According to the prophet Isaiah the Messiah’s task is to gather all Jews: 

“He will raise a banner for the nations and gather the exiles of Israel; he will assemble the scattered people of Judah from the four quarters of the earth.”

Isaiah 11:12

This promise is echoed in other biblical passages, such as Jeremiah 29:14 and Ezekiel 20:41-42, where God pledges to bring the Jewish people back from their dispersion among the nations.

During Jesus’ lifetime, the Jewish people were already widely dispersed, and no mass return to the land occurred. In fact, following the destruction of the Second Temple around 70 after Christ, Jewish dispersion intensified. Traditional Jewish interpretation does not see Jesus as fulfilling this prophecy. Given this, how can Christians continue to believe that Jesus is the Messiah?

What is the banner for the nations and did Jesus raise it?

Isaiah says the Messiah will “raise a banner for the nations.” I think it is important to highlight here that he says it in plural – “nations”, thus in my view also indicating that the Messiah will draw all humans to him, not just Jews. As God created all humans, not just Jews.

In Christian interpretation, Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection are seen as this banner—an event that draws all peoples to himself. Jesus’ own words directly echo this:

“And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself” 

John 12:32

According to the Bible, Jesus was lifted up two times in his life, when on the cross and when ascending to heaven 40 days after his resurrection. Given the events around Jesus led to the rapid growth of the Christian religion making it arguably the first to achieve truly global spread (across multiple continents) in the ancient world. Within 300 years, Christian communities existed from Britain to India, despite heavy persecution. In the year 312 after Christ Emperor Constantine’s conversion and Rome’s adoption of Christianity (380 after Christ), the religion further accelerated its reach. Thus indeed all kinds of people were drawn to Jesus globally right from the beginning which continues to be the case until this very day. Therefore, in my view, it is undeniable that Jesus raised a banner for the nations—indeed, he certainly did.

By the way, – linked to this topic – the cross, the symbol of Christianity, is used in various forms in the “banners” / national flags of over 25 nations e.g. Australia, Fiji, Georgia, the UK, Greece, Switzerland, Sweden, Iceland, Dominican Republic – just to name a few.

Gather the exiles of Israel – Spiritual and physical

On a spiritual level, some argue that the regathering of Israel is being fulfilled through Jesus by uniting Jews (Jesus himself, his disciples and first followers were Jews) and Gentiles (all the rest of the world they reached out to) into one people of God—the Church—scattered across the world but gathered in Christ. Through faith in Jesus, people from every nation are joined together, fulfilling the promise of a global gathering.

On a physical level, Jesus definitely did not ingather the Jews, he foretold quite the opposite:

“The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side. They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God’s coming to you.”

Luke 19:43-44

Jesus thus prophesied that the temple will be destroyed as a punishment for the Jews for not recognizing the Messiah. This prophecy came true around 40 year later when the Romans did destroy it.

Jesus further directly addresses this topic also telling that the “house is left desolate” until a future time when Jews will recognize Jesus as Messiah and he will return to earth. As this did not happen yet, the physical gathering of the exiles is still to come as Jesus promised – and he always kept his promises:

“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing. Look, your house is left to you desolate. For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’”

Matthew 23:37-39

In Revelation we then read about the new Jerusalem and that God will directly live with humans there:

“And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

Revelation 21:3-4

In summary, Jesus raised a banner for the nations by drawing people from all over the world to himself. Spiritually, this is seen as the ingathering of the exiles, uniting Jews and Gentiles in the Church. Physically, the complete ingathering of Israel remains a future hope, promised in the vision of the new Jerusalem in the Bible’s book Revelation.

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PS: In this profound passage from Maria Valtorta’s visions, Jesus reveals the boundless compassion of God, affirming that the Divine Presence is a source of grace for all humanity—without exception:

“But remember the prophets. They prophesy the vocation of the Gentiles and the hardness of the Judaeans. Why

Light that their souls were seeking? Do you think that they are bigger sinners than you, because they have not known God as yet, because they have followed their religion and they will follow it until they are attracted by ours? You must not. I say that many a time they are better than you because, while they have a religion that is not holy, they know how to be just. There is no lack of just people in any country and religion. God observes the deeds of men, not their words. And if He sees that a Gentile, out of the justice of his heart, according to nature does what the Law of Sinai prescribes, why should He consider him contemptible? Is it not more meritorious that a man, who does not know God’s command not to do this or that because it is evil, should take upon himself not to do what his reason tells him is not good and should follow it faithfully, than the very relative merit of him who, knowing God, the scope of man and the Law that enables him to attain it, comes to continuous compromises and designs, in order to adapt the perfect order to a corrupt will? What do you think? That God appreciates the ways out of obedience devised by Israel in order not to sacrifice her concupiscence too much? What do you think? That when a Gentile departs from this world, and is just in the eyes of God as he has followed the right law that his conscience imposed on itself, God will consider him a demon? I tell you: God will judge the actions of men, and the Christ, the Judge of all peoples, will reward those to whom the desire of their souls was a voice of an intimate law to attain the final scope of man, which is to be reunited to his Creator, to the God unknown to the heathens, but to the God Who they feel is True and Holy, beyond the painted scenery of any false Olympus.

Even more, pay attention not to be the cause of scandal to the Gentiles. Too often the name of God has already been derided among the Gentiles because of the deeds of the children of the people of God. Do not consider yourselves the absolute treasurers of My gifts and of My merits. I died for the Judaeans and for the Gentiles. My Kingdom will belong to all peoples. Do not take advantage of the patience with which God has treated you so far, by saying: “We are allowed everything.” No. I tell you. There is no longer this or that people. There is My People. And in it the vases used up in the service of the Temple and those that are now being laid on the tables of God have the same value. And more than that, many vases used up in the service of the Temple, but not of God, will be thrown into a corner, and in their stead on the altar will be placed those that do not yet know incense, oil, wine or balm, but are anxious to be filled with them and to be used for the glory of the Lord.”

Maria Valtorta, The Poem of the ManGod, chapter 631, The Last Teachings before Ascension-Day.