The city was full of voices.
Not prayer… but speeches.
Jerusalem had become a chaotic chorus where each prophet proclaimed a different
version of the future, and almost all of them had something in common: they
promised what thePeople wanted to hear.
-Peace.
-Victory.
—Release imminent.Jeremiah walked among them like a stranger in his own house.
I watched them climb onto makeshift platforms, surrounded by attentive listeners.
They were talking.with confidence, with polished phrases, with smiles that
conveyed tranquility.
—Thus says the Lord— they proclaimed—: "No evil will come upon this city."
People sighed with relief.
—That is the word of God—they said. —Not like Jeremiah, always announcing
misfortunes.
Jeremiah clenched his
fists.Not out of jealousy.
Because of pain.
"They're killing them with lies," he thought. "And they're
applauding." One morning, the Lord spoke to him clearly.
—Go—he told her—. Listen to what they say… and then speak.
Jeremiah obeyed.
He stopped in a square where one of the most influential prophets was preaching. It
wasEloquent. Confident. Every sentence elicited approval.
"The Lord showed me," he said, "that this year the yoke of Babylon will be
broken." The crowd celebrated.
Jeremiah felt the fire burning.
When the prophet finished, Jeremiah moved forward.
"Listen," he said. "I have a word." Faces
changed.
"Here he comes again," they murmured. "The prophet of
doom."Jeremiah raised his voice.
—Thus says the Lord—he proclaimed—:
"I did not send these prophets… and yet they ran."An awkward silence ensued.
"I didn't speak to them," he continued, "and yet
they prophesied." The false prophet frowned.
"Do you dare say that we don't speak on behalf of God?" he asked.
Jeremiah stared at him.
"If they had been in the Lord's council," he replied, "they would have turned the
people back from their evil ways."
The crowd began to get restless.
"They speak of peace," Jeremiah continued, "when there is no peace."
They promise healing… but they don't treat the wound.
A man shouted:
—That's not true!Jeremiah
did not stop.
"They use sweet words," he said, "but their fruit is bitter.
They strengthen the hands of the wicked so that they
cannot repent."
The prophets began to react with fury.
-Be quiet!
—Always accusing!
—You are the one who divides
the people!Jeremiah took a
deep breath.
"I don't divide," he replied. "I
reveal." The murmur grew.
—The Lord says—he continued—:
"I have heard what these prophets prophesy… false dreams, invented dreams."
Some retreated.
"What is chaff," Jeremiah asked, "compared to wheat?" The
silence was heavy."My word," he proclaimed, "is like fire..."
and like a hammer that breaks the
rock.A prophet came forward.
"Enough!" he shouted. "This man is discrediting the servants of God!"
Jeremiah felt a pang in his chest.
"No," he said. "The Lord discredits them... because he did not send them."
The crowd was divided.
Some looked at him with
fear.Others, with open
hatred.
That same afternoon, the reaction was not long in coming.
The prophets gathered. Not to pray… but to conspire.
"This man is taking away our authority," said one.
"If the people start to doubt, we lose everything," said another.
"We have to silence him," they
concluded. Meanwhile, Jeremiah
was alone. Sitting on the ground,
exhausted.
"How much longer?" he whispered. "How many
more battles?"The answer came harsh and clear.
—If you get tired running with men…
How will you compete with horses?
Jeremiah closed his eyes.
"I haven't seen the worst of it yet," he thought.
That night, he wrote again. Not letters this time. Prayers.
"You seduced me, Lord," she
confessed. "And I let myself be
seduced."
Her voice was trembling.—I'm a source of laughter all
day long.Everyone makes fun
of me.
He hit the ground with his hand.
Why is my pain perpetual?
Why won't my wound heal?
The silence was profound.
Then, the answer.
—If you return —the Lord told him—, I will
restore you.If you separate the precious from
the vile,
You will be like my
mouth. Jeremiah took a
deep breath.
"They will turn to you," the voice
continued, "but you will not turn to
them."
Something was affirmed within him.
He wasn't meant to please. He
was meant to remain.
The next day, the rumors began.
—The prophets want to denounce him again.
—They say he deserves punishment.
—That brings bad
luck.Jeremiah did not
flee.
He knew the conflict was barely escalating.
False prophets cannot tolerate the truth…
Because the truth leaves them without their masks.
And although Jeremiah walked more and more
alone,He was also walking with increasing
firmness.Because he had learned something
essential:Lying can be popular.
The truth is almost never.But only one remains when everything falls apart