"Restoration" = "Salvation" = "Wholeness, Comfort"
One of our members suggested that the Ezra/Nehemiah's story "Foreshadows Jesus" and his ministry of salvation. Indeed, "restoration" and "salvation" come from the same root words, to make whole.
RESTORATION is a familiar theme in the second half of the Old Testament. Nehemiah and Ezra are fulfilling the promises made by the prophets to restore God's people to the land.
The Messiah is the one who embodies that promise. However, the Jews definitely believed that promise included physical restoration of their homeland... which is why they were looking for a different kind of Christ.
But contrast Ezra and Nehemiah with Jesus' startling statement that he would REBUILD the Temple in three days! When we build walls and Temples, they need to be the "right kind" of walls and Temples, ....not ones meant to keep people OUT (as in the Old days), but ones that EMBRACE and WELCOME and PROTECT people
Nehemiah's name means "Yahweh Comforts" and that adds a different nuance to the meaning of "restoration" and "salvation." They are what God does to comfort our souls, to bring us out of a state of Exile and into his Kingdom. To include us, not exclude. "Do not be afraid" the angel told the shepherds, Jesus is good news.
What are people afraid of these days? How can we comfort them?
What are the "ministries of comfort" that we are engaged in -- at home, among our friends, at church, and in the world?
What can we do right now to bring comfort to those who feel like they are outcast?
