Do not weep for the dead king or mourn his loss; rather, weep bitterly for him who is exiled, because he will never return nor see his native land again. – Jeremiah 22:10

Today's Scripture Reading (May 21, 2020): Jeremiah 22

A couple of weeks ago, I presided over the memorial service for a good friend who had lost her battle with cancer. In this day of social distancing and mass gathering restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it is a hard thing to do. And so, a few of us gathered in a room and sang songs and remembered a life, while sharing the experience through Facebook Live to friends and family that stretched from coast to coast. It was a strange experience.

During the service, I spoke about Jesus's tears at the death of Lazarus. I told those who listened that Jesus's tears were not for Lazarus because he already knew that he was going to raise his friend from the dead. His tears were for Mary and Martha, Lazarus's sisters and friends of Jesus, who were in great pain because of the passing of their brother. And that pain was very real, regardless of the pans that Jesus had for his deceased friend.  On this day as we mourned the loss of our friend, we were in pain, because the one who has died has made a difference in our lives. That is a good thing. We don't cry for the one who has died; we cry because their death leaves an unhealable hole in our souls. But one thing is sure; notwithstanding the reason, we still cry.

Jeremiah does not place a prohibition on mourning here, as some might seem to argue. Grief is a natural reaction to the death of someone who has made a significant difference in our lives. But he does state a reality that applied to the Jerusalem that Jeremiah knew. The truth that Jeremiah spoke to was that for the one who has died, the battle is over. Those who are left behind are the ones who have to continue the fight. In the days leading up to the fall of Jerusalem, Jeremiah argued that the blessed ones are the ones who die, finishing their battle while the walls of the city still stand, and while at least some hope for tomorrow still survives. These were the lucky ones.

The unlucky ones were those who had to carry on the fight. They are the ones who will be forced to kneel before a Babylonian King. These survivors are the ones who will be humiliated in various ways. They will be torn from their homes and their possessions and forced to march from Judah to Babylon. These are the unlucky ones who will look over their shoulders as they leave Jerusalem only to see the walls of the city being torn down, and their beloved Temple leveled and burned. And these are the people who will never be allowed to return home again.

Don't weep for the dead; their battle has already concluded. Weep for the ones who will continue, and will do so in a strange land, devoid of the hope they once thought was their inalienable right. These are the ones for whom you should mourn, because it is their pain that will be considerable, and that pain still resides in what increasingly looks like a hopeless future.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Jeremiah 23