While driving Friday night, I happened to catch a few moments of Michael Medved's show, where he was discussing Pope John Paul II. In passing, he happened to mention that Irael's reappearance was, he believed, a disproof of the Christian understanding of biblical prophecy.

I was, of course, rather surprised to hear this, as I'd always heard it quite the other way around.

Although I can only paraphrase, Michael's point was that the Jews in Israel didn't generally believe in Jesus, yet they had been gathered together in that place, therefore disproving the idea that the reason they were wandering the nations was rejection of Jesus.

As far as the reason for the Jews' wandering among the nations, I'm not going to comment other than to say that I have often wondered what the official answer is to the last two thousand years of history in light of passages such as Deuteronomy 28 & 30 and Leviticus 18 & 26. I have often wondered, if I were an Orthodox Jew, what I would make of history when I read those verses. (If anyone knows the answer, you're welcomed to post it here.)

But as far as this idea that the bible says Jews will only be gathered back to the land after they repent of whatever it was that caused a diaspora, I would say that scripture seems to disagree with Mr. Medved.

Consider Jeremiah 3. The whole chapter likens God to a man returning to an unfaithful wife, who is married to another. Over and over God says "Return faithless Israel" -- not "Return Israel who has repented and already become faithful". He is telling his people, his "faithless people" at that time, to return to the land (v18). He says, "I will cure your backsliding", not "You have already cured yourself." He says "acknowledge your guilt" -- meaning it has not been acknowledged yet. He says, "I will choose you" -- as though a choosing of the chosen was still to occur.

And indeed, note that the term itself is "the chosen", not "the worthy."

There is an important theological point here. Many people believe that God's salvation is something to be earned, and believe they -- or at least someone else -- can be "good" enough to earn it. But if you read the bible, including the Tanakh/the "Old Testament", the picture which emerges over and over is not that God's people are "good" and have "earned" God's love, but rather God's favor is shown toward people in spite of a considerable lack of merit; of God seeking us rather than us seeking Him.

Look at Abraham. As one Jewish scholar (whose name I have long since forgotten) pointed out, the interesting thing about God choosing Abraham was, unlike every other tribal myth, that God never explains why Abraham is chosen. Why not, for example, Melchizedek, the priest of God to whom even Abraham tithed? Abraham is never pronounced to be the smartest, holiest, most powerful, most handsome, wisest, etc. God chose him, among all people, for His own mysterious reasons.

As Isaiah put it, "I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me; I was found by those who did not seek me. To a nation that did not call on my name, I said, 'Here am I, here am I.' " (Isaiah 65:1)

As Hosea prophecied, "I will show my love to the one I called 'Not my loved one.' I will say to those called 'Not my people,' 'You are my people'; and they will say, 'You are my God.'" (Hosea 2:23)

And, as Ezekiel wrote (my emphasis added): "This is what the Sovereign LORD says: It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am going to do these things, but for the sake of my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations where you have gone." (Ez 36:22) God is shown here gathering back to Israel those who profaned his name among the nations -- not those who have glorified it. He does it not for their benefit, much less because of their repentence or current goodness, but to use them as an example of his power and to defend his name.

Michael is a smart guy, but he is quite wrong about scripture on this point.

The picture is never one of God saying people were first "good enough", and then starting to deal with them. God always takes the initiative; God always acts with love first, and then expects us to respond to that. As Paul put it, "God's kindness leads [us] toward repentance." (Romans 2:4); and as John summarizes, "We love because he first loved us." (1 John 4:19)