Old Testament reading: Ezra 1-2
Ezra picks up right where the Chronicles end, with the decree from Cyrus, king of Persia, that Judah should return home and rebuild the house of the Lord. In fact, Ezra begins with a verbatim quote from the last two verses of 2 Chronicles. Of particular interest is Cyrus’ proclamation that the Lord God of Heaven is responsible for his place as an earthly ruler. And not only did he make this a public proclamation throughout his entire kingdom, he also put it in writing so there would be no misunderstanding later on. I also find it interesting that even though Cyrus recognizes the God of heaven as his benefactor and upholder, he also recognizes that he himself is not one of God’s people (Ezra 1:3). Continuing with his benevolent disposition, Cyrus decrees that all fellow citizens contribute silver, gold and livestock to help the Jews on their way, which they willingly offered (1:6). Finally, Cyrus recovered the articles taken from the temple by Nebuchadnezzar and restored them to the returning exiles.
New Testament reading: 2-3 John, Jude
In 3 John, the apostle speaks of two very different men in one congregation. The first is Gaius, beloved of John and the recipient of the letter. What a beautiful statement John makes to him in verse 2, “Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.” If my physical health and blessings were a mirror image of my spiritual health, how healthy and prosperous would I be? Would I be bankrupt and/or in the hospital? Or would I have abundant blessings and not so much as a sniffle? On the other hand is Diotrophes, “who loves (lives?) to have preeminence among the brethren. He was a diffuser of dissent and division, a self appointed church boss who determined who could be in the church and who could not. Contrasting him with Gaius, John said, “Do not imitate what is evil, but what is good.” It bears noting that similar difficulties still exist today. Large families or families with a long history (e.g., “My grandfather donated the land for this building.”) can inadvertently become like Diotrophes when they do not make visitors or “outsiders” feel welcome, or when they use their strength to influence the elders or the pulpit. May we all strive to be “healthy” like beloved Gaius.
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