Terms and Conditions (Jeremiah 32: 1-15)

 💢Last Sunday, one week ago today, I was in Ljubljana, the capital city of Slovenia. 

The way that the central part of the city is laid out is around a bend in the Lubljanica River; on both sides of the river are several blocks of car-free streets, filled with stores and museums and ice cream shops and outdoor cafes.

On the day I was there, the sun was shining, and the streets were filled with crowds of people all enjoying the beautiful warm weather in that magical city. 

And in the very center of it all, on top of a very high hill, sits Ljubljana Castle.

My friend Edgar and I made our way up a paved trail, which featured many steps, to the castle. After we got up there, we saw, on the other side of the hill, a funicular railway that one could ride up to the castle, but hiking was the main reason for our trip, and we’d already hiked or walked over 60 miles that week, so we would have chosen to hike up that steep hill anyway.

And that, by the way, is why Ginger didn’t go on this trip with me. She knew that this was going to be the type of trip where we chose to hike up to the top of a steep, high hill, rather than ride up there in comfort. 

Looking back…Maybe I should have taken the funicular… After spending that warm day in Ljubljana, I went straight to the airport for my trip home, a trip that involved a 2 hour flight, followed by a 6 hour layover, followed by a 10 hour flight, followed by a 2 hour train ride…

With no chance to shower…no chance to wash off the sweat and the sunscreen from that day in Ljubljana.

But hey, it’s all part of the adventure, right?

Now, Ljubljana Castle is 900 years old, probably the second-oldest building I’ve ever been in, and it would have been the oldest building I’ve ever been in except that, earlier in the week, we had visited Bled Castle which is over one thousand years old.

💢But here, at the Ljubljana Castle, one particular feature caught my attention. In the courtyard of the castle, there is a stone-lined pit that I’d guess was 12, maybe 15 feet deep. 

An informational sign described it (in Slovene and English) as an “open air prison.” I’d never heard of an “open air prison," but doesn't it sound nice? It sounds almost like they were inviting guests to stay there for a night, kinda like an ancient air-bnb.

But it wasn’t quite like that. As I said, the bottom and walls were all stone; and the sign informed me that prisoners kept there would have to be lowered into the prison, for there was no other way to get down there. 

And once the prisoner was placed there, iron bars were fastened across the top of the prison, to make escape impossible.

And I wondered, looking down into that open air prison, there in the courtyard of Ljubljana castle, if the prison where the prophet Jeremiah was kept was something like that.

Jeremiah had been kept in a dungeon by King Zedekiah, but later, he was moved and held prisoner in the courtyard. 

And until I saw that open-air prison in Ljubljana, I wasn’t sure how one could be held prisoner in a courtyard, since courtyards are rather open and public, with people coming and going. 

But now I get it. 

If Jeremiah’s courtyard prison was anything like the one I saw at the castle in Ljubljana, Jeremiah wasn’t going anywhere.

💢 The reason Jeremiah was in that prison was because King Zedekiah had grown tired of Jeremiah’s depressing, repeated predictions of doom. It was all so negative!

The Babylonian army had come to Jerusalem and had been attacking Jerusalem, but then, they left; 

And everyone in Jerusalem breathed a sigh of relief.

Except Jeremiah.

Jeremiah said: “They’ll be back. Just you wait and see. They’ll be back, and they’ll finish their occupation of the city, and they’ll take many of us into captivity.”

Then Jeremiah added that God was the one behind all this, that God was using the Babylonian army to punish Jerusalem, because the city’s leaders—starting with the king—had failed to uphold the justice God demands. 

This did not make the king happy. And the king threw a fit.

What Jeremiah said was the truth, but kings tend to feel threatened by the truth when the truth challenges their claim to power, and when the truth challenges the false narrative that they have created;

and unjust kings feel especially threatened and get especially upset when their lack of justice and their lack of mercy are pointed out to them. 

And unjust and unmerciful kings will do everything they can to silence and censor those who speak the truth to them.

