Monday of Week 25 of Ordinary Time – First Reading

Commentary on Ezra 1:1-6

We go back to the Old Testament today and begin the first of just three readings from the Book of Ezra.  And, indeed, for the next three weeks (up to the end of Week 27) we will be having selected readings from eight books, some historical and some prophetical, of the period after the Israelites had returned to Jerusalem from their exile in Babylon.  This followed the defeat of the Babylonians by the Persians, who had become the latest ‘super-power’ in the region.

In order to put the readings in context, we begin with an extensive extract from an introduction given by the Jerusalem Bible:

“Ezra is part of a second group of historical books which in large measure reduplicate, but ultimately extend the ‘Deuteronomic’ history beginning with Joshua and ending with Kings.  These are the two Books of Chronicles, then the Book of Ezra, and the Book of Nehemiah.  Originally, the two books of Chronicles were one book and those of Ezra and Nehemiah were part of the same collection, the whole being the work of one author, known as ‘the Chronicler’.

The Book of Ezra is a continuation of the Chronicles story.  After the 50 years of Exile, on which he is silent, the author resumes his history with the edict of the Persian King Cyrus, 538 BC, permitting the Jews to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the Temple.  The return begins forthwith, but the work of rebuilding is halted by the hostility of the Samaritans and does not resume until the reign of King Darius I. The Temple is finished in 515 BC.

Under King Artaxerxes, the scribe Ezra, representative for Jewish affairs at the Persian court, arrives in Jerusalem with a new contingent of returning exiles, bringing with him an official authorisation to impose the Mosaic Law, now approved by the king.  He has to take severe measures against those Jews already married to foreigners, Ezra 7-10.  The story continues with the Book of Nehemiah…

These books are important for the history of the Jewish Restoration after the Exile.  The first chapters of Ezra complement the information supplied by prophets Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi [all of whom we will be looking at during these three weeks].

Taking advantage of the liberal religious policy that the Achmenids (Persian dynasty) applied in their empire, the Jews return to their Promised Land, restore the ancient worship, rebuild the Temple and the city walls, and live as a community governed by men of their own race and regulated by the Law of Moses.  All that the imperial power requires is loyalty, no great price to pay when that power shows such respect for Jewish customs.  This is an event of great importance—nothing less than the birth of Judaism, prepared by long meditation in Exile and assisted by the actions of leaders raised up by God…

The real father of Judaism is Ezra with his three dominant conceptions: the chosen race, the Temple, the Law.  If his reforming measures seem severe and his isolationism narrow, it is because his zeal was great and the need to safeguard the infant community urgent.  He is the pattern of all scribes, the great and growing hero of Judaic tradition…”

In today’s reading, which comes from the Book of Ezra’s opening lines, we see Cyrus, King of Persia, authorising the return of the Jews to Jerusalem. We are told that it was in the first year of the reign of King Cyrus of Persia, and in fulfilment of a prophecy of Jeremiah, that Yahweh inspired the king to issue a solemn proclamation which was displayed throughout his kingdom.

Cyrus, the founder of the Persian empire, reigned over the Persians from autumn of 559 until 530 BC.  He is one of the great kings of ancient times, but what is most significant here is that he is depicted as being merely an instrument of God to serve his people.  Isaiah speaks of him as the Lord’s “shepherd” and his “anointed”. Compared to the Assyrian and Babylonian rulers, Cyrus was looked on very favourably by the Israelites, first, for overthrowing the Babylonian rule and, more importantly, allowing them to return to their homeland.

The “first year” here refers to Cyrus’ rule over Babylon, which began in March-April (Nisan) 538 BC, after he captured the city in October of 539 BC, 20 years after he came to the Persian throne.

Jeremiah, writing during the years of exile, had prophesied a 70-year Babylonian captivity (Jer 25:11-12; 29:10).  The first deportation to Babylon began in 605 BC, in the third year of King Jehoiakim, and, in 538 BC, approximately 70 years later, the people began their return.

Cyrus then makes a solemn proclamation authorising the Hebrews to return to their homeland.

In the proclamation Cyrus declares that Yahweh:

The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and he has charged me to build him a house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah.

This oral proclamation of Cyrus’ decree was written in Hebrew, the language of the Israelite captives.

“God of heaven” is a phrase which occurs 22 times in the Old Testament, 17 of which are in Ezra, Nehemiah and Daniel.  Notice, too, the strong emphasis on Jerusalem and the Temple with nothing else mentioned about the homeland.  We find this in both Ezra and Nehemiah.  The restoration of the Temple and the Law was synonymous with national restoration.

Unlike the preceding imperial regimes, the Persian kings were on the whole extremely sympathetic towards the religions of their subjected peoples; they reinstated and actively supported them while keeping a measure of control.  Their attitude towards the Jewish religion was no exception.  It is possible that Judaism further benefited because of the Persians’ special devotion to ‘the god of heaven’. Yahweh, who in the official documents is always referred to as ‘the God of heaven’ may have been thought of as the supreme god acknowledged by the Persian kings. In a sense, not unlike Jews, Christians and Muslims were acknowledging the one and the same God.

