All nations shall stream toward it

All nations shall stream toward it. 

Nearly eight hundred years before Christ, the prophet Isaiah promised that whole nations would come to Israel to learn about the Lord. “From Zion,”  he promised,  “shall go forth instruction,” and that instruction would draw people back to God (Isaiah 2:3).   Now here we are, two-and-a-half millennia later, and Isaiah’s prophecy continues to come true, but in a new way—one that shows how the Old Testament is fulfilled in Jesus.   It’s his good news that now “goes forth” and draws people from every background into his presence.

The gospel goes out, and the people stream in.   It’s a theme that runs throughout Scripture. In Genesis, we hear God telling Abraham that the nations would “find blessing” in him (18:18).   Then, in Exodus, we see foreigners following the Israelites out of Egypt to worship God (12:38).   Later Ruth—a woman from Moab—leaves her homeland and her gods behind to follow Naomi into Israel (Ruth 1:16).   And the stories go on and on.

Then, in Scripture’s Gospel (Isaiah 2:2), we see Jesus healing the servant of a Roman centurion—a pagan with no direct ties to the covenant with Moses.   But Jesus declares that “many will come from the east and the west” to dine in God’s kingdom (Matthew 8:11).   Finally, we look on as people “from every nation, race, people, and tongue” gather around the throne of God in the glory of heaven (Revelation 7:9).

Today, the gospel goes out through missionaries laboring in foreign lands or sharing the love of Christ in homeless shelters just down the road from us. And people are streaming in as a result.

You have a part to play as well.   You don’t have to be a prophet like Isaiah or a missionary for the good news of Christ to ring out from your life.   You can offer everyday acts of love and kindness to the people around you.   You can visit a neighbor who is sick and offer to pray for them—or even with them!   You can include that lonely coworker in your plans for the holidays.   You can help teach a catechism class or set up at your parish’s “Welcome Sunday” social.

In all these ways, the gospel can “go forth” from you, and people will come closer to God (Isaiah 2:3).

Word Among Us