Fr. Eduardo Emilio Aguero, SCJ
Historical Setting
Ezekiel receives his prophetic mission in a very tense moment of Israel’s history. He is called while living among the exiles in Babylon, before the final destruction of Jerusalem and its temple. Many of his contemporaries still believed that such a catastrophe could never happen. Their confidence rested on the memory of a past miracle: when King Hezekiah faced the siege of Jerusalem by the Assyrian king Sennacherib, the prophet Isaiah assured him of God’s protection, and the city was miraculously spared (cf. 2 Kings 18–19; Is 36–37). Because of that event, some Israelites assumed that God would always defend His temple and city, no matter their sins. Ezekiel’s mission was to shatter this false security. Through symbolic actions and powerful oracles, he proclaimed that the sins of the people had reached such a level that judgment was inevitable. The temple would not protect them; instead, it would be destroyed, and the people scattered.
Ezekiel Eats the Scroll
“He then said, ‘Son of man, eat what you see; eat this scroll, then go and speak to the House of Israel.’ I opened my mouth; he gave me the scroll to eat and then said, ‘Son of man, feed on this scroll which I am giving you and eat your fill.’ So I ate it, and it tasted sweet as honey. He then said, ‘Son of man, go to the House of Israel and tell them what I have said.” (Ez 3:1-4) After eating the scroll of the prophetic word, Ezekiel himself becomes a living sign: his very body and gestures are transformed into a sacrament of what is to come. God commissions him to embody, through solemn and dramatic actions, the destiny awaiting Jerusalem and its people. These enacted signs unfold in a sequence of interrelated themes, rising step by step in a climactic progression. The Brick and the Siege (Ez 4:1–3): Ezekiel draws Jerusalem on a brick and surrounds it with siege instruments. With this gesture, he announces that the city will be besieged and humiliated, with no possible escape. Lying on His Side (Ez 4:4–8): He lies 390 days on his left side to represent centuries of Israel’s sin, and 40 days on his right side to symbolize the exile in Babylon. His body becomes a living timeline of sin and punishment. Impure Bread (Ez 4:9–17): He bakes bread in an unclean way, showing that the exiles will eat defiled food in foreign lands, losing purity and dignity. Shaving His Head (Ez 5:1–4): He cuts his hair, and divides it into three parts: one third represents the people who will be burned inside the city, another third will be cut down by the sword outside the walls, and the last third will be scattered to the wind, symbol of those who will go into exile. Only a few strands kept in his cloak represent the small remnant that will survive.
The Oracles of Condemnation
The symbolic actions of Ezekiel serve as a formal indictment, followed by oracles of condemnation. The Lord denounces Israel’s rebellion and announces the dispersion of the survivors. He points out the profanation of the sanctuary with idols and abominations, and confirms that the punishment will be hunger, plague, and sword. The divine words are severe: “The Lord Yahweh says this: ‘Because your disorders are worse than those of the nations around you, since you do not keep my laws or respect my observances, and since you do not respect even the observances of the surrounding nations, very well, the Lord Yahweh says this: I, too, am against you and shall execute my judgments on you for the nations to see.’” (Ez 5:7–8) Through these dramatic gestures and fiery words, Ezekiel strips away every false hope from his contemporaries. His mission is painful: to tear down and empty the heart of Israel so that, after the ruin of the city and the temple, only God’s promise will remain. The Lord shows that nationalistic pride is meaningless. Israel was chosen not because of superiority but as a small and insignificant people rescued from slavery and formed into a nation at Sinai, where God established a covenant. That covenant was meant to make them a sign of hope for all nations. From them the Messiah, the Savior of the world, would come. The universal mission of Israel is evident in all the prophets. As Jesus said: “Salvation comes from the Jews” (Jn 4:22). After gathering the dispersed sheep of Israel, He sent the twelve disciples—reminiscent of the twelve tribes—to the whole world to announce the Good News.
God’s Transforming Love
God loved Israel and chose them as His people, but His election also extended to the nations around them. His plan of salvation began with Abraham, so that through his lineage all peoples might be blessed. This is the path of salvation history: from the particular, through mediators whom God calls, sanctifies, and sends, He reaches all. The sin of humanity, and of His chosen people, is met with the mercy of the Creator. Yet mercy entails a return and restoration to goodness and truth, often through painful purification. In His compassion, God intends to save: “God our Savior… wants all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” (1 Timothy 2:3–4). Sin distorts truth; it is living in lies and hypocrisy. The ultimate sin is idolatry—ingratitude toward God’s saving deeds and misplaced trust in created things or human strength. This is a metaphysical lie, for God alone is the source of life: “For in Him we live and move and have our being.” (Acts 17:28). Here lies the meaning of divine wrath: it is not the denial of love, but its demand for truth. Forgiveness requires recognition of sin. Love can understand but cannot approve of evil. Faithful to truth, God does not declare good what is wrong. In His process of forgiveness and healing, He demands a return to truth so that humanity may not destroy itself. “True forgiveness is something completely different from weak permissiveness.” (Benedict XVI, Looking at Christ: Exercises in Faith, Hope, and Love). Forgiveness restores truth, renews being, and overcomes hypocrisy and lies hidden in sin. The father of lies, the Devil, is a murderer, because sin diverts us from truth and leads to death.
Thus, wrath and punishment are not contradictions of love but instruments of purification. They strip away falsehood so that mercy may be rebuild in truth. For this reason, Jesus presents Himself as the Way—the only mediator; the Truth—the light that restores us to our true being and the Life—the fullness of existence in communion with the saints and with God.
Praying with the Word of God
Ask for humility and courage: Pray for the grace to see yourself truthfully in God’s eyes—to affirm what is good and to recognize the areas that need purification.
Give thanks for your mission: Thank the Lord for having chosen you as a mediator of His transforming love for your family and for the people you encounter in daily life.
Seek strength to persevere: Ask for perseverance to walk the sometimes-painful path of returning to the truth, trusting that His forgiveness restores your true essence and renews your being.
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