He then addresses each Israelite:

Let any of those among you who are of his people—may their God be with them!—go up to Jerusalem in Judah and rebuild the house of the Lord, the God of Israel; he is the God who is in Jerusalem.

“May God be with him”—Cyrus instituted the policy of placating the gods of his subject peoples instead of carrying off their cult images as the Assyrians and the Babylonians had done earlier.  We should note too that his generosity to the Jews was paralleled by his benevolence to the conquered Babylonians.

The phrase, “those among you who are of his people”, seems to exclude exiles from the Northern Kingdom; those going back to Jerusalem all belong to the Southern Kingdom (Judah).

Furthermore, Cyrus continues, let each Hebrew survivor:

…in whatever place they reside be assisted by the people of their place with silver and gold, with goods, and with livestock, besides freewill offerings for the house of God in Jerusalem.

These voluntary offerings would be vital in the restoration of the ruined Temple and its services and they included, by order of the king, the restoration of Temple treasures looted by Nebuchadnezzar.

This edict appears in the form of a proclamation, in Hebrew, by public heralds to the exiled Jews and was no doubt drawn up by Jews employed in the Persian chancellery.

Then the heads of all the families from the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, with the priests and Levites, and “everyone whose spirit God had stirred”, made preparations to go and rebuild the Temple.  ‘Families’ here means extended families, more like the whole clan whose authority figure was the patriarch, as ‘family head’.  The tribes of Judah and Benjamin were the main tribes from the Kingdom of Judah, the Southern Kingdom, in which Jerusalem was situated.

And finally, in conformity with the king’s decree, all the Israelites’ neighbours rallied round with all kinds of material help and gifts, as well as with voluntary donations.

Cyrus and his successors represent a period of enlightened tolerance when people like the Jews and other religions were able to maintain or restore their religious practices and traditions.

While, on the one hand, we should not see God as a kind of puppet master who manipulates people at will, we also need to realise that all of us are called to carry out God’s plan for the world and that there is no way we can frustrate that plan.

We will pray today for a clear picture of God’s will in our lives and the strength to accept it and carry it out.  Our own greatest benefit is in making God’s will ours.

We might also remember today all peoples who are prevented from the practice of their religion in peace with their neighbours and, even more, people who have had to flee their homeland because of religious persecution.

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Thursday of Week 25 of Ordinary Time – First Reading

Commentary on Haggai 1:1-8

For two days we take our readings from Haggai, one of the lesser known of the so-called Minor Prophets. The whole book consists of only two chapters and both our readings will be taken from the first chapter.

The Jerusalem Bible notes:

“The last, post-exilic, period of prophecy opens with Haggai. The change is striking. Before the Exile the watchword of the prophets was Punishment. During the Exile it became Consolation. Now it is Restoration. Haggai appears at a critical moment in the development of Judaism; the birth of the new Palestinian community. His short exhortations are precisely dated, August and September of 520 BC. The first Jews to return from Babylonia to rebuild the Temple were quickly discouraged. The prophets Haggai and Zechariah stirred them to new efforts and urged Zerubbabel the governor and the High Priest Joshua to resume work on the Temple. This was done in September, 520 BC.”

The four brief discourses composing this book are entirely concerned with this ‘restoration’. Since the Temple is still in ruins and Yahweh has destroyed the harvests, it is believed the rebuilding will usher in the age of prosperity. However unimposing, this new Temple will dim the glory of the old; and power is promised to Zerubbabel, the chosen one of God. Therefore, this Temple and this descendant of David become the focus of a messianic hope that will be more clearly expressed in Zechariah.

The New International Version Study Bible also gives a brief historical background which helps to contextualise today’s reading:

“Haggai was a prophet who, along with Zechariah, encouraged the returned exiles to rebuild the Temple (see Ezra 5:1-2;6:14). ‘Haggai’ means ‘festal’, which may indicate that the prophet was born during one of the three pilgrimage feasts (Unleavened Bread, Pentecost or Weeks, and Tabernacles). Based on the verse in Haggai 2:3, Haggai may have witnessed the destruction of Solomon’s Temple. If so, he must have been in his early 70s during his ministry…”

In 538 BC, the conqueror of Babylon, Cyrus king of Persia, issued a decree allowing the Jews to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the Temple. Led by Zerubbabel, about 50,000 Jews journeyed home and began work on the Temple. About two years later (in 536 BC) they completed the foundation amid great rejoicing. Their success aroused the Samaritans and other neighbours who feared the political and religious implications of a rebuilt Temple in a thriving Jewish state. They therefore opposed the project vigorously and managed to halt work until Darius the Great became king of Persia in 522 BC. Darius was interested in the religions of his empire, and Haggai and Zechariah began to preach in his second year (520 BC). The Jews were more to blame for their inactivity than their opponents, and Haggai tried to arouse them from their lethargy. When the governor of Transeuphrates and other officials tried to interfere with the rebuilding efforts, Darius fully supported the Jews. In 516 BC, the Temple was finished and dedicated. Next to Obadiah, Haggai is the shortest book in the Old Testament.

