Listen, you foolish and senseless people [Jeremiah 5:21]

"Listen, you foolish and senseless people" [Jer 5:21]

Foolishness and senselessness: a description of modern religious people?

Jer 5:21-25 Hear this, you foolish and senseless people,

who have eyes but do not see, who have ears but do not hear:

22 Should you not fear me?" declares the LORD. "Should you not tremble in my presence?

I made the sand a boundary for the sea, an everlasting barrier it cannot cross.

The waves may roll, but they cannot prevail; they may roar, but they cannot cross it.

23 But these people have stubborn and rebellious hearts; they have turned aside and gone away.

24 They do not say to themselves, 'Let us fear the LORD our God,

who gives autumn and spring rains in season, who assures us of the regular weeks of harvest.'

25 Your wrongdoings have kept these away; your sins have deprived you of good.

I am not one to declare that all tragedy in a person’s life is a direct result of poor behavior or sin. The Book of Job should clearly present that. However, the prophet Jeremiah tells the people that because of their sin, the nature of things immediately around them was going to be upset. That condition of "upset" was "normal" or the natural state they were in. What is the difference between the experience of Job, a man without blame, and Judah, a people full of blame? It is what they should have seen and heard.

Job 42:1-5 Then Job replied to the LORD:

2 "I know that you can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted.

3[You asked,] 'Who is this that obscures my counsel without knowledge?'

Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know.

4["You said,] 'Listen now, and I will speak; I will question you, and you shall answer me.'

5 My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you.

THEY HAVE EYES BUT DO NOT SEE.

THEY HAVE EARS BUT DO NOT HEAR.

THEY HAVE STUBBORN AND REBELLIOUS HEARTS.

Jer 5:25 [NEB] But your wrongdoing has upset nature’s order, and your sins have kept from you her kindly gifts.

"There are none so blind as those who will not see." The most deluded people are those who choose to ignore what they already know. The proverb has been traced back in English to 1546 (John Heywood). In 1738, it was used by Jonathan Swift in his 'Polite Conversation,' and is first attested in the United States in the 1713 'Works of Thomas Chalkley'. Another source claims it is a mid-14th French proverb.

DO NOT BE AFRAID – FEAR GOD.

Ex 20:20 Moses said to the people, "Do not be afraid. God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning."

Two seemingly contradictory statements: "Do not be afraid" versus "so that the fear of God."

Most of us are somewhat familiar with the affect of the holiness movement because we were brought up in and around evolved "holiness." Do you remember the "thou shalt nots" that made it "against our religion" when others were having "fun"?

Thou shalt not drink.
Thou shalt not smoke.
Thou shalt not dance.
Thou shalt not watch movies (in a movie theater).
Thou shalt not play cards or gamble.
Thou shalt not wear makeup
Thou shalt not have pierced ears.

Maybe you still have one of those membership cards in your files. This behavior should set you apart from the world – shouldn’t it? But did the list of taboos help live a holy life – except in our own self-righteous eyes? After all, we had the "Full Gospel." And the next generation travels to damnation while we bemoan the scripture: Prov 22:6 Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.

What is going wrong with that promise? Is it the fear of God that is missing? Was the list of taboos wrong? Maybe there was something else.

SOMETHING TO SEE

Jeremiah was told the people had eyes but did not see. Was this by their choice or not? Jesus taught in Proverbs for the reason stated in Isaiah.

Matt 13:12-17 [quoting Isaiah 6:9-10] This is why I speak to them in parables:

"Though seeing, they do not see ;

though hearing, they do not hear or understand.

14 In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah:

"'You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.

15 For this people's heart has become calloused;

they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes.

Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts

and turn, and I would heal them.'

16 But blessed are your eyes because they see , and your ears because they hear. 17 For I tell you the truth, many prophets and righteous men longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.

It is clear that the choice is made by the individuals. It has to do with "calloused hearts." Callouses come about over time and choices of behavior – continual use – maybe continual wrong use. Callouses change the nature of things.

The good news is that there actually is something from God that can be seen. There is something to see. You may choose not to see it, but that doesn’t mean it is not there.

Matt 11:4-6 Jesus replied, "Go back and report to John what you hear and see : 5 The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor. 6 Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me."

Jesus told the disciples of John to give a report to John on what you see and what your hear. He did not give a performance list of "Thou Shalt Nots." Instead, something was seen by them – something was heard. The list was:

the blind receiving sight

the lame walking

the leper cured

the deaf hearing

the dead living

and the good news is being preached to the poor.

Yes, that is the list specified by the prophets which was code language to John that Jesus was the right one. Has that list changed? Should not the church that is the body of Christ be doing the same thing today? When our reputation as a church has something to actually see, maybe the callouses of the heart of the community can be overcome. Maybe their upset nature can be turned over. Will a list of taboos do that?

SOMETHING TO HEAR

Let’s continue with Jesus telling about John the Baptist.

Matt 11:7-15 As John's disciples were leaving, Jesus began to speak to the crowd about John: "What did you go out into the desert to see ? A reed swayed by the wind? 8 If not, what did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? No, those who wear fine clothes are in kings' palaces. 9 Then what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. 10 This is the one about whom it is written:

"'I will send my messenger ahead of you,

who will prepare your way before you.'

11 I tell you the truth: Among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. 12 From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it. 13 For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John. 14 And if you are willing to accept it, he is the Elijah who was to come. 15 He who has ears, let him hear.

