Amazing to read how a heathen Babylonian king Darius builds the Temple of the Only True God - the God of Israel. Also strange as the evangelic narrative of the Roman centurion who built a synagogue to the Jews...
Amazing to read how a heathen Babylonian king Darius builds the Temple of the Only True God - the God of Israel. Also strange as the evangelic narrative of the Roman centurion who built a synagogue to the Jews. Strange because we see as people of other faith give much (Darius asks not to economize anything), for God, that they either don’t worship at all, or worship together with other gods.
But don’t we meet in our life such people? We find very often on our road people who help Christians in difficult situations, who offer a lot of money to the Church, however not considering themselves as Christian. They just consider themselves sometimes as the publican in the parable of the Pharisee and the publican too much sinner to fully enter into the Church. It is too difficult for them to believe that God is merciful and forgives. Others are afraid of entering until the end, as the rich young boy, who was ready to give much, but not everything. We also, being in the Church, are very often afraid that God will ask us much.
And still, these people who are at the threshold of the Church, without entering inside, make very often much more than us, who consider ourselves already as full Christians.
King Darius calls his heathen servants: "let the work of this house of God alone". We are called to let the work, we are not better than these heathen, who obeyed more their earthly king, than we do with our Heavenly King, who also calls us to work for the Kingdom of God. We forget that Adam and Eve were called to cultivate and to keep the Garden of Eden and to give names to every creature.
6 Darius's answer, Ezr 6:1-7.
His decree, Ezr 6:8-12.
The temple is finished, Ezr 6:13-15.
The dedication of it, Ezr 6:16-18.
The passover kept, Ezr 6:19-22.