Jeremiah looks around him and sees that things aren’t
right. The wicked prosper at the expense
of the righteous and he can’t make sense of that in light of the righteousness
of a sovereign God. The prophet sees
what we all see, what even unbelievers see and yet he begins with an
affirmation of God’s righteousness, not a question of whether God is righteous
in light of what he sees. When we come
with truth and humility and ask for understanding we are approaching Him in the
right way. Whether our question is on
behalf of ourselves, for something that has gone wrong in our lives, or in
general, why is the world the way it is, why do children suffer and die for
instance, if we come affirming truth in order that we might know more truth, we
do well. Jeremiah is told that not only
does the Lord see what he sees, the Lord sees more than that and soon it will
be judged, unfortunately for Israel, the “beloved of my soul.” There is reassurance, however, that this is
not a permanent rejection, ultimately there will be restoration. Judgment will also fall on the unrighteous
after the nation has been judged. Justice
sometimes waits.
What had Lazarus done that anyone would seek to kill
him? We think the reason John’s is the
only Gospel that mentions the raising of Lazarus from the dead is that it was
the last written and prior to that it was thought best to avoid raising the
issue again for Lazarus’ safety and that by the time John wrote Lazarus had
died. Lazarus had done nothing, it was
the very fact of his being, the witness of his life after being brought back
from the dead that was an affront to the leaders, not because of Lazarus so
much as because of Jesus. Part of the
motivation for the crowds shouting, “Hosanna”, literally, Lord save us, is that
act of Jesus’ in raising Lazarus. They have
come to believe because of this miracle and now proclaim Him as king, and
rightly so. The Pharisees say that the
world is going after Him and why do they care?
Why will they not believe? Their righteousness
is being judged in Jesus, the Lord has blessed Him in ways they cannot
duplicate, just like the magicians in Egypt could not do as Moses did. The Father sees more unrighteousness because
He knows more of real righteousness.
Paul writes against those who would see themselves as
righteous because of their obedience to the law, whom he refers to as “dogs, evildoers,
those who mutilate the flesh.” Jeremiah saw
what seemed unrighteous to him and made his complaint to the Lord who then said
there was more than the prophet saw that was unrighteous, the same thing
Habakkuk experienced. Paul says that
what looks like righteousness to some is simply evil when compared to true
righteousness. All this sort of
righteousness, Paul says, he now sees as rubbish (the actual word is far more
graphic) and as loss because of “the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus
my Lord.” The righteousness we need, the
only real righteousness, comes from faith.
We can’t have that, however, so long as we hold onto any other notion of
righteousness. Any other form is a
barrier to faith and, therefore, salvation.
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