“…while I was in the citadel of Susa, Hanani, one of my brothers, came from Judah with some other men, and I questioned them about the Jewish remnant that survived the exile, and also about Jerusalem.”
Nehemiah 1:2
We join back up with our new leader, Nehemiah, in verse 2 today. We know he’s in Susa, the capitol of the Persian Empire. Now we get to peek in on some of his visitors: Hanani and other men from Judah.
Nehemiah introduces Hanani as his brother – ach. The word can mean an actual blood brother. It is also “used in the widest sense of…metaphorical affinity…kindred.” Basically, this could easily be a friend and fellow Judah-ite (Jew).
I’m curious about Nehemiah’s inquiry. Surely he had heard of the first wave of exiles and the completed temple. And it would be hard to imagine he didn’t know about the current wave of exiles who had returned and the marriage reform Ezra led. Perhaps he is like us and there are 12 years of silence we don’t know about. He wants to know about the remnant – shaar – and the matter hovering over Jerusalem.
So he asks his brother.
I’ve been thinking about the Church lately. In our harsh and divided national climate, yes, but also on the world scene. Believers – those of affinity to one another because of His blood – all over the planet showing up to wage a peaceful war against hate and injustice and oppression. May we be of a kindred heart right now. Not because we are all blood related or politically similar, but because we are allies crowded in a stable this winter, longing to know the Christ child better.
Surely a God born closer to hay and manure than comfort and opulence can handle our mess. And He can unite those starkly unlike us until we start to resemble each other. Because we are starting to resemble Him. The One who promised the whole world will know we belong to this God-Man when we love each other.
Each of us exiles in a world that’s not our Home.