NOTES for Bar 4:5-29

What do Baruch's words about the "grief of Jerusalem" mean? What the prophet says about God is, in general, understandable: many prophets spoke about the people of God forgetting the One who had made them a people. But what is the "grief of Jerusalem"? One could, of course, think that this refers to the Temple, the place of God's presence, and that the abominations that sometimes took place in the city, in effect before the face of God, naturally brought Him no joy. But is that all?

It is enough to recall the general and spiritual situation in the city shortly before the Babylonian invasion. There was no question of repentance, no question of turning back. On the contrary, everyone was seized by a certain astonishing spiritual and everyday frivolity, so that none of the inhabitants took seriously the danger hanging over the city. They easily yielded to the promises of the many "prophets" who appeared in the city and promised a miraculous victory over all enemies.

The basis for such attitudes was a badly understood and distorted Yahwist tradition. The roots of the problem apparently went back to the persecutions that fell on the followers of Isaiah of Jerusalem, sometimes called "the poor," during Manasseh's reign. Then the Yahwist community of the city was, in effect, split into two parts: one supported the authorities, while the other was persecuted. Such a betrayal of fellow believers, of course, did not remain without spiritual consequences. Over the following century, the spiritual level of Jerusalem's Yahwist community fell quite noticeably and sharply. Ancient, pre-Yahwist legends about the city's enchanted walls, which would withstand any siege, became part of the mass religious consciousness. So did confidence in their own orthodoxy, the belief that God would never abandon Jerusalem, which after Josiah's religious reform had become the only place on earth where Yahwist sacrifices were possible. With all this, the city's residents saw themselves as heirs, bearers, and continuers of a great tradition going back to Moses and David, believing that for this it was enough simply to be born a Jew and to come to the Temple several times a year to offer the required sacrifices, which ended in lavish and cheerful celebration.

Such degeneration of a truly great tradition, such turning of the holy city into a caricature of itself, naturally could not bring joy either to God or to the few righteous people who still remained in Jerusalem. Against this background, the catastrophe that befell Judah becomes an entirely natural event: given the people's spiritual condition on the eve of the Babylonian captivity, nothing else could be expected.

What do the words of Baruch concerning "the grieving of Jerusalem" mean? What says the prophet about God is in general comprehensive: the fact that the people of God forgot the One, Who made them to be a nation, was spoken by several prophets. And what it is "the grieving of Jerusalem"? It would have of course been possible to think that it is about the Temple, which was the place of God's presence, and these abominations which sometimes occurred in the city, in fact before the face of God, of course did not give Him joy. But is it only in that the problem? It is enough to remember, what was the general and spiritual situation in the city shortly before the Babylonian invasion. It was question neither of any repentance, nor any conversion.

All, on the contrary, were possessed by a certain, absolutely incredible, spiritual and daily frivolity, such that nobody of the inhabitants took seriously the danger looming over the city, succumbing easily to the promises of the “prophets" appeared in great quantities in the city, promising a miraculous victory over all the enemies. And the yahviste tradition badly understood and perverted became the basis for such mentalities. The roots of the problem, apparently came from the time of those persecutions, which stroked the followers of Isaiah of Jerusalem (we sometimes called them "the poor") under the reign of Manasseh. At that time, the yahviste community of the city was divided in fact into two parts, among which one supported the government, and the other one was persecuted. Such a betrayal of the coreligionists, of course did not remain without spiritual consequences: throughout the next century, the spiritual level of yahvistes communities of Jerusalem fell quite noticeably and tremendously.

The ancient, even before the yahviste era, legends of the enchanted walls of the city, which will resist any siege had become at this time the element of the mass religious consciousness, confidence in their own orthodoxy, in the fact that God will never leave Jerusalem, which after the religious reforms led by Josiah had become the only place on earth where were possible yahvistes sacrifices. With all this the inhabitants of the city felt themselves as heirs, carriers and successors of the great tradition going back to Moses and David, thinking that it is enough just to be born Jewish and to come few times in a year to the Temple to perform the due sacrifices, which ends with a pompous and cheerful celebration.

Such degeneration is really a great tradition, the transformation of the holy city into a caricature of itself, of course could not bring joy either to God, or to these few righteous men, who still remained in Jerusalem. On such background, the catastrophe that befell the Judea becomes a completely natural event: nothing else should be expected with this spiritual state of the people, in which they were on the eve of the Babylonian captivity.

What wants to say the prophet, by saying that he "has put off the clothing of peace"? According to the sense corresponding to the Greek word, it is about this cloth, which he usually wore, in the days of prosperity. Such a use of the word reflects the peculiarities not of the Greek, but of the Hebrew or the Aramaic, where the notions of "peace" and "prosperity" are given by the same word. Of course, the anticipation of God is always an event in the life of man. But there are, as seen, special occasions, when it becomes a question of life or death. Such a thing arrives during natural disasters or during social upheavals. And the problem here is not only in the fact that it is more difficult in such times to keep confidence in God, than in the days of prosperity.

The problem still consists of the fact that it is impossible for the one who believes in God, generally, not to understand that what happens is not accidental, that God allowing disaster, allows it not just like that. The attempt to address God in order to change the situation, in that case reminds the attempt to obtain from an angry king the abolition of the punishment, which he finds completely deserved. Of course, God is all the same different in this respect from the king, and above all by the fact that He does not long to complicate life for who ever it may be.

