A House of Prayer for All Peoples

Throughout the Old Testament, we find that the Law of Moses was meant to lead God's people toward two fundamental truths: they should love God, and they should love their neighbor. Isaiah tells the people to observe what is right and do what is just as they await the salvation of the Lord.

Yet Isaiah does not exclude foreigners from this promise. Quite the opposite. He promises that those who join themselves to the Lord, who love His name and serve Him, will be brought into covenant with Him. They will be brought to His holy mountain and worship together in His Temple, for God's house will become "a house of prayer for all peoples."

Paul picks up this same theme in Romans. He describes Israel as an olive tree. Some of the natural branches have been broken off because of unbelief, while wild branches, the Gentiles, have been grafted in through faith.

But Paul is not celebrating Israel's rejection. Far from it. The Gentiles who once disobeyed God have now received mercy, and Paul hopes that this mercy will move his own people to return as well. God's purpose is not exclusion for its own sake. His purpose is mercy. Jew and Gentile alike depend upon the grace of God.

And then Jesus shows us what that looks like.

A Canaanite woman comes to Him begging for help. At first, Jesus reminds her that His mission is first to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. He tells her that it is not right to take the children's food and throw it to the dogs.

Now, in our culture, dogs are beloved furry companions. In the ancient world, the image was far less flattering. Yet the woman is not offended and she does not walk away.

Instead, she takes Jesus' own image and turns it into an extraordinary confession of faith: even the dogs eat the scraps that fall from their master's table.

She is saying, in effect, I know I have no claim upon You. I am not demanding what I deserve. But I believe that even the smallest portion of Your mercy is enough.

She joins herself to the Lord, just as Isaiah described. She trusts in His goodness. And Jesus does not withhold His grace from her. He praises her great faith, grants her request, and her daughter is healed.

There is something here that each of us should take seriously.

None of us is justified simply because of who we are, who our parents were, where we came from, or what group we belong to. It is not a matter of being rich, powerful, important, or worthy enough.

Everything begins with God choosing us and offering us grace. Our part is to receive that grace in faith and respond to it in love.

And in that way, Isaiah's promise is ultimately fulfilled: people who once seemed far away are brought near, until all God's children are gathered together to worship Him in a house of prayer for all peoples.