This translation is from the New American Bible. The bolded hyperlinks willtake you to additional translations of today’s readings, other relevant scriptures, and collections of scriptures addressing related principles. Text highlighted in yellow tells us something about God’s nature or our relationship to Him. Text in green tells us about something God wants us to do. Text in red discusses thing God wants us to avoid. Commentary is in blue.
In the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah, king of Judah, in the fifth month of the fourth year, the prophet Hananiah, son of Azzur, from Gibeon, said to me in the house of the LORD in the presence of the priests and all the people: “Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: ‘I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon. Within two years I will restore to this place all the vessels of the temple of the LORD which Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, took away from this place to Babylon. And I will bring back to this place Jeconiah, son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, and all the exiles of Judah who went to Babylon,’ says the LORD, ‘for I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon.’”
The prophet Jeremiah answered the prophet Hananiah in the presence of the priests and all the people assembled in the house of the LORD, and said: “Amen! thus may the LORD do! May he fulfill the things you have prophesied by bringing the vessels of the house of the LORD and all the exiles back from Babylon to this place! But now, listen to what I am about to state in your hearing and the hearing of all the people.
From of old, the prophets who were before you and me prophesied war, woe, and pestilence against many lands and mighty kingdoms. But the prophet who prophesies peace is recognized as truly sent by the LORD only when his prophetic prediction is fulfilled.”
Thereupon the prophet Hananiah took the yoke from the neck of the prophet Jeremiah and broke it, and said in the presence of all the people: “Thus says the LORD: ‘Even so, within two years I will break the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, from off the neck of all the nations.’”
At that, the prophet Jeremiah went away.
Sometime after the prophet Hananiah had broken the yoke from off the neck of the prophet Jeremiah, the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: “Go tell Hananiah this: Thus, says the LORD: By breaking a wooden yoke, you forge an iron yoke! For thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: A yoke of iron I will place on the necks of all these nations serving Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, and they shall serve him; even the beasts of the field I give him.”
To the prophet Hananiah the prophet Jeremiah said: “Hear this, Hananiah! The LORD has not sent you, and you have raised false confidence in this people. For this, says the LORD, I will dispatch you from the face of the earth; this very year you shall die, because you have preached rebellion against the LORD. That same year, in the seventh month, Hananiah the prophet died.”
We do a great disservice to ourselves and others when we distort what God is doing/requires of us. God’s truth is sometimes hard, but there is no way to evade in. Indeed, attempts at evasion only lead to greater hardship.
R. (68b) Lord, teach me your statutes.
Remove from me the way of falsehood, and favor me with your law.
Remove from me the way of falsehood, and favor me with your law.
R. Lord, teach me your statutes.
Take not the word of truth from my mouth, for in your ordinances is my hope.
R. Lord, teach me your statutes.
Let those turn to me who fear you and acknowledge your decrees.
R. Lord, teach me your statutes.
Let my heart be perfect in your statutes, that I be not put to shame.
R. Lord, teach me your statutes.
Sinners wait to destroy me, but I pay heed to your decrees.
R. Lord, teach me your statutes.
From your ordinances I turn not away, for you have instructed me.
R. Lord, teach me your statutes.
R. Lord, teach me your statutes.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Jesus made the disciples get into a boat and precede him to the other side of the sea, while he dismissed the crowds. After doing so, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When it was evening he was there alone.
Meanwhile the boat, already a few miles offshore, was being tossed about by the waves, for the wind was against it.
We will face difficulty in the course of following Jesus. This seems to be the dynamic acknowledged in Sirach 2:1 and John 16:33.
During the fourth watch of the night, he came toward them, walking on the sea. When the disciples saw him walking on the sea they were terrified. “It is a ghost,” they said, and they cried out in fear.
Even those walk closely with Jesus, and who are right where He wants them to be, sometimes misunderstand what He is doing.
Even those walk closely with Jesus, and are right where He wants them to be, experience fear/stress in the course of doing His will. That dynamic is addressed in Sirach 2:2-11. Jesus Himself experienced that, in thegarden of Gethsemane.
At once Jesus spoke to them, “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.”
God knows we experience fear in the course of doing His will, and does not abandon us because of that. See Fear does not equal Failure and Doubt does not equal Disqualification. Instead, He encourages/helps us through/past that. See the scriptures collected in Wisdom Principles--Fortitude.
Peter said to him in reply, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.”
He said, “Come.”
Peter got out of the boat and began to walk on the water toward Jesus. But when he saw how strong the wind was he became frightened; and, beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!”
We overcome our troubles when we focus on Jesus instead of Jesus, but our troubles overcome us when we focus on them instead of Jesus.
Immediately Jesus stretched out his hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”
We can recover from our loss of focus on Jesus; He is quick to help us when we repent and come to him. See Wisdom Principles—God Loves and Calls Us to Him, In Spite of our Sin.
After they got into the boat, the wind died down. Those who were in the boat did him homage, saying, “Truly, you are the Son of God.”
After making the crossing, they came to land at Gennesaret. When the men of that place recognized him, they sent word to all the surrounding country. People brought to him all those who were sick and begged him that they might touch only the tassel on his cloak, and as many as touched it were healed.
Jesus did not subject the disciples to the storm/fear arbitrarily; it was something they had to go through in order to set up the delivery of God’s mercy to others.
Blessing flowed from the disciples’ perseverance through the storm/fear:
- In the immediate term, the folks around Gennesaret were healed and many of them likely came to faith in Jesus.
- In a somewhat longer term, the disciples’ faith was likely built and they likely became more effective in their ministry as result of this experience.
- Million/billions have learned from the disciples’ experience as a result of this scripture, becoming more effective instruments for delivering God’s goodness to others.
This seems a lot like the dynamics described in Romans 8:18.
The disciples probably did not understand that as they were going through the storm/fear.
in your ordinances is my hope.
you have instructed me.
you are the Son of God
you have instructed me.
you are the Son of God
you are the King of Israel.
he came toward them
walking on the sea
At once Jesus spoke to them, “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.”
He said, “Come.”
Immediately Jesus stretched out his hand and caught him
as many as touched it were healed.
fear you
acknowledge your decrees
Let my heart be perfect in your statutes
Let my heart be perfect in your statutes
I pay heed to your decrees
From your ordinances I turn not away
From your ordinances I turn not away
pray
Take courage
do not be afraid
beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!”
did him homage
People brought to him all those who were sick and begged him that they might touch only the tassel on his cloak
the way of falsehood
But when he saw how strong the wind was he became frightened
doubt
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