A: 29th Sun or OrdTime (18 Oct 2020) - INSTRUMENT OF GOD'S SALVATION (Isa 45:1, 4-6)

“Thus says the Lord to his anointed, Cyrus, whose right hand I grasp, subduing nations before him, and making kings run in his service, opening doors before him and leaving the gates unbarred” (Isa 45:1).

We are probably a bit perplexed by this passage from Isaiah, particularly as to why the title Messiah (or anointed one) is given to Cyrus, who himself is Persian and did not convert to the Jewish faith. How come Isaiah applauded his messianic role when, in fact, he is a political figure who extended the Persian power over the whole world through his military campaigns? In other words, how can a non-Jew conqueror be an instrument of God’s salvation?

Cyrus II, or better known as Cyrus the Great, is renowned in history as the one who brought the Golden Age to the Persians, evident in the vast lands he conquered and annexed. As he totally vanquished the preceding Median, Lydian, and Babylonian rulers, he was able to take full control of practically the whole ancient world ruling for some thirty years (559-530 BCE). These were relatively peaceful years of political stability and peace in Babylon and in the entirety of the Persian empire. One of his introduced policies during his reign is religious tolerance, i.e., allowing his conquered subjects to practice freely their religious beliefs.

The people that benefitted most from this decree were the Jews who at that time were exiled in Babylon since after Nebuchadnezzar II had destroyed Jerusalem in 587/586 BCE. With a so-called Edict of Restoration (cf. Ezr 1:2-4; 6:3-5; 2 Chr 36:23), Cyrus permitted the exiled Jews to return to their homeland and even supported them in the rebuilding of their temple and the celebration of their cultic festivities. While the veracity of this edict is debated by scholars, the important thing to note is that it was during his reign when the Jews were able to return to Judea and to start anew their lives as practicing religious Jews.

As a result of this, Cyrus, though non-Jew by ethnicity, was well-revered by the Jews themselves and by the Hebrew Bible for acting in behalf of God’s redemptive plans even without his knowing about it. The text of Isa 45:13 concretely explicates his value to the Jews: “I will raise up Cyrus in my righteousness: I will make all his ways straight. He will rebuild my city and set my exiles free, but not for a price or reward, says God Almighty.”

Apart from his ordinance on religious toleration, what is truly noteworthy in his reign is enshrined in the Cyrus cylinder (c. 539-538 BCE), which is dubbed by most Iranians today to be the oldest document that categorically made a declaration of human rights. Lines 38-45 of this clay vessel indicate that Cyrus allowed all the peoples of his empire to live peacefully and to make offerings to their gods. Peace and (religious) freedom … these are the two values that characterize Cyrus’ imperial reign which can be translated to connote working for the welfare of the people and promoting godly values in political governance.

Accordingly, leaders of our world today especially in our situation of dire crisis should be conscientious of replicating these two admirable dispositions of Cyrus in the administration of his territories. First is to enact measures that will benefit most the people, inclusive of the exiles, oppressed, and the poor. Second is to propagate always societal norms and principles that respect God-related teachings and values. By realizing at least these two deeds, any leader can truly become an instrument of God’s salvation, even if s/he is coming from a different ethnic provenance, religious affiliation, or socio-political class. Anybody can be God’s anointed one.

- Rex Fortes, CM