Our two Scripture readings today do not seem to have much in common. A very young Jeremiah is called by God to be God’s prophets. Jesus reaches out to a woman and heals her.
Let me offer a couple of similarities. First, they were initiated by God. Jeremiah did not, as far as we know, seek out God and ask God to make him a prophet. Indeed, Jeremiah seems, as have many called to mission and ministry by God, protested that there were good reasons why God should not do what God intended. In Jeremiah’s case, he protested that he was too young.
It didn’t work of course … never does … God is not interested in our excuses, especially if we protest our weaknesses. Why? Because God’s strength is more than enough to compensate for any weaknesses or problems that we see with God’s plan.
God put God’s words in Jeremiah’s mouth. And God’s word was powerful. God told Jeremiah:
“Now I have put my words in your mouth. See, today I appoint you over nations and over kingdoms, to pluck up and to pull down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant.”
God’s words must be really powerful! And it was God who initiated the encounter with Jeremiah.