Maccabee Serving the Chosen People

Synopsis     1Maccabees 4:48-5:5     1/11/2021 

Under the leadership of Judas Maccabeus, the priests restored the temple for use. Because he had successfully defeated the armies of Antiochus and Lysias, they temporarily withdrew their forces from the region.  

So, Judas used the time to secure Jerusalem and the Temple from additional foreign invasions. When the work was done, Judas and the priests rededicated the temple in a celebration that lasted eight days.  

However, when the nations around Jerusalem realized that the Jews had repaired the temple, they were furious. And because they could not raise a force necessary to successfully attack Israel, they began mistreating the local Jewish populations who lived as minorities in their own communities.  

But, Judas heard about these abuses. And so, he began to take action against the nations.  

Maccabees Serving God’s Chosen 

Judas Maccabeus believed that God called him to serve all of God’s chosen people, not only those in Judea. So, when he heard that nearby kingdoms had persecuted and abused their Jewish populations, he intervened.  

Serving God’s Chosen 

God has called us to serve and bless other people. But Jesus makes clear that my call to service should serve all people, especially the poor.  

“Then he said to the host who invited him, “When you hold a lunch or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or your wealthy neighbors, in case they may invite you back and you have repayment.” Luke 14:12