In the Riik Museum in...
Illustration
In the Riik Museum in Amsterdam hangs Rembrandt's painting of Jeremiah. The artist depicts Jeremiah brooding in a most dejected manner. Michelangelo's painting of Jeremiah in the Sistine Chapel is of the same mood. Both masters of their art were intent upon catching the feeling of the prophet, who as much as if not more than any other, reflects the pathos and emotions of the prophetic figures of the Hebrew Scriptures. In no way did these servants of God give evidence that the ways of God were easy to decipher. They struggled with what God required of them. They were regularly depressed by their efforts on God's behalf. They often questioned God's wisdom in requiring what God asked of them. They were poorly regarded by the people they served. The word in Hebrew for prophets is nabiim, "the insane." They were fools for God. And the people did not listen to them. Their contemporaries paid no attention to them. Jeremiah not only experienced all this, but he recorded his emotions and struggles in sermons, poetry, and notes that have been preserved for us. What is recorded is especially pertinent in our generation when the authority and authenticity of ministry is once again seriously challenged.
--Huxhold
--Huxhold