Not only is there something to see that is miraculous, but there is something to hear, too. The "seeing" can burn an image into your mind. The hearing explains it in the context of scripture. The Jews during the time of Jeremiah did not or could not or would not see what God had done. And then they would also not hear the explanation about what God had done and why God was doing it. The people were stubborn and rebellious. While Jesus taught the Jews, they too, were stubborn and rebellious. Those two characteristics make it difficult to see or hear. However, seeing and hearing are the two aspects of evangelization that have generational impact. This is what is needed in the "train" of "train up a child." A child needs to be shown something. And then that something miraculous is explained.

Let’s look at the pattern again that Jesus used with John’s disciples.

One – WHAT HAVE YOU SEEN? This is followed by a list of miracles.

Two – WHAT YOU HAVE SEEN IS EXPLAINED in the context of scripture.

This is basic generationally surviving evangelism. It is difficult to erase a miracle from you mind’s eye, but you need to have seen it in the first place. Why keep children from the miraculous? Why keep friends from the miraculous? Why keep neighbors – even relatives – from the miraculous? Go and report what you have seen and explain it: show and tell. The pattern in Acts seems to be: Do a miracle. Explain the miracle. And the increase comes.

Jesus did it. The church did it. As the church was being formed on Pentecost, they were together. Rushing wind came. Tongues of fire came. Strange language came. People heard about it. Peter explained it. And 3000 were added to the 120. Do a miracle – explain the miracle.

STUBBORN HEARTS

I don’t care how stubborn or cynical or critical you are, it is hard to deny a true miracle. Especially a miracle that is personal to the cynic. Do you think the lame man ever forgot about Jesus? Do you think the blind beggar ever forgot about John and Peter? We can’t be dealing with pretend miracles or things that we call "miraculous" that really are not. The supernatural must be involved or it is simply not supernatural – it is not a miracle. And the supernatural must be involved because the nature of things – the "natural" has been upset and turned over because of rebellion, stubbornness, and sin. Of course then we must be willing to put ourselves in the situation where the supernatural can occur. We must be willing to ask and pray.

Mark 11:22-25 "Have faith in God," Jesus answered. 23 "I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. 24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.

Matt 7:7-12 "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.

9 "Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! 12 So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.

REBELLIOUS HEARTS

A rebellious heart has seen and rejects God anyway. Even though miracle-evangelism will survive generations, there are some who will not accept the miracle and reject God. Stubborn and rebellious, they have seen and choose not to see; they have heard and choose not to hear; it has been explained and they choose not to understand. But one can’t rebel against something that has not been seen. This brings the responsibility right back to us. If we do not do the miraculous, there is nothing to see. If there are no miracles, what is there to explain? Is Christianity simply a list of taboos to keep people from having fun? Or making money in real estate?

Consider Ananias and Sapphira.

Acts 5:1-16 Now a man named Ananias , together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property. 2 With his wife's full knowledge he kept back part of the money for himself, but brought the rest and put it at the apostles' feet.

3 Then Peter said, "Ananias , how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land? 4 Didn't it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn't the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied to men but to God."

5 When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died. And great fear seized all who heard what had happened. 6 Then the young men came forward, wrapped up his body, and carried him out and buried him.

7 About three hours later his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. 8 Peter asked her, "Tell me, is this the price you and Ananias got for the land?"

"Yes," she said, "that is the price."

9 Peter said to her, "How could you agree to test the Spirit of the Lord? Look! The feet of the men who buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out also."

10 At that moment she fell down at his feet and died. Then the young men came in and, finding her dead, carried her out and buried her beside her husband. 11 Great fear seized the whole church and all who heard about these events.

12 The apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders among the people. And all the believers used to meet together in Solomon's Colonnade. 13 No one else dared join them, even though they were highly regarded by the people. 14 Nevertheless, more and more men and women believed in the Lord and were added to their number. 15 As a result, people brought the sick into the streets and laid them on beds and mats so that at least Peter's shadow might fall on some of them as he passed by. 16 Crowds gathered also from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those tormented by evil spirits, and all of them were healed.

The miracle was Ananias and Sapphira dying because they lied to the Holy Spirit and Peter.

Peter explained the miracle and great fear seized the whole church – and all who heard about it.

"Never the less, more and more men and women believed in the Lord and were added to their number."

That is evangelism. Miracle and explanation. See and hear. And the increase comes, even to our children.

FOOLISH AND SENSELESS

Ps 14:1 & 53:1 The fool says in his heart, "There is no God."

God is calling the Jews foolish. It is as if they were saying or acting like there is no God. Or that God is not capable of being and acting like God. He is also calling them without sense: senseless.

Jer 10:14 Everyone is senseless and without knowledge;

It almost sounds like they refuse to see or cannot see or have never been shown, so of course they are senseless – without knowledge. Is the church in the same position today?

When we refuse to even try to do the miracles God has told us to do, we must be denying He is God. That is foolishness. And we have replaced Him with slick church programming. We have nothing miraculous or supernatural to show anyone so there is nothing to see. And we as the church won’t even try because it seemed to fail last time so we don’t want to embarrass ourselves – let’s get a praise band instead so we have something to watch. Come to think of it, "seeker thinking" is all about watching something that is not very supernatural. Slick and well done, but not miraculous. Not supernatural. So with nothing to see, there is nothing to talk about that explains why it is the Kingdom of Heaven is right here right now.

Nothing to see. Nothing to hear. Nothing seen. Nothing heard. No wonder the church is not needed.

David explains something else.

Ps 73:22-24 I was senseless and ignorant; I was a brute beast before you.

23 Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand.

24 You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory.

We can – and must – enter into the glory Jesus offers us. Then we will have something to see and something to explain. Do we want to see the Kingdom of Heaven increase? Then we must go and do something that people can see that is outside of their overturned nature. Then we can explain what they have seen.