to our people (Jer 26:12-13; John 3:14-18). Both men are willing to die (Jer 26:14; Luke 22:42-44). The fate of Jerusalem’s temple is directly tied to their being put to the spilling of their innocent blood (Jer 26:15; Matt 27:4). And both men cause division within our people as to whether they have truly been sent by God (Jer 26:16-24; Matt 10:34-39).
Jewish people who believe in this despised and rejected prophet must be willing to stand alone!
Reading about Jeremiah in the Hebrew Bible, we cannot help but see Yeshua looking back at us from the pages of the New Testament. But just as it was in Jeremiah’s day, so too in our own. Jewish people who believe in this despised and rejected prophet must be willing (for the time being) to stand alone!
“But the hand of Ahikam the son of Shaphan was with Jeremiah, so that he was not given into the hands of the people to put him to death” (Jer 26:24).
“The man answered and said to them, ‘Well, here is an amazing thing, that you do not know where He is from, and yet He opened my eyes. We know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is God-fearing and does His will, He hears him. Since the beginning of time it has never been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a person born blind. If this man were not from God, He could do nothing.’ They answered him, ‘You were born entirely in sins, and are you teaching us?’ So they put him out” (John 9:30-34).
