Jeremiah 51: Adjusting to Reality
Thursday, August 28, 2025
“Jeremiah sends a ‘book’ of oracles against Babylon to Babylon with Baruch’s brother in about 594. These are to be read publicly and then tied to a stone and cast into the Euphrates, symbolizing Babylon’s fate. It has been suggested that the original intention of Jeremiah’s action was to rebut the prophecies of Ahab and Zedekiah to the effect that the exile would be short (see 29:4-9, 20-23). On this interpretation, reading and then destroying a set of anti-Babylonian prophecies would have the effect of stressing Jeremiah’s rejection of this optimistic view.” (Mays 576)
Jeremiah knows that the exile will be long and harsh, yet no one believes him because it does not coincide with the false view many find easier to hold. It seems that nothing much has changed in the intervening millennia since this story; we humans would rather cling to the falsehood that matches our view rather than change our thinking to the truth. Today’s citation tells us that it is better to adjust ourselves to reality because no amount of manipulation or coercion will hide the obvious. My dad liked to say: The truth comes out in the end so we might as well get used to it as soon as we can.
In today’s case, Jeremiah accurately predicts that even the conquerors will themselves be conquered and he predicts an unpleasant winnowing. The imagery is brutal, the devastation complete. There is no escaping the consequences that result from greed, corruption, and mollification. The prophet Jeremiah sees collusion between his own leaders and those who of Israel’s pagan neighbors and while the “optimistic view” cited above may be popular, it is not honest. And so Jeremiah outs the lies. He does as God asks and sends his prophecies to Babylon via the brother of his secretary, Baruch.
It is difficult to speak truth with respect, to express candor gently; and it may, in fact, even place us in danger. When we see that everyone around us chooses to believe a myth created by the powerful and wealthy, we must speak honestly but with mercy no matter the cost to us. It is in this way that we adjust ourselves to reality rather than follow the fashionable fairy story. It is in this way that we honor ourselves and others who speak truth. It is in this way that we praise and honor our God.
From today’s first reading at Mass, The Feast of Jesus’ Transfiguration, 2 Peter 1:16-19: Beloved: We did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we have been eyewitnesses of his majesty. For he received honor and glory from God the Father when that unique declaration came to him from majestic glory, “This is my Son, my beloved with whom I am well pleased.” We ourselves heard this voice . . . Moreover, we possess the prophetic message that is altogether reliable. You will do well to be attentive to it, as to a lamp shining in a dark place until day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts”.
Peter knows that he cannot remain silent about the story he has witnessed and, like Jeremiah, he knows that he must speak so that others might adjust to the amazing reality that what seems impossible is real, that we are created and loved by God and that God wants nothing but goodness for us and from us. We are called to seek truth, to cling to it and to celebrate it with others who are willing to adjust their vision to be in line with God’s.
Once we cease nodding in idiotic agreement with the myths woven by those who are vested in them, we will see and know God’s truth, and we will not be silenced. We too, will write out the prophecy that God commands, and we will adjust ourselves to God’s vision.
Mays, James L., ed. HARPERCOLLINS BIBLE COMMENTARY. New York, New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 1988. 576. Print.
A re-post from August 6, 2011.
Image from: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rutilio_Manetti_-_The_prophets_Jeremiah_and_Baruch.jpg
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