The reading from Ezekiel is one teeming with assurances of the future. The nation of Israel was a divided nation and caught the grip of vices and idolatry. In this context, Yahweh gives them a promise of His action. The entire promise is filled with ‘I shall’ assurances. I shall gather them, I shall make them into one people, I shall free them and I shall cleanse them.

All these promises were to be fulfilled with the coming of our Lord and Saviour Jesus. When Mary began witnessing to the Lord mighty miracle in raising her brother Lazarus from the dead, while the people were filled with hope the leadership felt threatened. Their fear was that the Romans would see the unrest and destroy the nation of Israel and their temple.
But the fact was, they were so blind. Their intentions were good but there were saving their nation from the nation’s Saviour.

In fact, our Lord Jesus was not the Saviour of Israel but the entire world. The Jewish leadership thought they knew better than God. Here God the Father was providing them with an answer which He had promised through the mouth of Ezekiel. And these people were indeed destroying the Saviour intended to save them. Caiaphas inadvertently tells them – “You know nothing at all. It is better to have one man die for the people than to let the whole nation be destroyed.” In our journey with the Lord, we know nothing at all. As we say, God’s ways are mysterious and beyond our comprehension. What we see as problems and setbacks are sometimes stepping stones to a greater future and an enriching relationship. Most people, who have had sort of ‘Born Again’ experience, had such a moment when they were faced with a crisis, began seeking God and then shifted into a new life. Born again is not a Protestant word or a bad word – our Lord said if you are not Born again you cannot enter the kingdom of God). It simply means that one day, the light was switched on in your brain and soul and you began to see life and experiences as God sees them. Let us ask the Lord for His Spirit/wisdom as we look at life and make decisions.

Prayer: Abba Father, let me not fight the very solutions and answers you are providing for me today. Help me recognize them and welcome them. Amen