Cistern

 The Spiritual Waiting Room

Cistern

Deep      Black

Lowering     Dropping     Submerging

Sink Into The Mire

Dungeon

(photo and poem by Kathy McNamara)

Scripture:  Jeremiah 38: 4 to 6

The princes came and said to the king, "This man should be put to death. He is undermining the resolve of the soldiers in this city and of all the people by what he is saying; he is not seeking what is good for our people but what will harm them. " King Zedekiah replied: "He is yours," for the king could not deal with them. So they went and took Jeremiah and threw him into the cistern of Prince Malchiah, in the court of the guard, letting him down by a rope. There was no water in the cistern, only mud, and Jeremiah sank down into the mud.

(scripture adapted by John J. McNamara)

Reflection

Our scripture from the Book of Jeremiah shows us the difficulty of being a prophet. When you are faithful to the Word of God, you are going to upset some people.

The princes who came to King Zedekiah were very upset with Jeremiah because he was sharing the message he had received from God. He was telling the people that the Babylonians were going to conquer Jerusalem because the leaders and the people were not being faithful to God.

Jeremiah was encouraging the people to surrender so that they would survive. The princes wanted to fight. Naturally they were upset with Jeremiah. They felt he was taking away the desire of the soldiers and the people to fight against the Babylonians.

Looking at this situation, you can understand why the princes were upset! No one wants to hear that they are going to lose the battle! 

We can also understand it from Jeremiah's point of view. God had spoken to him and he wanted to be faithful to the mission God had given him.

We can relate. Sometimes we have to give difficult news to the people we love. There are situations when we have to challenge them.

Think of parents who have to confront their children about a drug or alcohol problem.

A boss at work who has to deliver a tough evaluation to an employee. A doctor who has to talk with a patient about a difficult diagnosis.

Not easy to deliver news that someone does not want to hear. Jeremiah knew in his heart that he had to follow what God was telling him.

The consequences were harsh. Jeremiah was thrown into a cistern at the home of one of the princes. Cisterns were used as prisons in the time of Jeremiah. Frequently the person who was thrown into the cistern was mired in the mud. 

The good news is that King Zedekiah intervened when Ebed-melech came to him and Jeremiah was rescued. He was faithful to God's word and God helped him.

We all have times of challenge. Many of us have been in those cisterns. We trust that God will guide us in those difficult times and show us the way.

God has promised that we will never be alone. Even in the mud!

1. How do you try to deliver difficult news?

2. Have you ever been in a "cistern"?

3. In our Lenten journey how can we gaze up at the sky when we are stuck in our "cisterns"?