Thinking ‘aloud’ about Jeremiah 25

The title should make it clear that I am not issuing dogma, I am merely throwing some thoughts “out there”, wherever “there” may be, for the purposes of discussion.

In Jeremiah 25, we read of the “cup of the wine of wrath”, which is taken to Jerusalem in Judah, the surrounding nations, and at last Babylon, as God exacts his judgment upon them. While the primary chronological reference seems to be the conquest of many nations by Babylon, followed by the conquest of Babylon, it seems as though God’s judgment is ultimately wider then this, extending to all nations on the earth (vv. 29-33).

In Gethsemane, Jesus prays that a cup be taken away from him (e.g Luke 22.42) and with the OT background, we can at least say that what Jesus is about to undergo on the cross is to face the punishment of God for sins, because that’s the way this cup language is used in the Bible.

Can we go further than this, though? Could we actually say that Jesus is drinking the cup that has been taken to Jerusalem and the nations to drink? May we conclude from this that he is facing their judgment vicariously? That would seem consistent with the way the NT writers see Jesus’ ministry as the true end of Israel’s exile (cf. Luke 3.4-6), an exile which was God’s judgment upon them. This could also then be the basis of Jesus’ commission to his apostles to preach the good news of his salvation “in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth”. Jeremiah 25 does after all refer to the clamour resounding “to the ends of the earth” (v. 31) and those pierced by the Lord extending “from one end of the earth to the other” (v.33). I’ve just noticed the “piercing” element - there might be some mileage in that, too - Jesus being pierced in the place of Jerusalem and the nations (e.g. Ps. 22.16, Zech. 12.10 , John 19.34, 37, Rev. 1.7).

Thoughts, please!

True Hunter-Gatherers

In Jeremiah 16.14ff, Yahweh is promising to bring Israel back out of the countries to which they had been exiled in judgment against their iniquity (vv. 12-13). He then says :

“Behold, I am sending for many fishers, declares Yahweh, and they shall catch them.” (v. 16)

It suddenly “clicked” for me that Jesus described the mission of his disciples in the same way:

“Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” (Matthew 4.19 and Mark 1.17)
“From now on, you will be catching men.” (Luke 5.10)

The implication of this for our understanding of Jesus therefore seems to be that he is the one who brings about the true restoration of Israel, sending out his fishers to catch the remnant of Israel and bring them into the restored, eschatological kingdom, a mission which encompasses even the Gentiles (v. 19). This is the continuing mission of the church as we live between the advents of Christ.

Verse 16 continues:

“I will send for many hunters, and they shall hunt them from every mountain and every hill, and out of the clefts of the rock.”

Go, hunt them down!