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So. Jeremiah’s in prison. The people are being denied justice and mercy. By the time of our story, the army from Babylon had returned, and was resuming its attack on Jerusalem, and many of the people were being carried away into exile.

Then Jeremiah does something really unexpected. While he is in prison and while all this is going on, Jeremiah decides to purchase some land.

And the business transaction that takes place is described in great detail. It is the longest description of a business transaction in the entire Bible. And we didn’t even hear the whole thing.

But we still heard about the seventeen shekels of silver, and the witnesses, and the signatures, and the terms and conditions…

Did the scripture really mention “terms and conditions?” Yes. Yes, it did.

Now, be honest: have you ever read all the way through any set of terms and conditions? 

Every app that I use, once a year or so they send a message that says, “we’ve updated our terms and conditions…” and back when I was young and naive, I would start reading it, trying to see what exactly it was that I was agreeing to… 

But… not anymore. No one’s got time for that. I just click away, knowing that I’ve probably just donated my left kidney to the company whose product I’m using, but even that would be less of a burden to me than actually reading through every word of every set of terms and conditions that I’m expected to approve.

Jeremiah didn’t even detail every single term and condition of the business transaction, and thank God for that. This scripture is long enough and tedious enough as it is. 

So, why was Jeremiah purchasing a field, buying property, anyway? Knowing what he knew, about how much worse things were going to get…, one would think this would be a seller’s market. People would be seeking to get rid of their property.

But that’s not what Jeremiah does. Jeremiah goes out and buys some property—well, I guess he doesn’t exactly go out, since he’s in prison—but he makes arrangements to buy some property; 

and then he describes in great detail the transaction that takes place, just so there would be no question in anyone’s mind that he actually does buy the property, despite how bleak and dismal the situation is for him and for all the rest of Jerusalem.

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Buying property is an investment. When you buy property, you're putting down roots. It’s an act of confidence in the future. It’s a commitment.

It’s saying: “I am committed to this place. I am committed to the future of this community, and I have high hopes for the future of this place.”

It’s something people usually do when they believe the future is promising and bright.

Yet Jeremiah knows the future isn’t bright. Even before the Babylonian army returns, Jeremiah knows that things are going to get much worse. They will take over and occupy the land. They will deport many into exile or captivity. The future is most certainly not bright.

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Jeremiah had faith in God. And Jeremiah’s vision was not limited to the coming occupation and deportation of his people. Jeremiah could see even beyond that, to a future when God would again restore the fortunes of his city and his nation.

And so, as an act of great faith, Jeremiah purchased that land. Jeremiah put down roots in his city. 

Jeremiah knew that things would get worse—much worse—before they got better. Jeremiah knew that there would be dark days ahead, days of sorrow, days of suffering.

Yet Jeremiah knew that the days of darkness would not be the end of the story.

Jeremiah knew that light would one day return, that destruction would give way to reconstruction, that death would give way to life.

It might take a long time, but Jeremiah was committed to seeing it through to the end.

And Jeremiah would not abandon his home, his people, or his God. Jeremiah would stay faithful, because Jeremiah knew that God. is. faithful.

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God is faithful. In every generation, humanity has proven itself to be a mess. We have not figured out how to make peace. Establish justice. Care for one another and the earth. 

And there are stories in the Bible of God wanting to start over, to wipe the slate clean.

But God never quite does that. There is always a remnant, and always a path to restoration.

💢 We see this in Jesus.

Jesus is God “putting down roots” among us. Jesus is the sign that God hasn’t given up on us, but is with us and will not leave us. Just as Jeremiah didn’t give up on his people or his nation, God hasn’t given up on us, or on our nation. Just as Jeremiah was committed to the future of his people, so is God committed to our future. 

Jesus is the evidence of this. 

I want to put my roots down with Jesus in the kingdom of heaven. Not just the after-you-die kingdom, but the right-now, kingdom on earth as it is in heaven. I want to put my roots down in the kingdom of shalom, justice, peace, 

truth, joy.

