Today’s Scripture Reading (December
23, 2019): Joel 2
According
to Epiphanius, the Bishop of Salamis ministering in the fourth century C.E., in
68 C.E., a group of Christians received a vision from God. The group of
Christians were known as “the Nazarenes.” Essentially, at the time, the term
simply indicated that they were followers of Christ, without reference to any
racial origin. The Nazarenes would become, by the fourth century, a group of
legalistic Christians who were primarily Jewish and who observed the letter of
the Jewish law. But when the vision occurred in 68 C.E., they were just a group
of Christians.
The
vision that the Nazarenes received was one of Jesus calling them out of
Jerusalem. The fall of the city was imminent, and Jesus wanted his people out
of harm’s way. After all, during his ministry, Jesus already had seen this day
of disaster coming. According to Luke, this was the prophecy of Jesus:
“If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you
peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes. The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an
embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side. They will dash you to the ground, you and the children
within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did
not recognize the time of God’s coming to you” (Luke 19:42-44).
The
city of Jerusalem would be rebuilt, but first, it had to fall. The Nazarenes
heard the call of Jesus and left the city, heading for Pella in Jordan.
And all
of this is seen by some as a fulfillment of the words of Joel. Jesus called on
the Nazarenes in Jerusalem, and they were saved. The Nazarenes left their Jerusalem
homes and followed their Savior to Pella. They survived the tragedy only
because they heard the voice of the one who called them, and they were numbered
among the survivors “whom the Lord calls.”
Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Joel
3
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