以斯帖记中的犹大人，离开祖籍耶路撒冷，已经有很长的一段时间了。当时是主前483年；一百多年前（主前597年），他们曾祖父母那一代，和约雅斤王一起被掳到巴比伦。后来巴比伦在主前539年被波斯征服了，有些被掳的犹大人返回耶路撒冷重建圣殿，但仍然有不少留下来了，他们散居在波斯的一百二十七个省份；虽然身在波斯，但他们仍然是神的子民。
耶路撒冷这个城市，本是神住在衪子民中间的居所。可是，对很多住在波斯的犹大人来说，它早已失去其重要性。当初所罗门王在献殿祷告时，一方面形容耶路撒冷为神在人间的居所，另一方面也知道这城并不能规限了神，因为祂是从天上的宝座掌管宇宙的神（列王纪上 8:27）。
雅各书 1:1用很特别的方式来称呼当地的基督徒：“请散住十二个支派之人的安” 。神的子民不拘住在什么地方，圣灵都住在他们的心灵和生命中（以弗所书 2:19-22）。基督徒在等待神显明祂属天的权能，我们在等待天上耶路撒冷的新天新地，那是我们永远的家乡。
当我们仍在等候时，无论身在何处，都愿我们在世活出基督的生命。
主啊，祢藉着我们的主耶稣基督，叫我们得到天国子民的身份，我们感谢祢。奉耶稣的名祷告，阿们。
列王纪下 24:8-17 2 Kings 24:8-17
8 约雅斤登基的时候年十八岁，在耶路撒冷作王三个月。他母亲名叫尼护施她，是耶路撒冷人以利拿单的女儿。
9约雅斤行耶和华眼中看为恶的事，效法他父亲一切所行的。
10那时，巴比伦王尼布甲尼撒的军兵上到耶路撒冷，围困城。
11当他军兵围困城的时候，巴比伦王尼布甲尼撒就亲自来了。
12犹大王约雅斤和他母亲、臣仆、首领、太监一同出城，投降巴比伦王；巴比伦王便拿住他。那时是巴比伦王第八年。
13巴比伦王将耶和华殿和王宫里的宝物都拿去了，将以色列王所罗门所造耶和华殿里的金器都毁坏了，正如耶和华所说的；
14又将耶路撒冷的众民和众首领，并所有大能的勇士，共一万人，连一切木匠、铁匠都掳了去；除了国中极贫穷的人以外，没有剩下的；
15并将约雅斤和王母、后妃、太监，与国中的大官，都从耶路撒冷掳到巴比伦去了；
16又将一切勇士七千人和木匠、铁匠一千人，都是能上阵的勇士，全掳到巴比伦去了。
17巴比伦王立约雅斤的叔叔玛探雅代替他作王，给玛探雅改名叫西底家。
Far From Home
The Jewish people in the book of Esther had been far from their ancestral home in Jerusalem for a long time. The year was about 483 BC, and their great-grandparents had been exiled with King Jehoiachin over 100 years earlier (597 BC). Then, after Babylon was conquered by Persia in 539 BC, some Jewish exiles returned to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem, but many had remained and were now scattered over Persia’s 127 provinces. Still, they were God’s people.
Jerusalem, the city of God’s dwelling among his people, seems to have lost its central importance for many of the Jews in Persia. But this is not surprising. Even King Solomon, in his prayer of dedication for the temple, described it as God’s earthly dwelling but recognized that it couldn’t contain God, who rules throughout the universe from his throne in heaven (1 Kings 8:27).
Remarkably, James 1:1 addresses Christians this way: “To the twelve tribes scattered among the nations.” And today we know that the dwelling of the Holy Spirit is in the hearts and lives of God’s people (Ephesians 2:19-22), no matter where they live on this earth. Like the Jews in Esther’s time, Christians await the revealing of God’s heavenly power. We wait for the heavenly Jerusalem to descend on the new earth. Then we will finally be home.
In the meantime, we live out our Christian citizenship among the nations, wherever we are.
Thank you, Lord, for the heavenly citizenship we have through our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
诵读: 楚云
片头: 张妙阳
