Today we begin reading from the Book of Ezra. The books of Ezra and Nehemiah describe the return of Israel from the Babylonian exile and the rebuilding of the Temple or the House of God in Jerusalem. The First Temple, built by King Solomon, was destroyed by the Babylonians when they attacked and destroyed Jerusalem and sent the king and many of the Israelites into exile in Babylon. The exile was a time of great suffering and a renewed searching for God. The psalmist captures the anguish of Israel in exile:
“By the rivers of Babylon there we sat weeping when we remembered Zion. On the poplars in its midst, we hung up our harps. For there our captors asked us for the words of a song; Our tormentors, for joy: ‘Sing for us a song of Zion!’ But how could we sing a song of the LORD in a foreign land?” (Psalm 137:1-4)
As the Jews renewed their search for the presence of God in exile Ezra helps them to realize that God can work even through a foreign and pagan king, Cyrus, the King of Persia. The prophet Isaiah also foresaw that the pagan king Cyrus would be God’s servant:
“I confirm the words of my servant, carry out the plan my messengers announce. I say to Jerusalem, Be inhabited! To the cities of Judah, Be rebuilt! I will raise up their ruins…I say of Cyrus, My shepherd! He carries out my every wish, Saying of Jerusalem, “Let it be rebuilt,” and of the temple, “Lay its foundations.” (Isaiah 44:26, 28).
In today’s reading from Ezra King Cyrus decrees the rebuilding of the House of God, the Jerusalem Temple:
“Thus says Cyrus, king of Persia: ‘All the kingdoms of the earth the LORD, the God of heaven, has given to me, and he has charged me to build him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Those among you who belong to any part of his people, may their God be with them! Let them go up to Jerusalem in Judah to build the house of the LORD the God of Israel, that is, the God who is in Jerusalem.” (Ezra 1:2-3).
The Temple, the House of God in Jerusalem is a special place to experience God’s presence and holiness. A place of prayer and worship. Christians call the House of God a church where we also experience the merciful love of God. Both Jews and Christians recognize that God cannot be contained in a Temple or Church. Jesus teaches that the House of God, the presence of God is where two or more are gathered in his name: “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” (Matthew 18:20). Temples and Churches help us to see and experience the presence of God in our daily life.
Image: “IL09 1913 Jewish Temple Ruins, Old City, Jerusalem ירושלים” by Templar1307 is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.