"On the nations and on the kingdoms"

"See, today I entrust to you a responsibility over the nations and the kingdoms : that of tearing up and demolishing, of making disappear and destroy, of building and planting" (Jeremiah 1:10).

The prophet Jeremiah was called in favor of nations and of kingdoms. Such a call can make the individual lose sight of, always seeking to go farther and higher, to the nations and kingdoms. Yet the first exercise God gave to Jeremiah was an almond branch. God called him to the kingdoms, and he showed him a simple branch! Not a forest, not a wood, not a tree lane, not even a tree, but a branch ! One can easily despise a part of the body, thinking it is less important.

"God has disposed the body so as to give more honor to what was lacking, so that there is no division in the body, but all the members also take care of each other. If a member suffers, all members suffer with him ; if a member is honored, all members rejoice with him. You are the body of Christ and you are his members, each one for his part" (1 Corinthians 12: 24-27).

Jeremiah had to understand the importance of the branch. When a beautiful branch fell from one of the two apple trees in my garden, I found it a shame when I saw the large number of beautiful apples it was carrying! Certainly there were already more apples on the tree than I could eat, but I found that a little sad. If God could be interested in the individual Jeremiah, would not he be interested in all the others ? Were these other "branches" not also created in his image and likeness ?

It is because man has value and forms a whole that God does not want "any lose" (John 6:39).

Jeremy Sourdril