A child in body, a grown man within; do not fear their face
'And I said, You who are, Master, Lord, behold, I do not know how to speak, because I am younger. And the Lord said to me, Do not say that I am younger, because to all to whom I send you...' We have often said that it is possible, according to the inner man, to be a child, even if someone is in an old age of body. And it is possible at times, according to the outer man, to be a child, and according to the inner, a man. Such was Jeremiah, already having the grace from God while he was still in the age of a child according to the body. That is why the Lord says to him, 'Do not say that I am younger.' And a sign that he is not younger, but 'a grown man,' is this: 'To all to whom I send you, you shall go, and according to all that I command you, you shall speak. Do not be afraid of their face.'
The Word of God knows that those who serve as ambassadors of the word are in danger among the hearers. For when they are exposed they hate them; when they are rebuked they persecute them. The prophets suffer every kind of thing. 'A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his house' — which we also recalled earlier. So God, sending the prophet, knows how many dangers he will take on, and he says to him, 'Do not be afraid of their face, because I am with you to deliver you, says the Lord.'
What Jeremiah suffered is written down. He was thrown into a pit of mire; he remained there eating one loaf a day and drinking water only; and ten thousand other things which his prophecy has made clear. 'Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute?' it is said to the Jews. And it is necessary that 'those who want to live in a godly way in Christ Jesus be persecuted in every case by opposing powers, through the vessels they find.' Therefore those who are persecuted must not be surprised, but must do everything, only praying that they be persecuted unjustly and not justly — not for injustice, not for sin, not for greed. And if someone is ever persecuted for righteousness, let him also hear, 'Blessed are you when they reproach you and persecute you and say every evil word against you, lying, for my sake. Rejoice and be glad, because your reward is great in the heavens; for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.'
Greek
«Καὶ εἶπα· ὁ ὤν δέσποτα κύριε, ἰδοὺ οὐκ ἐπίσταμαι λαλεῖν ὅτι νεώτερος ἐηώ εἰμι. καὶ εἶπε κύριος πρός με· μὴ λέγε ὅτι νεώτερος ἐγώ εἰμι, ὅτι πρὸς πάντας οὓς ἐὰν ἐξαποστείλω σε πολλάκις εἴπομεν, ὅτι ἔστι κατὰ τὸν ἔσω ἄνθρωπον εἶναι παιδίον, κἂν ἐν γεροντικῇ τις ᾖ ἡλικίᾳ σώματος· ἔστι δέ ποτε κατὰ τὸν ἔξω ἄνθρωπον εἶναι παιδίον, κατὰ δὲ τὸν ἔσω ἄνδρα. τοιοῦτος ἦν ὁ Ἱερεμίας, ἤδη ἔχων τὴν χάριν ἀπὸ θεοῦ ἔτι ὢν ἐν τῇ τοῦ παιδίου ἡλικίᾳ κατὰ τὸ σῶμα. διό φησιν αὐτῷ ὁ κύριος· «μὴ λέγε ὅτι νεώτερος ἐγώ εἰμι. σημεῖον δὲ τοῦ μῆ εἶναι αὐτὸν νεώτερον, ἀλλ᾿ «ἄνδρα τέλειον«, τὸ «πρὸς πάντας οὃς ἐὰν ἐξαποστείλω σε πορεύσῃ, καὶ κατὰ πάντα ὅσα ἐὰν ἐντείλωμαί σοι λαλήσεις. μὴ φοβηθῇς ἀπὸ προσώπου αὐτῶν. οὖδεν ὁ τοῦ θεοῦ λόγος ὅτι οἱ πρεσβεύοντες τὸν λόγον κινδυνεύουσιν ἐν τοῖς ἀκούουσιν· ἐλεγχόμενοι γὰρ μισοῦσιν αὐτούς, ἐπιπλησσόμενοι διώκουσι. πᾶν ὁτιοῦν πάσχουσιν οἱ προφῆται· «οὐκ ἔστι προφήτης ἄτιμος εἰ μὴ ἐν τῇ ἰδίᾳ πατρίδι καὶ τῇ οἰκίᾳ αὐτοῦ. οὗ καὶ πρώην ἐμνημονεύομεν. οἶδεν οὖν ὁ θεὸς πέμπων τὸν προφήτην, ὅσους κινδύνους ἀναδέξεται, καὶ λέγει αὐτῷ· «μὴ φοβηθῇς ἀπὸ προσώπου αὐτῶν, ὅτι μετὰ σοῦ εἰμι τοῦ ἐξαιρεῖσθαί σε, λέγει κύ- ριος. ἃ πέπονθεν Ἱερεμίας, ἀναγέγραπται· εἰς λάκκον βορβόρου βέβληται, ἔμεινεν ἐκεῖ >ἕνα ἄρτον ἐσθίων τῆς ἡμέρας< καὶ ὕδωρ μόνον πίνων, καὶ ἄλλα δὲ μυρία ἃ πέπονθεν ἡ προφητεία αὐτοῦ δεδήλωκεν. «τίνα τῶν προφητῶν οὐκ ἐδίωξαν οἱ πατέρες ὑμῶν«; εἴρηται πρὸς τοὺς Ἰουδαίους. καὶ ἀναγκαῖόν ἐστι >τοὺς θέλοντας ζῆν εὐ- σεβῶς ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ πάντως ὑπὸ δυνάμεων ἀντικειμένων δι᾿ ὧν εὑρίσκουσι σκεῦῶν διώκεσθαι<. διὰ τοῦτο μὴ ξενιζόμενοι οἱ διωκόμενοι πάντα πραττέτωσαν, μόνον εὐχόμενοι, ἵνα ἀδίκως διώκωνται καὶ μὴ δικαίως, μὴ δι᾿ ἀδικίαν, μὴ δι᾿ ἁμαρτίαν, μὴ διὰ πλεονεξίαν.
ἐὰν δὲ διώκηταί ποτέ τις διὰ δικαιοσύνην, καὶ ἀκουέτω τοῦ «μακάριοί ἐστε ὅταν ὀνειδίζωσιν ὑμᾶς καὶ διώκωσι καὶ εἴπωσι πᾶν πονηρὸν ῥῆμα καθ᾿ ὑμῶν ψευδόμενοι ἕνεκεν ἐμοῦ. χαίρετε καὶ ἀγαλλιᾶσθε, ὅτι ὁ μισθὸς ὑμῶν πολὺς ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς· οὕτως γὰρ ἐδίωξαν τοὺς προφήτας τοὺς πρὸ ὑμῶν.