Thursday, October 7, 2004
The Martyrs Sergios and Bacchos in Syria
Kellia: Jeremiah 38:1-13 Epistle: Philippians 1:20-27 Gospel: St. Luke 6:12-19
Jeremiah 38:1-13, especially vs. 6: "So they took Jeremiah and cast him into the
cistern of Malchiah, the king's son, which was in the court of the guard, letting Jeremiah down
by ropes. And there was no water in the cistern, but only mire, and Jeremiah sank in the mire."
The truth is: the leaders of Judah were themselves in the mire. The siege of Jerusalem lasted
from January, 588 until July, 587 BC, only briefly interrupted when the Babylonians stopped to
turn back an Egyptian army advancing against them in the summer of 588 BC. In that brief
respite from the conflict, Jeremiah had been arrested and detained. Then the attack resumed.
The courtiers favoring a pro-Egyptian policy continued to prevail: the city must hold out. For
those officials, Jeremiah was no Prophet, but a drain on morale for the troops fighting off the
army surrounding the city: "Let this man be put to death, for he is weakening the hands of the
soldiers who are left in this city, and the hands of all the people...." (vs. 4).
The king, being both weak-willed and having little real power, gave the officials leave to do what
they would with Jeremiah (vs. 5). Being summertime, the water in the cistern in the house of
king's son was depleted, so they dropped him down into that cistern to sink in the mire and meet
his death with the insects that live in such reservoirs (vs. 6). Notice: through the whole sequence,
an eyewitness account by all appearances, the Prophet said nothing. Like the Lord Jesus in the
hands of His opponents before Pontius Pilate (Lk. 23), Jeremiah remained silent.
Can the word of God be so easily silenced - by dropping the Prophet into a miry storage basin -
his jarring voice and abrasive disruption of life stifled to be heard no more? Lord, in Thy mercy,
keep us from such self-assured sin! We know in our bones that God's word cannot be simply
swept away nor muzzled and hidden by the fiat of mere mortals. Let us never sit by as did King
Zedekiah (vs. 7) when others scheme to dispatch the word of God. Puny men may think they
have better ideas than God, but woe to those who imagine they can muffle His word! Observe
that it was a foreigner, an outsider, a slave in the king's household, a man who was emasculated
and without power in the realm who was moved in his heart against what was done to Jeremiah.
This marginal man did three simple things that any of us can do in order to bring unpleasant truth
up into the light: he appealed to one capable of reversing what had been done (vss. 8-9); he
proceeded to do what was necessary to raise the Prophet from the cistern (vss. 11-13); and, in
carrying out the rescue, he was careful to do no harm to Jeremiah (vs. 12).
It is always possible to speak up when truth is being dropped down out of sight. Let us tell those
capable of correcting the situation when truth is being smothered. All redress of grievances begin
when someone exposes what is happening to those who can bring about change. Elected
officials, appointed officers, presidents, kings, legislators, rulers, directors, managers and owners
need to hear appeals on behalf of God's truth.
With others helping, the eunuch assembled a few "old rags and worn-out clothes" and rope (vs.
11) and these he let down to the stranded Prophet caught in the mire, and pulled him out. He
acted as he was able. Such action any of us can undertake with whatever God places in our
hands. In making this rescue, Ebed-melech was careful not to add to Jeremiah's discomfort. The
clothes were for padding under his armpits as they tugged him out of the mire and brought him
up to the opening, so as not to injure him further (vs. 12).
O Master, Christ our God, lift up my downcast mind and heart to Thee, and draw them out of the
mire of perdition, lifting me with the sure ropes of repentance and Thy gentle gift of consoling
tears, that I may, by Thine aid, raise others of Thy servants to their true heritage.