(L, P)br...
Illustration
(L, P)
At first glance, this is a most unchristian passage. Jeremiah talks of being like a gentle lamb led to the slaughter, which recalls for us the sacrifice of Christ. But he then calls for vengeance upon his enemies in a way that is quite different from the One who called upon us to turn the other cheek when we have been struck.
However, it is somewhat understandable in context when we realize that Jeremiah was reacting to the discovery of a murder plot in which his own relatives were planning to kill him! The call forvengeance may go too far, but it can serve as a reminder to us that love often does involve conflict. Robert O. Johann has said this:
Love without power is not enough, because love without power ceases to be love. Without the strength to resist encroachments, openness to the other comes down simply to "giving in." The person, then, is called to do battle; there is no advance without it.
If he is called to know peace also, it is because peace is not a state but a process, not just a matter of avoiding conflicts but of keeping our conflicts constructive. Christian conflict is not a contradiction in terms. It may be a necessity in the world in which we live.
-- Aber
At first glance, this is a most unchristian passage. Jeremiah talks of being like a gentle lamb led to the slaughter, which recalls for us the sacrifice of Christ. But he then calls for vengeance upon his enemies in a way that is quite different from the One who called upon us to turn the other cheek when we have been struck.
However, it is somewhat understandable in context when we realize that Jeremiah was reacting to the discovery of a murder plot in which his own relatives were planning to kill him! The call forvengeance may go too far, but it can serve as a reminder to us that love often does involve conflict. Robert O. Johann has said this:
Love without power is not enough, because love without power ceases to be love. Without the strength to resist encroachments, openness to the other comes down simply to "giving in." The person, then, is called to do battle; there is no advance without it.
If he is called to know peace also, it is because peace is not a state but a process, not just a matter of avoiding conflicts but of keeping our conflicts constructive. Christian conflict is not a contradiction in terms. It may be a necessity in the world in which we live.
-- Aber
