When
we read the book of Ezra (Ezra 6,7-8),
we see how Ezra's conviction that Jews in exile were able to return to their
own land because of the support of a well disposed, non Jewish ruler- king Darius.
Although the Jews did not even favour contact with such people; in fact they
refereed to them as dogs...and uncircumcised.
As
humans beings, many a times we have acted as if only some people could possibly
do good to us and others not! But experience tells us that w all depend upon
each other in many ways and that dependence crosses religious and family boundaries.
Jesus points to something similar
in Luke 8, 19-21 - when told his
mother and brothers are trying to get in, he says that there is a deeper
relation to him than that of blood. Happily for many, family members do provide
support and encouragement to faith. Others, unfortunately, have experience of
finding more sympathy and understanding outside the family.
We
discover in the course of growing up that compatibility and congeniality are
not predictable in terms of family and background. We all need support and
encouragement. We obstruct it by requiring that it come in a particular color
or shape or from a particular source.
Noting
in our created world is incapable of being the channel for God's grace,
illumination and support.
