Image by Stephani Aryeetey (2023)
Introduction
Did you know there are multiple “Wonders of the World”? There are ancient ones, modern ones, even medieval ones. While doing some reading recently, I came across one that’s a bit famous and a bit flawed: the Leaning Tower of Pisa.
Here’s the issue: it started leaning during construction. Why? Because it was built on a marsh. Engineers tried surface fixes, counterweights, foundation adjustments, reinforcement but none of them solved the core issue. The problem was deeper. The foundation itself was broken.
That’s a helpful picture for the human condition and it’s the main tension in the book of Jeremiah. We often treat sin like a surface issue, applying thin coats of morality or discipline, hoping the cracks will hold. But Jeremiah exposes the truth: the problem goes deeper.
As you watch this video overview of Jeremiah from the Bibleproject, think about what the central themes of this book are.
The Problem Beneath the Surface
Jeremiah takes up 5.2% of the entire Bible. It’s a massive work of prophecy, poetry, and pain. And its central message is clear: God is just, but He’s also deeply gracious. Over and over again, He warns His people to turn back and to repent. And over and over again, they refuse.
God is like a lifeguard throwing out a life preserver again and again to a drowning swimmer who keeps pushing it away, insisting, “I can make it to shore on my own.” Eventually… they don’t.
Justice on the Unrepentant
In Jeremiah 5:1-5, God sends out a call: Is there anyone in Jerusalem who does justice? Just one person who acts with integrity? But no one will repent. The people are full of idolatry, neglect of the poor, political scheming, and spiritual apathy. They refuse correction. They reject the truth.
It’s like the difference between Saul and David. Saul justifies and deflects. David although he is deeply flawed, repents when confronted.
That raises a hard question: What do you do when you’re in the wrong?
I had a moment recently with a friend where I realized I had misunderstood them. Instead of doubling down or getting defensive, I had to say: “I misheard. I miscommunicated. I’m sorry.” That’s what repentance looks like. It is not perfection, but humility.
Jeremiah pleads with the people: Please turn around. Destruction is coming, and there’s still time to avoid it. But they won’t listen. It’s like trying to stay in a friendship with someone who no longer wants to be in relationship. You cannot force someone to stay friends with you.
The Solution: New Hearts
So what’s the solution? If the surface fixes don’t work, what will?
Right in the middle of Jeremiah, after chapters upon chapters of warning, comes a beam of light:
“I will make a new covenant… I will write it on their hearts.” (Jeremiah 31:31-34)
The people don’t need a better set of rules. They need transformed hearts.
Remember that verse you might’ve learned in Awana, “The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately sick”(Jeremiah 17:9)? That’s Jeremiah’s diagnosis. We don’t just make bad choices, we want the wrong things. Our affections are broken.
So God makes a promise: I will change your heart. I will not leave you stuck. And this isn’t a backup plan. All the way back in Deuteronomy 30:6, Moses predicted it: “The Lord your God will circumcise your hearts… so that you may love Him with all your heart and soul and live.”
Jeremiah and Moses both knew that lasting faithfulness requires a miracle of mercy.
From Caterpillars to Butterflies
Here’s a picture for you: imagine the Israelites are caterpillars climbing a tree. God is calling them to the top, where the sweetest, ripest mango waits. But they keep stopping at rotten fruit along the way. They don’t make it because they’re distracted… and because they’re not yet butterflies.
So God says, “I will transform you. I will make you into something new, so you can make it to Me.”
That transformation is what we call the gospel.
The Gospel of Grace
Jesus picks up Jeremiah’s message and makes it His own. In Mark 7:20-23, Jesus says: “Out of the heart come evil thoughts… All these evils come from inside and defile a person.”
That’s where the gospel begins: with honesty about our brokenness. We don’t need minor corrections. We need new hearts.
At the Last Supper, Jesus holds up a cup and says: “This cup is the new covenant in my blood.” That phrase, new covenant, was coined by Jeremiah. Jesus is saying: I’m the one who will bring it.
Through Jesus, hearts are changed. The New Testament describes it as moving from death to life, from enemy to friend, from broken to whole. Not because we earned it, but purely by grace.
In Jeremiah 39:15-18, God promises salvation to someone, not because of works, but because they put their trust in Him. That’s what grace requires: not performance, but surrender. As Augustine said, “Without God we cannot; without us, God will not.”
Pointing to the Messiah
Jeremiah also looks forward to a coming King who is a righteous one from David’s line who would finally lead with justice.
In Jeremiah 23, God contrasts corrupt kings with a future Shepherd King who will do what is right. And in Jeremiah 33:14-18, he promises a ruler who would be truly righteous—one whose heart is aligned with God and who will make it possible for His people to be righteous too.
That King is Jesus.
Conclusion
The message of Jeremiah is clear: surface fixes won’t solve deep heart problems. We need new hearts. And through Jesus, the righteous Judge and gracious Savior, we’re offered exactly that.
The tower of Pisa still leans but you don’t have to. Jesus offers a better foundation and a transformed heart to stand firm.
Will you trust Him?
Let’s pray.
Small Group Questions
High and low of the week?
What stuck out from the message or the BibleProject video?
Have you ever had a chance to repent or apologize… and just dug the hole deeper?
Is it easier for you to see other people’s brokenness or your own?
Have you experienced a heart change since following Jesus? What does that look like?
What points to Jesus in the book of Jeremiah?
Prayer requests?
I love the solution!
I am crawling through Jeremiah, doing a deep dive, and have come to think of him as Isaiah's warmer more approachable cousin, Ha