The Remnant of Israel

“For thus says the LORD: Shout with joy for Jacob, exult at the head of the nations; proclaim your praise and say: The LORD has delivered his people, the remnant of Israel” (Jeremiah 31:7).

We have reached some of the most joyful chapters from the Book of the Prophet Jeremiah.  Contrary to what we may have thought as we began to read this book, he, like so many of his fellow prophets, is also capable of bringing joyful news to the people.  Today we hear of the day on which they will return from the Babylonian captivity.

Verse seven of this chapter is important as it uses a word that will become very important for our reading of the Gospel of St. Luke; namely, “the remnant of Israel.”  Anyone who has shopped in a fabric store knows what a remnant is.  As the bolts of cloth grow smaller and smaller, there comes a time when the proprietor of the shop places the last bit of cloth on the “remnant” table.  Usually this signals that there is only a small bit of the cloth left.  Perhaps it also signals that the fabric itself is no longer available in larger quantities.  Remnants, like uneaten food on the supper table, are leftovers. 

What had been a great nation renowned throughout the world has been reduced to a remnant of its former glory.  However, this is not necessarily a bad thing.  Now that they have been reduced to a shadow of their former glory, the people of Israel may understand that without God they are nothing.  Before the exile, they had grown so powerful that they had deluded themselves regarding their need for God.  Perhaps they will have learned a lesson through the exile.  Although they will never return to their former glory, perhaps they will come to understand how much God has done for them.

As the pages of St. Luke’s Gospel open, we are introduced to several characters who are part of the faithful remnant, the leftovers.  Zechariah and Elizabeth, Mary and Joseph, Simeon and Anna, and the shepherds of Bethlehem represent this group of people.  Zechariah, Mary and Simeon all sing canticles reminiscent of the canticles and psalms of the Hebrew Scriptures.  Elizabeth and Mary are representatives of the women in the Hebrew Scriptures who were visited by God and given children even though it was thought humanly impossible for them to conceive.  Joseph mirrors the justice of Abraham and Anna bears a resemblance to Hannah, Samuel’s mother.  Through their words and actions, these characters prove themselves faithful to the covenant that God had initiated with the Hebrew people.

Jeremiah also reiterates the covenant agreement in this chapter in verse one: “At that time—oracle of the LORD—I will be the God of all the families of Israel, and they shall be my people” (Jeremiah 31:1).  Notice, however, that the conditional “if” and “then” are missing from the formulation.  Otherwise it is the same as we heard in the Book of Exodus and the Book of Deuteronomy.  God’s love for his people is not conditional.  Rather, God promises to be with his people no matter what may come.

Good news, indeed.

Fr. Lawrence Jagdfeld, O.F.M., Administrator