Ezra 4-6, Psalm 134, 1 Corinthians 10
This week I listened to a podcast from The General Theological Seminary, my alma mater (go penguins!) about the Cyrus Cylinder. This pottery cylinder, about the size of a football was buried with the proclamation that Cyrus who was a Zoroastrian, had been allowed by the chief god of the Babylonians Marduk to come in and conquer the people. This was done because their king was not following the laws of Marduk and was not a good king. (This appears to be true from a political point of view.) What is more, he allowed the people – at least some were listed on the cylinder – to go back to their homes and rebuild their places of worship.
In our scriptures, however, this was given a different understanding. Yes, Cyrus was allowed to become king over the entire region, but that blessing comes from God, not from Marduk. We see it again in the readings for today as the people in Jerusalem write back to King Darius and ask him to look up the decrees that Cyrus had made regarding the return of the people. Apparently, he found it!
This is one of the very few places where we have historical records that confirm the Biblical record. There are very, very few records going that far back. Most of what we believe happened cannot be verified.
This is always the “problem” with faith. Paul has some of the same problems in his ministry. He was not one of the followers of Jesus in his lifetime and it seems plenty doubt if his ministry, his apostleship, is verifiable. For those of us who have tried to explain an experience of God to others, we know how hard that can be. It would be so much easier if there were proof!
The only proof we will ever have that we have known Jesus, that we have been reborn, and that we are his followers will be in our lives. We can say, “The Lord told me to do this.” But if other’s lived experience of us does not show forth love and kindness, they will never believe us.
I’ve heard it said; if you want to know if someone is a Christian, don’t ask them. Ask their neighbor. May we all be transformed by the love of Christ and be known not by our creeds, but by our lived lives.
This week I listened to a podcast from The General Theological Seminary, my alma mater (go penguins!) about the Cyrus Cylinder. This pottery cylinder, about the size of a football was buried with the proclamation that Cyrus who was a Zoroastrian, had been allowed by the chief god of the Babylonians Marduk to come in and conquer the people. This was done because their king was not following the laws of Marduk and was not a good king. (This appears to be true from a political point of view.) What is more, he allowed the people – at least some were listed on the cylinder – to go back to their homes and rebuild their places of worship.
In our scriptures, however, this was given a different understanding. Yes, Cyrus was allowed to become king over the entire region, but that blessing comes from God, not from Marduk. We see it again in the readings for today as the people in Jerusalem write back to King Darius and ask him to look up the decrees that Cyrus had made regarding the return of the people. Apparently, he found it!
This is one of the very few places where we have historical records that confirm the Biblical record. There are very, very few records going that far back. Most of what we believe happened cannot be verified.
This is always the “problem” with faith. Paul has some of the same problems in his ministry. He was not one of the followers of Jesus in his lifetime and it seems plenty doubt if his ministry, his apostleship, is verifiable. For those of us who have tried to explain an experience of God to others, we know how hard that can be. It would be so much easier if there were proof!
The only proof we will ever have that we have known Jesus, that we have been reborn, and that we are his followers will be in our lives. We can say, “The Lord told me to do this.” But if other’s lived experience of us does not show forth love and kindness, they will never believe us.
I’ve heard it said; if you want to know if someone is a Christian, don’t ask them. Ask their neighbor. May we all be transformed by the love of Christ and be known not by our creeds, but by our lived lives.
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