Today’s reading finds us in the same period as the Book of Ezra which we have just been reading. King Darius is the emperor of Persia. It is the first day of the sixth month (August/September) in the year 520 BC, the second year of his reign. The New Moon was the day on which prophets were sometimes consulted.

King Darius Hystaspis (or Hystaspes) ruled Persia from 522 to 486 BC. As a historical footnote, it was he who prepared the trilingual inscription on the Behistun (Bisitun) cliff wall (located in modern Iran), through which cuneiform languages were later deciphered.

Haggai, the Lord’s prophet, has a message from Yahweh for the governor of Judah, Zerubbabel, son of Shealtiel, and for the high priest, Joshua, son of Jehozadak. In 1 Chronicles we are told that Jehozakak was taken away into captivity by Nebuchadnezzar.

The Lord’s message is clear. He wants his Temple to be built, but “these people” are saying the time has not yet come for the rebuilding, even though the foundations had been laid 16 years previously (in 536 BC). They have other priorities, like the building of their own houses. Because of their sin, the nation is not called “my people”.

Then:

…the word of the Lord came by the prophet Haggai, saying: “Is it a time for you yourselves to live in your paneled houses, while this house lies in ruins?”

The luxury of the homes of the wealthy with their “paneled houses” contrasts sadly with the ruined state of the Lord’s home. “Paneled houses” were usually connected with royal dwellings, which had cedar paneling. There seems to be an element of sarcasm in the Lord’s question. It also reminds one of David’s embarrassment about living in a palace while the Ark of the Covenant was still confined to a tent:

See now, I am living in a house of cedar, but the ark of God stays in a tent. (2 Sam 7:2)

It seems the returned exiles did not have any such qualms.

Now comes a warning about their self-centred lifestyle:

Consider how you have fared.

They are living a life of conspicuous consumption, like people living it high while debts mount on their credit cards:

You have sown much and harvested little; you eat, but you never have enough; you drink, but you never have your fill; you clothe yourselves, but no one is warm; and you that earn wages earn wages to put them into a bag with holes.

This is a pretty accurate image of our own credit card culture!

They have planted abundantly, but have been punished by famine when the harvests never materialised. Because of that, they live lives which give no satisfaction, no matter how active they are. They earn wages, but these disappear when prices soar during time of famine.

Instead, let them get down to the task of rebuilding the Lord’s house. Let them go up into the hills of Judah and get the timber for building. Perhaps wood from the hills around Jerusalem was to supplement the cedar wood already purchased from Lebanon. Once the Lord’s House is complete, he will:

…take pleasure in it and be honored…

The reading is a wake-up call to us about our priorities. How are we building the “Lord’s house”? Do we take care of our own priorities first and then wonder about what God wants as an after-thought? St Ignatius Loyola in his Spiritual Exercises speaks of people organising their lives according to their own desires and likes and then, when everything is set, start wondering what God might want. Of course, it should be the other way round.

The rich man in the Gospel made his money first and then asked Jesus what he should do to gain eternal life. When told that he needed to get rid of his wealth and share it with the needy, he could not do it.

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Monday of Week 25 of Ordinary Time – Gospel

Commentary on Luke 8:16-18

The message today seems clear enough. The gospel message is not meant to be kept hidden. We are not a ‘mystery religion’ in the sense that the gospel is only for initiates. It is a message that is to be proclaimed from the housetops. If what we believe and say is true, it will prevail.

We understand Jesus to be the Light of the world, and his followers are also to be like lamps shining out for all the world to see. An invisible Christian is a contradiction in terms, yet there are strong tendencies for us to keep our religion to ourselves and not foist it on others.

However, forcing others to believe is not the message being given, even if it were possible. Inviting people to ‘come and see’, to hear the message and have a personal experience of living it, is something else. We also believe that the gospel message offers a way of life that brings great happiness into the lives of individuals and, in fact, to whole societies if it is really followed. So, part of our communicating the message is as much through our lifestyle (“See…it works!”) as through what we say.

Jesus says today:

So pay attention to how you listen…

It is not just listening, but a hearing which understands, accepts, assimilates and puts into practice. What is heard and assimilated has to be passed on. Otherwise it dies, because:

…for to those who have, more will be given, and from those who do not have, even what they seem to have will be taken away.

To be a Christian is not to reach a certain level and stay there. It essentially means constant growth and development—to stay still or to stagnate is to go backwards.

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