Justice and Righteousness Executed
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| "Jeremiah Preaching to His Followers" by Gustave Dore |
“Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel and the house of Judah. In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David, and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will dwell securely. And this is the name by which it will be called: ‘The Lord is our righteousness’” (Jeremiah 33:14-16).
Grace to you and peace
from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!
Recent data collected
from Barna’s pastor poll indicate that U.S. pastors are currently in crisis and
at risk for burnout. Notably, in 2021 alone, there has been a dramatic increase
in the number of pastors who are thinking about quitting the ministry entirely.[i]
Thirty-eight percent indicate they have considered quitting full-time ministry
within the past year. Even worse, this is up nine full points since Barna asked
church leaders this same question at the beginning of 2021.
“We started seeing
early warning signs of burnout among pastors before COVID,” says David Kinnaman,
President of Barna Group, “with initial warning bells sounding in Barna’s The
State of Pastors study in 2017. Now, after eighteen months of the pandemic,
along with intense congregational divisions and financial strain, an alarming
percentage of pastors is experiencing significant burnout, driving them to
seriously consider leaving ministry.”[ii]
I don’t mention this study
because I’m feeling burnout, or because I think pastors are suffering more than
anybody else. I’m sure it’s the same in many other vocations: health care, law
enforcement, first responders, teachers, food services, just to name a few. I
just happen to have the statistics for pastor ministry available to me. You’ve
maybe noticed an increased level of stress in your own life.
What bothers you? What
makes you uneasy and anxious? Political and racial tension? A shaky economy? A
health report from your doctor? Family turmoil? Job burnout? A world that has
changed so much, sometimes it is hard to recognize? Injustice?
Each of us is no doubt bothered
in separate ways by different developments in our lives. Whatever your
anxieties, Jeremiah could probably relate. His world was upset by a number of
things.
First, God has called
him to be a prophet and to speak God’s Word in a time when people refused and
resented God’s messengers. At least twice there were attempts on his life. The
refusal and violent reaction to his message caused him great anguish.[iii]
Jeremiah shares his frustration when he pours out his heart to God:
“O Lord, you have deceived me, and I was deceived; you are
stronger than I, and you have prevailed. I have become a laughingstock all the
day; everyone 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).
Thus, at the center of
Jeremiah’s life—his very vocation—there was tension and rejection. Talk about a
candidate for ministry burnout!
And if the inner
turmoil of his life was not enough, his world on the outside was about to
collapse, too. The Babylonians, led by Nebuchadnezzar, were about to conquer
Jerusalem and enslave its population. The glory of Jerusalem (Solomon’s temple)
would be flattened.
Jeremiah was at the
crossroads of this inner and outer world. He was called to announce that this
would all happen because the people had so completely rejected the God who had
given them the land, the temple, Zion, and Jerusalem.
What a situation! However
unsettled we might be and whatever bothers us, these forces do not surpass the
internal and external challenges that faced Jeremiah.
Into such a shaken
world, God sends a remarkable word for Jeremiah and for each of us: “In those
days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David,
and He shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In those days Judah
will be saved and Jerusalem will dwell securely. And this is the name by which
it will be called: ‘The Lord is our righteousness’” (Jeremiah 33:15-16).
A calming, healing
word. A restoring, refreshing word. A certain word. Indeed, it is more than a
word. It is a change in reality. Jeremiah describes the coming of One who would
reverse the curse of apostasy and idolatry. The Jerusalem that would experience
violence, bloodshed, anguish, and enslavement would once again dwell in security
and enjoy wonderful prosperity and justice. God’s blessings would be lavished
upon her.
Jeremiah repeats the
promise the Lord had revealed to him earlier in his ministry (chapter 23). The
real marvel and wonder of God is Christ. The final words of this chapter speak
about Christ and the age to follow. Jeremiah describes more fully the nature of
the Righteous Branch which the Lord would raise up from David. David was long dead; the Lord had written
off the last successor to his throne, Jehoiachin, “as if childless” (Jeremiah
22:30), yet He promised that one from David’s line would sit eternally on the
throne, ruling an eternal Kingdom. To be a descendant of David, this King must
be a human, a Jew. To rule an eternal Kingdom, He must be eternal, that is, He
must also be God.
