MANY WILL COME FROM THE EAST AND THE WEST
God promised Abraham: “All the families of the earth will find blessing in you” (Gen 12:3). The east and west represented all directions of the world. The people from the four corners of the world (Lk 13:29) represent the Gentiles, who would also recline at the table in the Kingdom of God. This was a reminder of Isaiah 45:6: “All may know, from the rising of the sun to its setting, that there is none besides me.” So, people from all the nations, including those who live far away, are welcome to the Kingdom of God that Jesus established.
The Kingdom of God is open for people all over the world who accept the gospel of Jesus. That was why Jesus said to his apostles, “Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved; whoever does not believe will be condemned (Mk 16:15-16). Hence, the Kingdom of God is not restricted to Israelites, but open for all who will follow Jesus.
Those who were dispersed all over the world to seventy nations at the tower of Babel because of sin would be gathered in Jesus’s name in the new kingdom. This was in contrast to the teachings of the Jewish leaders and teachers of the time. They misunderstood the plan of God, and they did not expect the salvation of the gentiles. For Jesus, gentiles are equally eligible to enter the Kingdom of God, provided they accept his gospel. The Israelites lost their city and Temple forty years after the resurrection of Jesus and got scattered all over the world.
REFLECTION
Though Jesus saved us from the original sin through our reception of Baptism, we must live according to our vocation as Christians. At the end of our life and at the second coming of Christ, we will be answerable to Jesus for our actions. Let us do good to receive the reward Jesus offered for his faithful disciples. It is also our responsibility to help the propagation of Christianity to the “East and West” of the world.