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Jeremiah 18:13-15; Luke 18:8 – Too Quick To Quibble
In reading Jeremiah 18 I got reminded of a valuable lesson; especially for a religious or even political discussion. First the text: Jeremiah 18:13-15: “Therefore, this is what the LORD says: Ask among the nations, who has heard things like these? Virgin Israel has done a most horrible thing. Does the snow of Lebanon ever leave the highland crags? Or does cold water flowing from a distance ever fail? Yet my people have forgotten me….” (CSB’17). What the snow and water didn’t do, Israel did.
I can “hear” people say, “That comparison does not make sense. People have free will, while snow and water are inanimate objects. It’s not a one-to-one analogy.” And with that, the argument is dismissed. Now as believers we wouldn’t dismiss God’s argument; we would seek to understand His point. We might even think, “I wouldn’t say it like that.” But again, we would seek to understand.
The same can be said for Jesus’s parables. Remember the one about the unjust judge who grants the widow’s request just to get her to shut up? (Luke 18:8). Is Jesus saying pester an unwilling God until He grant’s our petition just to get rid of us? No. But if someone besides Jesus used that story, would we find fault?
The lesson is, too often when discussing and disagreeing, we are too quick to dismiss, and find fault; instead of seeking to understand – even if we wouldn’t say it like that.
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