This great reversal
would be brought about by the presence of the One who would execute justice and
righteousness, who would bring security and salvation. David’s Seed, Jesus,
fulfills this wonderful word precisely as Jeremiah promised.
The word “justice”
includes sentencing, punishment, and retribution, but also suggests more
positive and pleasant activities such as providing for the welfare and
happiness of people. The restrictive and negative meanings we today attach to
both “justice” and “execute” suggest a delicious Gospel irony. This was more than
just a perverse turn of events. It was the plan of God for your salvation. For
when the Messiah set to our world to “execute justice” was Himself judged and
executed, that was precisely how we were saved. For He was judged and executed
in our place, for our sins, and that’s why we are now called by His name, “The
Lord is our righteousness.”
His name becomes our
name. His righteousness becomes our righteousness. Here we have simply and
clearly stated the Gospel of forensic justification: the fact that God declares
us sinners righteous because Christ’s righteousness has been credited to us.
That declaration is our entrée to eternal life.
Justice and
righteousness are yours in Jesus. And you are in Him—in David’s Seed—for you
were joined to His death and resurrection in your Baptism. You were clothed with
Christ’s righteous. His death has done away with Israel’s sin, Judah’s sin, your
sin. His resurrection has given you life that is in God—in the Father, in the
Son, in the Holy Spirit—as the triune name spoken over you.
The political and
racial tension that upsets you? Christ brings His perfect peace that makes us all
brothers and sisters in the family of God. A shaky economy? The Lord promises
you treasures kept for you in heaven. A health report from your doctor? The
Lord promises you strength to meet the unwelcome news, and healing, if not in
this life, perfect healing in eternity. Job burnout? Jesus offers and
contentment and joy despite our circumstances. A world that has changed so much,
sometimes it is hard to recognize? Jesus promises a new heaven and earth for
eternity. Injustice and evil? Jesus brings His righteousness and justice. Insecurity
and fear? Now, even death cannot conquer you, for your life is secure in the
life of God.
Jesus’ word is certain:
“I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in Me, though he die, yet
shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do
you believe this?” (John 11:25). And our answer, with Jeremiah, with Martha, is
“Yes, Lord; I believe” (John 11:27).
Indeed, if we reflect
for a moment, it is clear that many of those who seek to make us feel safe and
secure cannot deliver. The stock market? Financial plans? Insurance? Physical fitness?
Beauty? Popularity? Executive mandates? Legislative programs? All those places
that advertise lasting security simply, on examination, cannot deliver. The most
powerful and wealthy of human beings will soon lose that power and wealth. How
silly to regard wealth or power or popularity as gods! How misspent is a life devoted
to them as though they were gods!
Jeremiah spoke that
message to his contemporaries. He faithfully spoke God’s holy Word. The
majority rejected his message, but a significant minority listened and
believed.[iv]
They saw reality for what it was. They saw the beauty and wonder of the God of
Moses and of Jeremiah. They confessed their sins and rejoiced in God’s
forgiveness for the sake of David’s Seed, Jesus.
So, rejoice with
Jeremiah. Beyond the disappointment and challenges of the world and that beset us
from within, beyond anxieties is security, beyond sin and injustice is justice
and righteousness, the security, justice, and righteousness that the Son of
God, the Seed of David, brings and freely bestows upon us. Be at peace inside
and as you meet the world on the outside, for you are secure in Jesus. In Him
will you find true justice and righteous, in this world and in the world to
come.
Go in the peace of the
Lord and serve your neighbor with joy! You are forgiven for all your sins. In
the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture
quotations are from the Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright © 2001
by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by
permission. All rights reserved.
[i]
38% of U.S. Pastors Have Thought About Quitting Full-Time ...,
https://www.barna.com/research/pastors-well-being/.
[ii]
38% of U.S. Pastors Have Thought About Quitting Full-Time ...,
https://www.barna.com/research/pastors-well-being/.
[iii]
Dean Wenthe. Concordia Pulpit Resources, Volume 23, Part 1, Series C,
December 2, 2012—February 10, 2013. St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, P.15.
[iv]
Dean Wenthe. Concordia Pulpit Resources, Volume 23, Part 1, Series C,
December 2, 2012—February 10, 2013. St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, P.15.
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