This week, our Old Testament readings are taken from the Book of Ezra. After seventy years in exile because of their sinful rejection of God, the people of Israel are returning home, returning to their foundation. God has inspired the new Persian emperor, Cyrus, to decree that they return to Jerusalem and that they rebuild the temple of their God. But the temple isn’t the only thing that needs attention. Many of the Hebrews had forgotten God’s laws and were publicly disregarding them. Only a small remnant continued to follow the ways that God had taught them. Sounds very much like the people of today. They, we, need to remember why they are in their situation, why they had to go to Babylon, why they were allowed to come back home. The temple needed a new foundation, for sure, but the people needed to return to the foundations of their faith, too.
The book of Ezra tells both stories: rebuilding the temple; and rebuilding the people by remembering the law. Ezra weaves together historical narrative, official documents, a chronology of individuals and families who returned to Israel, and an autobiography of the author—prayers, reflections, and actions from Ezra’s point of view. They tell the story of how God began to restore Israel.
Ezra talks about the “remnant”, those who maintain their faith and their character, are relevant today. Temptations to stray from God are everywhere, but the results of straying are always disastrous. Our society tends to overlook that fact. Daily, I find challenges for the “remnant” from television, social media, and commercial advertising that almost always tries to seduce our society with the attractiveness of the superficial and transient. Our society is woefully ignorant of scripture, and we tend to forget the lessons that we have learned over the centuries. Ezra warns us against falling into the wrong crowd. Even the wise Solomon made poor choices in the women he hanged around with. Ezra recognized that God punished Israel because of the evil they committed. Sin always brings sorrow. But God does not abandon us. He may punish us, as he did Israel with a 70-year exile, but he always provides salvation to those who seek it.
The Gospel follows the lessons from Ezra with a missioning call, a call for detachment from the things of this world. Jesus is summoning his followers to continue his work. He is calling them to be part of the “remnant”. He is asking for trust, but even more He is drawing his followers’ focus to the tasks and trials at hand and away from the distractions of the world.
My prayer today is for support in this quest. I pray for the Lord’s assistance in maintaining character both as an individual and as a society. I ask for the desire of the things that are worth desiring.
May God Bless You and Grant You His Peace!