'Nations shall walk by your light, and kings by your shining radiance'
JOE MILLER JR.
Isaiah 60:1-6

Joe Miller Jr. is pastor of First United Methodist Church in Newton.

Imagine a Jewish man that we will call Yeshua in the Jerusalem temple around 500 BC. A prophet is speaking, and Yeshua is listening intently. This prophet reminded him of one of the prophets from 200 years ago named Isaiah.

Yeshua used to sit at his grandfather's knee many years ago in Babylon when the Israelites were in exile, and his grandfather taught him the Torah, the Prophets, and the Psalms. Yeshua remembered the scriptures word for word.

Isaiah had prophesied destruction for Jerusalem if the people did not make changes in their lives. He prophesied against the corruption in the government, the lack of caring for widows and orphans, the reliance on politics and military might instead of God, and the growing gap between the poor and the rich.

According the scriptures, the people ignored the warnings from Isaiah, and refused to repent and return to God. Yeshua's grandfather said they would not listen because everything seemed to be good. They had a beautiful temple, priests to offer sacrifices, a king to take care of them, a growing economy, and they were God's chosen people.

As prophesied, Jerusalem was eventually destroyed, and the people were carried off into captivity in a foreign land: Babylon. Yeshua, like many other Jews, longed for the return home to Jerusalem. After a number of years, the Persians defeated the Babylonians, and they allowed the Israelites to return home.

As Yeshua began the walk home from the temple, he could not help but compare the way things were in Jerusalem with the way they had been described by his grandfather.

The temple was in deplorable shape. The Samaritans had recently staged another raid on Jerusalem causing quite a bit of damage as well as killing a number of people. Farmers were afraid to go out into the fields to work. Yeshua passed a number of people as he walked, and all of them were downcast with their eyes fixed on the street in front of them. No one smiled. He saw emaciated children and beggars everywhere. The streets seemed dark everywhere he looked.

Yeshua did not know what to make of the "new Isaiah" that he heard in the temple. He loved what he had to say about God being present and close to His people once again. The return of wealth and prosperity were hope for the future. The collection of all of God's people into the homeland would bring joy into everyone's heart.

However, the part about all nations coming to Jerusalem and worshipping God went against everything that he had been taught. God was Israel's God, and they were His chosen people. What other nations did was their business, as long as they left us alone. Yeshua wondered if it would ever be possible for all people to worship God together. Maybe someday, if God sent the right person to provide the light for people to see, it could happen.

Jesus Christ is the light of the world. Email me with any comments at www.newtonfumc@yahoo.com.