As we begin Holy Week, I want to share with you the words of Jeremiah 11:18-19. While you may not be familiar with the citation directly, I know that the words of the text will speak to your heart. And so let us being Holy Week by remembering who Jesus is and how he defines his relationship to us.
18It was the LORD who made it known to me, and I knew;
then you showed me their evil deeds.
19 But I was like a gentle lamb
led to the slaughter.
And I did not know it was against me
that they devised schemes, saying,
“Let us destroy the tree with its fruit,
let us cut him off from the land of the living,
so that his name will no longer be remembered!”
19 But I was like a gentle lamb
led to the slaughter.
And I did not know it was against me
that they devised schemes, saying,
“Let us destroy the tree with its fruit,
let us cut him off from the land of the living,
so that his name will no longer be remembered!”
The “gentle lamb led to the slaughter,” is an image we associate with Jesus. The Hebrew word for “gentle” or “docile,” as it is translated, carries a connotation of friendship not subservience. Not only is the Lamb mentioned in this verse not aggressive toward those around it, but that same Lamb is a friend to the people who live in proximity to it. They share a common purpose and mission because they are in relational union. A similar modern day image that Jeremiah’s language might support is one a friendly or tame pet living among a family for a long period of time.
The gentle Lamb that Jeremiah writes about was well aware of the sins and choices of those around him. The Lord made this information known to him, and yet, that same Lamb was willing to persist. He was willing to be led to slaughter while knowing that the lives of the people whom he loves and serves are sinful. There is indeed an element of surprise in Jeremiah’s words: “I did not know it was against me.”
Yet, the Lamb persists.
Those who lead the Lamb in our text to its death think that his name will be remembered no longer, but God has the last laugh. Death cannot swallow up what God has began! Death will not have the final word.
As you begin Holy Week, consider your relationship to the Gentle Lamb. Notice the work that he has continued in your life even when your sin could drive him away. . .
Blessings
Rev. Derek
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