Lent 5: Old Testament, Jeremiah 31:31-34     

Jeremiah 31:31-34

“We are saved by a relationship with One who is God.” So spoke my dear professor and mentor, Dr. John G. Mitchell at Multnomah Biblical Seminary in Portland, Oregon. I graduated in 1986 so as you can see, the quote has remained with me. It’s a staple in my thinking. But with one change and one to which I believe Dr. Mitchell would lend approval. Throughout my time with him, he certainly loved the thought of being in relationship with God. But the word “fellowship” often bubbled to the surface as we discussed in class what Jesus had done for us in drawing us close.

In today’s marvelous text highlighting the stunning promises of a New Covenant, the prophet Jeremiah speaks the word of the Lord, “And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the LORD” (Jeremiah 31:34a). If I may, I would like to borrow from the notes in “The Lutheran Study Bible,” CPH, p. 1259, note on Jer. 31:34, Pertaining to the words “know me”- “Not merely an intellectual knowledge but an acknowledgement of a sacred relationship. The new covenant creates a conviction of fellowship (emphasis mine) with God that is self-authenticating and available for all.”

Both words, relationship and fellowship are wonderful and appear in the editor’s notes, but my thought is that the former is clarified and completed by the latter. Fellowship is the better word. It denotes an intertwined dependence. God of course is never dependent upon His creatures. But there is a sense within our marvelous, shared love that God desires that type of “necessity”. It is beyond me, beyond us. It should make us bow low in silence. Except of course, for the pounding of our burning hearts. “For they shall all know me.”

God grant it for Jesus’ sake.