What Do You See?

Jeremiah 1:11-19

Among the gifts given by God to those called as prophets is an ability to perceive things in a way others cannot. Even before he was called Isaiah saw the Lord sitting in the temple and heard the members of the court of heaven speaking (Isaiah 6:1-5). According to our reading from Jeremiah today, the same gift of perception was given to this prophet as well.

“The word of the LORD came to me, saying, ‘Jeremiah, what do you see?’ And I said, ‘I see a branch of an almond tree.’ Then the LORD said to me, ‘You have seen well, for I am watching over my word to perform it.’ The word of the LORD came to me a second time, saying, ‘What do you see?’ And I said, ‘I see a boiling pot, tilted away from the north’” (Jeremiah 1:11-13).

Twice God calls on the prophet to take note. “What do you see?” God asks. In the first case Jeremiah sees an almond branch. In the conversation that follows God reveals a pun. The Hebrew word for almond tree is shaqed; God will be “watching” (Hebrew: shoqed) or guiding the divine word to make sure it is achieved. Jeremiah receives this message from the Lord and grasps it’s meaning because of his gift of perception. In the second case Jeremiah sees a boiling pot which is tilted in such a way that it points to the south. As God goes on to reveal, this vision also speaks of events to come. Someone without Jeremiah’s gift of perception might well have missed the meaning, but the prophet comprehends what God is saying.

There are those within the modern community of faith who have the ability to perceive things in unique ways, who can imagine possibilities that would not occur to others. This is not to say they are on a par with the prophets of old, but the church can benefit greatly from their gift. But really, all of us should be challenged by the question, “What do you see?” When we look at a neighborhood do we see opportunities for outreach? When we observe the practices of a congregation do we see ways to make it more open to others, more caring, more accepting? When we take time to note the policies of our state or federal governments do we recognize a greater need for justice? When God asks us, “What do you see?” how do we answer? Jeremiah faithfully shared the word of God as he perceived it. What has God revealed to us, and what will we do with it?

Prayer: Lord give us the willingness to look beyond our own lives and into the world around us, and help to accept the challenges we find there as opportunities to serve you. Amen.