Because I know that, as dark as things may be, that the kingdom of God will not fall. God’s shalom, justice, peace, truth, and joy, will ultimately prevail.

And when we put down roots in the kingdom of God, and commit ourselves to God’s kingdom just as Jeremiah committed himself to Jerusalem and just as God has committed himself to us, we are demonstrating to the world that God’s shalom, justice, peace, truth, and joy will endure.

These things are forever.  

It may seem like injustice, & violence, & lies, & despair are in control. Such things, though real & destructive, are only temporary. For Christ's great kingdom of shalom, justice, peace, truth & joy shall come on earth— it is the kingdom of the God who was, & who is, & who is to come. The kingdom of the God who dwells among us, bringing us all to restoration.

Faith for the Future (Jeremiah 32)

Well, the news is not good. Things are looking bad. Real bad. The end is near.

Events in the book of Jeremiah do not appear in order, and the background situation of chapter 32 is actually described in chapter 37. As Eugene Peterson’s Message Bible puts it, King Zedekiah, son of Josiah, a puppet king set on the throne by Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon in the land of Judah, was now king in place of Jehoiachin son of Jehoiakiim. but neither he nor his officials nor the people themselves paid a bit of attention to the message God gave by Jeremiah the prophet…

The Chaldean army from Babylon had been attacking Jerusalem when Pharaoh’s army began marching up from Egypt. This was a hopeful thing, because the people believed that the Egyptian army would save them from the Chaldeans. The Chaldeans even pulled back when they heard that the Egyptians were coming.

But then Jeremiah received a message from God, which Jeremiah passed on to the king of Judah. The message was this: Pharaoh’s army isn’t going to stick it out. No sooner will they get here than they’ll leave and go back home to Egypt. And then the Babylonians will come back, resume their attack, capture the city, and burn it to the ground.

Shortly after sharing this dismal news, Jeremiah was on his way out of Jerusalem to take care of some personal business when he was arrested and charged with deserting to the Chaldeans. Jeremiah denied the charges, but was nevertheless thrown into an underground dungeon, where he was kept for many days.

Eventually Jeremiah convinced King Zedekiah to move him from that underground prison. So King Zedekiah ordered that Jeremiah be confined to the courtyard instead. And there he remained, still under watch, confined, captive, while the Chaldean army from Babylon prepared its massive attack against which Jerusalem didn’t stand a chance.

Yeah, things are definitely not good. In times like this, people tend to lose hope. In times like this, people start singing the blues. Jeremiah himself may have been singing the blues, or at least the ancient equivalent: the songs of lament. Because for him and for all of Jerusalem, things were definitely looking bad.

A lot of people are singing the blues today, aren’t they? The economy is down. Unemployment is up. Children no longer expect to live a better, more prosperous life than their parents did.

The environment continues to suffer from the effects of human greed and carelessness. Natural disasters continue to wreak havoc. And after all these years, after all these centuries, we still are not free from the threat of war and terrorism.

The gap between the rich and the poor continues to widen, something that the ancient prophets clearly and unanimously condemned as an atrocity to God, leading to all sorts of instability and turmoil. There is no sharing of the earth’s resources; some have more than enough food, while others literally starve to death.

A lot of people today are singing the blues. It seems harder than ever to keep families together. Many families with children haven’t even sat down together for a meal in weeks; some haven’t sat down together in months. It’s become easier than ever for our children to access drugs and sexually explicit material. Children need more guidance than ever, and yet parents are working harder and longer hours while education budgets and social programs are being slashed left and right. Rates of suicide for youth and adults remain high, a sure sign that there is plenty of stress and anxiety but not nearly enough hope.

The influence of the church appears to be in a decline. The only time religion appears in the media these days is when misguided believers like Fred Phelps or Terry Jones proclaim a perverted form of Christianity, one that feeds the fears and insecurities of the time rather than providing hope and understanding.

As for us, we are Disciples of Christ, a movement for wholeness in a fragmented world, but when it seems that the world is becoming more and more fragmented while the movement seems to shrink and lose influence, we find it all too easy to sing the blues.

