Jeremiah 29
For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.
Jeremiah 29:11
We all love this verse, right? How many of us have memorized it? I’m guessing it is currently the best-known verse in all of Jeremiah. You’ll find it hanging on the wall in homes, as framed calligraphy or printed over a beautiful picture. Perhaps you’ve seen it as a refrigerator magnet. You’ll even find it emblazoned on t-shirts. It’s quoted frequently, most often by false prophets.
What?! Yes, you read that right: false prophets.
Think about it. This verse is consistently pulled entirely out of context. The false prophet fails to mention exile by the LORD’s hand. He fails to mention that Jeremiah is here telling the Jews in Babylon not to expect to come home any time soon, that it will, in fact, be seventy years of exile, by which time most of them will be dead. He fails to mention the rest of the story, that the LORD is bringing destruction upon all the exiles’ friends and family back home. The false prophet uses this verse to reassure us that all will be well, no matter what, that God never does anything that we might interpret as “negative”. God just wants to make you prosperous. Don’t worry; be happy! Everything is coming up roses!
And we drink it in, because that is what we want to hear. We are quick to claim Jeremiah 29:11 for ourselves, but why not Jeremiah 29:17-18? Who memorizes those verses? Why aren’t they hanging on our walls in framed art?
Please do not misunderstand me. I am not by any means saying that we cannot find hope and comfort in Jeremiah 29:11. We most certainly can and should. But let’s be sure to hear the whole message, not just the parts we like. Let’s remember that the path to the Resurrection runs through the Cross.