This is Spoken Gospel.

We are dedicated to seeing 
Jesus in all of scripture.

In each episode, we see what’s 
happening in a Biblical text

and how it sheds light
on Jesus and his gospel.

Let’s jump in.

The story of Ezra recasts the story of Israel’s 
exodus from Egypt for a new generation.

This generation is oppressed 
not by Egypt, but by Babylon.

The Babylonian army has conquered her land, 
destroyed her temple, and driven Israel into exile.

Prophets like Jeremiah
promised that after 70 years,

God would bring his people back
into the land to rebuild the temple.

And in Ezra, that time has come.

It’s time for a new exodus.

Babylon has recently been conquered by 
Persia, under the command of King Cyrus.

And God moves on this king’s heart to send 
some Israelites back to their home and land.

And like Israel plundered
Egypt of their wealth, this king

sends them with all the resources 
they need to rebuild God’s temple.

In Exodus, God hardens Pharaoh's heart to prevent Israel
from going to worship him. But in Ezra, God softens
Cyrus’s heart to allow Israel to rebuild their temple.

God is performing another miraculous rescue.

God has not abandoned
his people during their exile.

God is being faithful not only to Jeremiah’s 
promise, but to a much older promise as well.

In Genesis, God promised Abraham 
that his descendants would live in  

their land and would be
a blessing to all nations.

Rebuilding Israel’s temple begins 
the fulfillment of God’s promise to

bless all nations through 
Abraham’s descendants.

Isaiah, another of Israel’s prophets, also said God’s
house would be rebuilt and all nations would come to it.

With Israel heading back into their land, 
God’s ancient promises are coming true.

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God’s promises are not ultimately fulfilled
in the pages of Ezra, but in the life of Jesus.

Jesus invites us into a new and better Exodus story; 
a story that proves no matter how far from God 
and his home we may be, he provides a way back.

Like Ezra repeated the story of Exodus 
for a new generation, so does Jesus.

At Jesus’ birth, Herod, like
Pharoah, executes infanticide.

Like the Jews, Jesus is called out 
of his exile in Egypt to return home.

At his baptism, Jesus even 
passes through the Jordan River  

like Israel did when they first 
entered their promised land.

God has not abandoned his people.

He will bring us back from any dark and oppressive
corner of the earth to live freely at home with him.

But this final homecoming cannot
happen until exodus is made from death.

Like God moved on the
kings in Exodus and Ezra,  

God moves on Governor Pilate 
to sentence Jesus to death.

But as God saved Israel from Egypt in Exodus and brought
them out of Babylon in Ezra, God raised Jesus from the dead 
and brought him out of the grave in Jerusalem.

This is our final exodus.

This is the ultimate proof that 
God is faithful to his promises.

Since God did not abandon Jesus to the grave,
he will not abandon anyone who puts faith in him.

This is how God fulfills his promises to Abraham.

Jesus is the descendant of Abraham
who will bless and include all nations.

No one, regardless of their
geography,  nationality, or history,

is outside of the reach of this final
exodus from exile that Jesus provides.

I pray that the Holy Spirit will open your eyes 
to see the God who is faithful to his promises.

And may you see Jesus as the
one who proved God’s faithfulness  

by performing the final exodus for 
all of us when he rose from the dead.