Things may not be as bad for us as they were for Jeremiah and the people of Jerusalem, but we can understand the emotion of the laments. We can understand why they sang the blues.

But Jeremiah did more than sing the blues. He did something very unusual, given the situation he was in.

He bought a field.

The description of Jeremiah buying his field – our scripture reading this morning – is the most detailed description of a business transaction in the entire Bible. In explaining his transaction in such detail, Jeremiah shows that this is the real deal, and a big deal, too.

So naturally, the question arises: why is it such a big deal?

It’s a big deal, because it shows that Jeremiah – despite his current situation – had hope for the future. It’s a big deal, because it shows that Jeremiah – despite his current situation – had confidence in the future. It’s a big deal, because it shows that Jeremiah – despite his current situation – trusted in God’s promises for the future.

And what God said is this: Yes, the Babylonians are coming; yes, they will invade Jerusalem, capture its people, and destroy the city. Yes, it will seem like the end of the world, but it won’t be. Life will return to normal. Homes and fields and vineyards will again be bought and sold in this country.

Yes, there will be catastrophe, but the days of prosperity will return. Fields will be bought here again, yes, in this very country that you assume is going to end up desolate, gone to the dogs, unlivable, wrecked by the Babylonians. Yes, people will buy farms again, and legally, with deeds of purchase, sealed documents, proper witnesses; and right here in Jerusalem, around the villages of Judah and the hill country. God’s word is true: everything that was lost will be restored.

It’s a big deal, because even though buying a field doesn’t make sense in the present and might not even have any legal standing, given the imminent invasion, it does make sense in the future that is promised. Jeremiah lives with a future hope, and his present actions are consistent with that future hope. What an amazing thing that is, to live in such a way that one’s present actions are consistent with a future hope that is not yet realized, but which is coming. Jeremiah does that. Jeremiah is already living into the promises of God.

And that is the awesome beauty of what appears to be a normal, everyday business transaction. It shows that Jeremiah’s present actions are consistent with his hope for the future.

Like Jeremiah, we may be singing the blues, but we also have hope for the future. It is a hope based on the promises of God. It is a hope based on a God who can turn a field of dry, dusty bones into a living, breathing army. It is a hope based on a God who can bring back from the dead our Lord Jesus Christ. It is a hope based on a God who says to us: Do not fear; for surely I know the plans I have for you; plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope.

Do you have that hope for the future? Yes? (Yes!) Of course you do! You’re standing on the promises of God! You’re living in the present assurance of a new kingdom, one where peace and security and love and equality reign!

A person who plans to move to a new country will likely start learning bits and pieces of the language of that country before they actually move. Their present actions correspond with their plans and hopes for the future. A young couple expecting their first child will not wait until the child arrives before they start buying things the child will need.

As followers of Jesus, we know that we are promised life in God’s eternal kingdom, but we don’t wait until that kingdom is fully realized before we start living in it; we live in that kingdom now. As members of a church that has future plans of growth, with a vision of welcoming people into our community of faith (including growing numbers of young people), we don’t wait until those folks are already here; we don’t wait until we have started to grow to start acting like a growing church. With faith in the future, we act now, contributing our time and our money to the church, knowing that God is going to expand our ministry.

That’s the commitment that we are called to make. We believe that God has plans for us, plans for a future filled with hope, and so we act now in ways that are consistent with God’s plans.

That is the strength of the faith we have. Because we know that God’s promises are sure; we know that God’s promises are true. We know that God always has a plan for restoration, a plan for transformation, a plan for revitalization. God always wants the best for God’s people.

That hopeful future is coming, but we don’t need to wait for it. We can start living in it right now. We can be the church that God is calling us to be right now. We can do the work of that future church right now. We can give our time, our energy, our resources, our money, our lives to God, right now…

…Because we have seen the future. We have faith in the future. We have confidence in the future, because we are standing on the promises of God.