Jeremiah

These opening verses set the stage for Jeremiah’s ministry in a specific time and place. “The words of Jeremiah…” is the title of the book. Jeremiah was from Anathoth, a small town about 5 kilometers southwest of Jerusalem in the land of Benjamin. His family likely belonged to the priestly family of Abiathar, which had been removed from the Temple by Solomon and replaced by priests from the clan of Zadok (1 Kgs 2:26; 35). The sequence of kings mentioned in verse 2 places us between 640 and 587 B.C. If Josiah reigned in Judah from 640 to 609 B.C., the “thirteenth year” corresponds to 627 B.C., which may be when Jeremiah’s calling happened. The deportation or exile mentioned in verse 3 occurred in 587 B.C. (cf. 2 Kgs 25:8-21). Jeremiah was not deported to Babylon but stayed in Jerusalem until he was later taken to Egypt by a group of Jews who had fled there (cf. Jr 42-44). 

Verses 4-10 describe Jeremiah’s calling. It is helpful to compare this account with other stories of calling, such as Exodus 3:1-4:17, 1 Samuel 3, 1 Kings 19:19-21, Isaiah 6, Ezekiel 2ff, and Luke 1:26-38. In each case, we see a similar pattern: God unexpectedly awakens the person’s awareness; the chosen individual is surprised and struggles to understand what is happening; God gives him a mission; the person hesitates, feeling too limited or unqualified; and God ends with a message of reassurance and support, saying, “do not be afraid, I am with you.” 
It should be noted that the “space” where God’s call erupts is highly variable: in the case of Moses, God calls him while he is tending his father-in-law’s sheep (Ex 3:1); Samuel is still a child living in the sanctuary of Shiloh under Eli’s care (1 Sm 3:1ff); Elisha is working with his oxen (1 Kgs 19:1); Isaiah is in the temple taking part in a majestic liturgy (Isa 6); Ezekiel is among the deportees in Babylon, that is, in a foreign land, where it might not have occurred to him that the Lord could make himself visible (Ezk 1:1ff). Every place, every time, and every circumstance are suitable for “hearing” the voice of God calling us to participate in his plan. God chooses the prophet before he is conceived and sanctifies him while he is still in his mother’s womb (5). Holiness is the very essence of God. God invites the prophet into his intimacy through the Word, separates him from the world by making him his own, and then sends him on a mission that originates from God’s very heart. Sanctification and mission are two sides of the same coin of consecration (cf. Jn 17:17-19).
God proposes and invites but does not pressure or require anyone to follow Him; ultimately, it is each person’s free will to accept or decline the invitation.
The mission inherent in the prophetic calling is greater than the strength of any human. However, and here lies the only reason to say yes, the mission does not belong to the prophet; it belongs to God. The prophet lives by the Word of God and is the one who conveys God’s feelings to the people, in communion with the One who is always with him (vv. 8, 19). Jeremiah is sent to a people who have abandoned God and replaced him with idols they made themselves (16). God tells him in advance that the mission will be complex and challenging (18).

A pair of highly symbolic visions concludes the account of Jeremiah’s calling and, at the same time, hints at the intended essence of his mission. The first vision of the almond branch (11), which blossoms before all other trees, symbolizes the impending judgment on Israel because God keeps His word. The translator prefers to use the term “lodgepole pine” to create a Spanish pun, “alerce / alerta,” mimicking the sound similarity between “almendro” and “madrugar” in Hebrew. The second vision reveals the political origin of Israel’s troubles, depicting a boiling cauldron in the north that begins to overflow toward the south (14); this refers to Babylon, which has already begun to appear on the international stage and will soon make its presence felt through the footsteps of its troops. The prophet interprets the presence of the Chaldean forces in Canaanite and Egyptian lands as divine intervention punishing everyone for their sins and infidelities (15ff). Verses 17-19 complete the framework of Jeremiah’s calling and mission; once again, it is emphasized that it will be a challenging task, with all levels of society confronting him: the king, priests, and people of the land (18b). Still, God will be there to support him, making him invincible (19).