Ezekiel, known as a Prophet of the Exiles,was one of the Israelites deported to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar. There, as a priest, he served as the voice of God, warning the Israelites of God's anger at their public and private misdeeds. God appeared to him in visions. These he relayed to the exiled Israelites, warning them again and again of God's judgement of their moral and religious failure, and of their impending punishment for having worn out God's patience.

The important feature of this message is that it not only applied to the Exiles of his time, but is also the voice of God speaking to us today through him. Just as the glory of the Lord left the temple in Jerusalem to be with his exiled people in Babylon, and just as those who did not countenance sinfulness were to be spared punishment, so also Christians today know that God is watching over us wherever we may be, and we too live in hope of God having mercy on us.

In today's Gospel, Jesus shows us how God can be found in a Christian community where there is a bond of unity. Such a communal bond exists where attitudes and values reflect the power within the community to effect reconciliation between members of the community (v.17) and also between the community and God.