Today’s first reading is from the book of Jeremiah.  Jeremiah was a prophet in Israel for about 40 years around 600 BC, a time when Israel really needed good prophets.  Jeremiah got his start preaching against idolatry, greedy priests, and false prophets, who prophesied whatever the leaders wanted to hear and were rewarded for it.  His preaching made him very unpopular, especially with the priests and false prophets. 

Then things got worse.  The world superpowers in those days were Egypt and Babylon.  Babylon had taken over from the Assyrian empire and was expanding its rule.  The Israelite kings usually paid tribute either to Egypt in the south or Babylon in the North, depending on which master would be less harsh.  At the time when the events of our first reading take place, Babylonian armies had taken Israel over from the Egyptians, gathered a vast amount of loot, and installed Zedekiah as the puppet king, before they went back to Babylon. 

Of course, a lot of people in Israel resented the Babylonians.  Many princes and others argued that Israel was better off allied with the Egyptians, and they tried to get Zedekiah to reach out to the Pharaoh and revolt against Babylon.  Jeremiah could see that this would be suicidal, and publicly argued as much.  All these prophets played a role similar to pundits today, who might argue on one side or another of political issues.  The pro-Egyptian prophets and princes accused Jeremiah of defeatism and demoralizing the people, because he argued against rebellion and for accepting  Babylonian rule. 

That was the situation when our first reading begins.  The princes and important people are telling King Zedekiah to put Jeremiah to death as a traitor because he is telling people bad news.  Zedekiah was only 21 when he became king, and in our text it sounds as if he was rather weak and unsure of himself.  He “could do nothing with [the princes],” and told them to do what they wished with Jeremiah. (Jer 38:5)

So they threw Jeremiah into a cistern, which is a type of well common in the middle east.  It stores water when the rains fall and then people draw the water out in the dry season.  Since the story takes place before the rains come, the cistern has only a little mud at the bottom, so it’s a kind of prison in which his captors expect Jeremiah to starve to death.

Fortunately for Jeremiah, there is an official at court named Ebed-Melech, a Cushite, which means he is from the Horn of Africa, around Ethiopia or the Sudan.  More importantly for Jeremiah, he recognizes Jeremiah for an honest servant of the king and is willing to intercede for him. 

History tells us that Zedekiah went on to revolt against Babylon and throw in his lot with Egypt, over the strong objections of Jeremiah.  The Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar then laid siege to Jerusalem for 2 ½ years and conquered it.  He plundered the city and levelled the temple to the ground.  The Babylonians probably either burned the ark of the covenant or took it back to Babylon as a souvenir.  Zedekiah tried to escape, but was captured.  The Babylonians killed his sons in his sight, then blinded him and carried him off to Babylon with the entire leadership of Israel.  And that was the end of the kingdom of Israel. Zedekiah was the last king.

Jeremiah prophesied honestly about a political matter, and people tried to kill him because they didn’t like what he said.  Ebed-Melech the Cushite went against the powerful princes in order to do the right thing.  We can probably think of political figures today who are speaking out honestly and others who are acting in a cowardly or self-serving way. 

Jesus warned his closest followers that following his way would bring them into conflict, not just with the powers that be, but even with people in their own families.  Franz Jägerstätter, a simple Austrian farmer, was executed by the Nazis because he was a conscientious objector—the only conscientious objector on the German side in the Second World War.  His family, his priest, and his bishop all begged him to serve, but he knew it would be wrong.  And I know a man who is cut off from family gatherings because he won’t quietly listen to racist remarks from other family members.  Discipleship comes with a cost.

Standing for what is right wasn’t great for Jesus either.  His life ended badly.  But he did the right thing.  And as Hebrews tells us, “He has taken his seat at the right hand of God.” (Heb 12:2)