God's Watchers
In the ancient world watchmen were extremely
important people. They kept communities safe, and
were there to alert them to any impending danger or
attack. Before locks, alarms, and security systems,
watchmen were the protectors, the safety measure. So
when the Lord charges Ezekiel as a watchman today, it
is a weighty charge. So weighty, we learn, that if Ezekiel
fails to sound the alarm for those around him and they
perish in a state of wickedness, Ezekiel will be held
responsible! This profound connection between God’s
will on earth and in heaven is repeated in today’s Gospel,
where Jesus instructs us that we are to be the security
force, the watchers placed on alert that nowhere in the
Body of Christ, the church, will there be any two
members of the one Body who are not reconciled.
Scripture tells us that Jesus reconciled all things in
heaven and on earth through the blood of his cross. But
we are given the mission to continue that reconciliation
on earth as in heaven through our ceaseless efforts to be,
as Paul would write, ambassadors of reconciliation. Let
us not get too comfortable thinking that we are
responsible only for keeping our own lives from the path
of wickedness and disagreement. We are also held
accountable for the lives of the members of Christ’s body
around us.
© Copyright, J. S. Paluch Co.
