Another connection between Ezra 10 and the work of Jesus Christ comes from considering the conclusion of the book. The list of names might not be very exciting to us, but it is in many ways a fitting end to this story. Ezra was sent to Jerusalem to teach God’s law (Ezra 7:1–28). The Holy Spirit used his ministry to bring about true repentance (Ezra 9:1 – 10:44). And in the list of names, we have a record of all those who turned from their sin. The second mission was accomplished.

However, the final statement of the book also makes it clear that the return from exile was only a partial fulfillment of God’s promises. The glorious restoration of Israel foreseen in the prophets had not fully arrived. The second exodus did not bring with it the coming of the new covenant. Instead of nations streaming to Israel in order to worship the Lord (Isaiah 2:2–4), foreign women are being sent away because of their unwillingness to repent and believe.

The day on which the messianic King comes to restore the exiles and raise a banner for the nations was a day that still lay in the future. The day on which God’s Spirit would be poured out upon the Gentiles was still to come.

As Christians we can look back on the ministry of Jesus Christ and praise God for the new covenant in his blood. We can also thank God for his work in history to bring his people to repentance and for doing so also in our lives. Yet even as we rejoice at the repentance and faith shown by God’s people in Ezra, at the same time this ending also brings us to long for the final restoration of all things. We long for the day when Christ will return in glory to gather all God’s people into the new Jerusalem. We long for the day when Jerusalem will be a city without any sin, the day where our struggle to change and fight our sinful desires will be over. The day when we will serve God with glorified bodies that cannot sin or decay.