Chosen From Among the Unexpected
“For the sake of Jacob, my servant,
of Israel, my chosen one,
I have called you by your name,
giving you a title, though you knew me not.”Isaiah 45:4
God always seems to do what we never expect would happen. He chose Abraham, a man who was advanced in years and without child to be the father of many nations, the father who would have descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky. He chose Moses who had a speech impediment and who at times showed a great lack of confidence in God to be the leader to face the Pharaoh and to lead His People out of slavery in Egypt through the Red Sea. Later He allowed the People to have a king and chose Saul who would later consult other spirits and follow his own word instead of God’s. And the most unthinkable thing — He sent His only begotten Son into world to take on human flesh so that man might be saved from their sins. So far these examples have all been members of the “Chosen People,” but God has also chosen people from different backgrounds to carry out His will.
After the Israelites fell to the Babylonians and went into exile, the Prophet Isaiah prophesied and encouraged the people, assuring them that God will once again restore them and set them free, but they must believe and remain faithful. There was a surprise this time as the one God chose was not a Hebrew or a Israelite. It was not a prophet that He sent; rather, God chose a king, a foreign king — King Cyrus of Persia.
God called King Cyrus of Persia “His anointed,” which we know is reserved only for the kings and priests of Israel. Furthermore “anointed one” is also translated as “Christ” in Latin or “Messiah” in the Hebrew. So in a very real sense this Persian King is a “type” or foreshadowing of Jesus Christ. When King Cyrus captured Babylon, he did not make the Israelites his slaves, instead, he let them go home. They were once again able to go back to their own land to rebuild the Temple and worship God. God chose a “foreigner” to liberate His People, to carry out His will for the good of His People. We see this even more concretely when Jesus compared the strong faith of non-Jews with the weak faith of the Pharisees and Jews. Later, Jesus instructed His followers to “go and make disciples of all nations.” That is why we are here today.
Brothers and Sisters, God calls YOU today. We may not believe it and we may not want to accept it, but it is true. God has called us in our shortcomings and our weaknesses and our brokenness to carry out His will, to make His love and mercy known to all. Even when at times we choose to stray away from God and push Him aside, His call to us remains. Our chosenness in Christ is never revoked. We have been chosen for a purpose that only we can fulfill. Just as He called Abraham, Moses, Saul, and Cyrus, each with their flaws and weaknesses, so too does God call each one of us. Never underestimate the importance we play in the Kingdom. To us we and all what we do may just be a drop in the bucket, but to God, our little drop of water may be the one drop that is needed to make the seed germinate and sprout from the soil. You have been called and you are chosen!