All the punishment in such case boils down essentially to the non-intervention of God in the unfolding situation: people themselves overcome the punishment (moreover, far from being always just), demonstrating creativity, which hardly delights their Creator. But indeed, even for such non-intervention, God has obviously all the reasons, if really He takes such position. And the one who addresses Him with the request of an intervention, thereby take the responsibility of those, for whom he asks. He somehow vouches for those, for whom he asks for the intercession, promises to God for them that they will change, will change such that He will not turn away any more in anger in regard to their lives and their acts. Such step requires confidence and for commitment. And faith in those, for whom you ask.

The words of the prophet about the deliverance from the hand of the enemies can seem at first sight too encouraging. If everything was so simple, people profoundly and sincerely religious, if we believe Baruch, should not at all suffer the consequences of the human wickedness. However all know well, that such is not the case. Besides: from the enemies suffered even the Christ Himself, the Messiah, Who came into the world to bring the Kingdom. How to understand the words of the prophet? Can God deliver man from enemies, and If He can, why He does not do it always? The best answer to this question could be the earthly path of the Savior. Not because He is a God-Man, but because He is free from sin. If it was about an ordinary person, one would always have been able to say that each receives according to the sins, and it would be difficult to argue with such assertions: because few of men know even the measure of their own sin, without speaking about the sins of the neighbors.

And, if it was always about an ordinary person, in the consciousness of those asking, and those answering would insinuate (maybe, involuntarily) the idea: what if this was for his sins? As regards Jesus, there can’t be any doubt: He deserved absolutely nothing bad, because He never knew sin. And all the same, during His earthly life He suffered in the same way as any other person on His place could suffer.

Nobody else of course could bring to the world the Kingdom, but to betray, to libel and to execute under false accusations could whoever, who achieving God's work, would cross the way of the secular authorities or the religious authorities. But however, according to His own words, Jesus could easily avoid it, If He wanted, but then His ministry, for which He came into the world, would remain incomplete. Probably, it is also the same thing with each of us.

Sometimes God can deliver us from enemies that we shall have in any case, if we do in this world at least something good and necessary. But it also happens that to deliver us from them is possible only at the price of the unfinished work, God's unfinished work, and then we should not wait for deliverance, if of course we want to end what we began. Sometimes it happens that what attracts to us our enemies is in particular our sin, more exactly its demonstrations: wickedness, arrogance, aggressiveness. Then it happens that there is nobody to blame, except oneself. Then here can help the repentance and the conversion to God: because with repentance and conversion for the repentant begins a new life. The life with the God Who does not offend.

How and who God delivers from violence? And what can we say in the context of these words of the prophet of those sufferings that fall on the righteous men, and fall rather often in particular because of their righteousness? And the earthly way of the Rescuer, who ended with the death on the cross? And all the same it is necessary to read more attentively the text. From what God delivers the brave? From all sufferings, from any persecution? No, it is a question of power (" the hand ") of the enemies and violence, inevitable in situation of any war, particularly in the antiquity, where it was not acceptable to be ceremonious with prisoners and with the civil population.

With the first one everything is more or less clear: Jesus Himself calls blessed, those who are persecuted for righteousness (" truth for "), therefore not any persecution is bad in itself. As we see, it becomes bad, when during the persecutions, the persecuted forget out and away about the Law, and about the way of righteousness, when the power of the “enemies”, not matter who they may be, becomes for them the only and absolute reality.

It is more complex with the second, but here also the "scissors" are given by Jesus Himself, quoting in answer to the question about the righteous men killed by Pilate, the story with a certain tower, which, as we see, shortly before the conversation, collapsed, killing a certain quantity of persons.

Jesus says directly that it is not "for sins ", as it is customary to think that the deaths were not more sinners than the others. It is just that the world is unjust in principle, man often receives here not "deservedly", but simply, as we sometimes say today, "be in the wrong place at the wrong time".

One needs a complete conversion, after which in the life of the convert there is nothing of fate, in order not to receive accidentally something heavy on the head. In no other case, as we see, there can’t be any guarantees. But indeed, war is above all similar to such tower, which collapses on the head of a whole nation. And only the one, in whose life there is no place for the fates, can remain alive in such situation, and even maybe intact. If, of course there will be God's will in that.

How and who God delivers from violence? And what can we say in the context of these words of the prophet of those sufferings that fall on the righteous men, and fall rather often in particular because of their righteousness? And the earthly way of the Rescuer, who ended with the death on the cross? And all the same it is necessary to read more attentively the text. From what God delivers the brave? From all sufferings, from any persecution? No, it is a question of power (" the hand ") of the enemies and violence, inevitable in situation of any war, particularly in the antiquity, where it was not acceptable to be ceremonious with prisoners and with the civil population. With the first one everything is more or less clear: Jesus Himself calls blessed, those who are persecuted for righteousness (" truth for "), therefore not any persecution is bad in itself. As we see, it becomes bad, when during the persecutions, the persecuted forget out and away about the Law, and about the way of righteousness, when the power of the “enemies”, not matter who they may be, becomes for them the only and absolute reality. It is more complex with the second, but here also the "scissors" are given by Jesus Himself, quoting in answer to the question about the righteous men killed by Pilate, the story with a certain tower, which, as we see, shortly before the conversation, collapsed, killing a certain quantity of persons. Jesus says directly that it is not "for sins ", as it is customary to think that the deaths were not more sinners than the others. It is just that the world is unjust in principle, man often receives here not "deservedly", but simply, as we sometimes say today, "be in the wrong place at the wrong time". One needs a complete conversion, after which in the life of the convert there is nothing of fate, in order not to receive accidentally something heavy on the head. In no other case, as we see, there can’t be any guarantees. But indeed, war is above all similar to such tower, which collapses on the head of a whole nation. And only the one, in whose life there is no place for the fates, can remain alive in such situation, and even maybe intact. If, of course there will be God's will in that.