It was an incredible day when, on Thursday, 9th October, it was announced that peace negotiations had been agreed between Israel and Gaza (Hamas). A 20-point peace plan proposed by President Donald Trump has started to come into effect, including the return of all hostages, both alive and dead, the withdrawal of Israeli troops to an agreed position, and the cessation of armed conflict.
‘Blessed are the peacemakers’.
These famous words started to trend on social media last Thursday. The trending media has continued into the new week as the final 20 surviving Israeli hostages were released back home yesterday.
Scenes across Israel’s streets and cities are being shown around the world, and the joy filling the Knesset from across political divides is palpable to see.
They must also be ongoing grief and trauma for many people. One can imagine this day has brought also tremendous relief, rejoicing, and hopefulness.
Even celebratory speeches by Benjamin Netanyahu and Donald Trump contained notes of caution and qualification. The past 80 years have spoken: peace in the Middle East is hard fought and regularly disrupted by violence. Indeed, the pattern of peace and war is an ancient theme in the Promised Land.
‘Blessed are the peacemakers’.
As news broke of Hamas and Israel agreeing to peace, pockets of people in cities around the world stuck their fists in the air defiantly to protest the peace plan. It is telling when Hamas comes to the table and signs, and yet voices in Melbourne and London protest against peace. The rage and antisemitism now stifles the city streets of Melbourne to our shame. Over the weekend, a sitting Federal Senator stood in the middle of our CBD and threatened to burn down Parliament House in support of Palestine.
‘Massacre of the Innocents’ by Ruben
Drowning out that rhetoric were cries and prayers of gladness and thankfulness in many homes, synagogues, churches, and Parliamentary buildings.
I don’t wish to predict or guess what I think may or may not transpire in weeks and years to come in that ancient land. Such things are beyond my pay grade, and yours. The thought that I wish to convey here is observational and catechismal.
As people speak and share these words, ‘blessed are the peacemakers’, I wonder how many realise where these words originate? I wonder if we are conscious of the man who first uttered this beautiful and weighty phrase?
It is Jesus.
In what remains one of the most astonishing addresses ever given, the ‘Sermon of the Mount’, Jesus opened with the 8 Beatitudes, of which peacemakers is the 6th.
All eight beatitudes belong together and work together like an eight-note tonic scale. Each sounds a different pitch and yet every note relates to and belongs with the others.
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you’
In trying to capture the near miraculous breakthrough in Israel and Gaza, people have turned to the words of Jesus, ‘Blessed are the peacemakers’.
Here is a thought experiment: If this wondrous phrase has captivated people’s hearts and imaginations, imagine knowing the man who first spoke these words? What was it in Jesus’ mind and heart that caused him to say, ‘Blessed are the peacemakers’?
What must this Jesus be like who can compose such heart-rendering and hope-bringing words?
As we read about Jesus’ life, he did more than preach fine words; he modelled them throughout his life, and went far further.
One of the names given to Jesus is the ‘Prince of peace’. The name mirrors his life mission to bring peace, to re-establish relations between God and sinful human beings. Perhaps what is most astonishing is the means by which Jesus established peace, through sacrificing his own life.
Peace is rarely free of charge. Peace is costly. Then grasp the biblical revelation that God himself was prepared to pay the cost for human iniquity and transgression.
The same Jesus, on another occasion, while preaching a sermon in Jerusalem, warned the world,
“You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places.”
The problem of evil in this world goes far deeper than social circumstances and economic opportunity; there is something that is most disturbing in the human soul. This Jesus, God the Son, went as deep as can be to reconcile and bring about peace through his atoning sacrifice.
As tenuous as the situation remains in Israel and Gaza, there is much to be thankful for today. And pray for peace for the people of Gaza and peace for the people of Israel.
My suggestion today, or challenge as it may be construed, is, if you like the phrase, blessed are the peacemakers, and you long for that to be a reality, even in your own heart, take a look at the one who’s next created the phrase. Take a look at the peace plan he has instituted.
Hamas has paraded four coffins through the streets of Gaza as though they were trophies. Men brandishing their rifles, flagging Hamas regalia while masking their faces, cheered and accompanied four black coffins carrying four Israelis who had been taken hostage on October 7 and murdered subsequently. The 4 coffins included an elderly man, Oded Lifshitz, 83, the two little Bibas children, and their mother, Shiri.
The remains of these 4 human beings were then presented on a stage wrapped in anti-Israel messages and weapons to threaten.
Once the bodies were handed over to the Red Cross and eventually returned to Israel, propaganda was found stuffed inside the coffins. If such insult and injury were not more than the grieving could cope with, it turns out Shiri Bibas was not among the dead. Hamas had placed the body of another woman inside the coffin.
We ought to feel sickened inside at the pictures being shown around the world; I am. I will not show the footage here. Instead, here are Israelis lining the streets as the coffins are driven by.
To humiliate the body of the deceased is to move into a new level of hatred. It is to join the ranks of cultures who abused flesh and bone to humiliate and cripple them in the life to come. This is the action of a deranged and evil group. Sadly, we can already imagine the excuses and justifications being uttered in Hamas’ defence, such are the times we are now living in.
Criminals are afforded a proper burial. Even in war, the dead are respected by the enemy. Mustafa Kamal famously said of the Anzacs buried at Gallipoli,
You, the mothers who sent their sons from faraway countries, wipe away your tears; your sons are now lying in our bosom and are in peace. After having lost their lives on this land they have become our sons as well.
The human body matters, both in life and in death. Our physical being is part of who we are. God has made us with body, mind, heart, and spirit. Harming the body is an affront to human dignity and life. Mistreating the remains of the dead signals a level of disdain both for the dead and for those who are left behind that is inhuman.
A human body is treated with such respect because the life of the human being is of incalculable worth. To return the wrong body and to return bodies with ignominious glee and to stuff coffins with propaganda is unspeakably shocking.
God values the human body so much that his only Son took on human flesh. He became incarnate, a man. When Jesus was crucified he was buried. When God raised the same Jesus to life, he was resurrected, that is with a real physical living heart beating body.
There is so much evil in our world. It has been this way since the fall. The hubris of the optimist believed that with advancing science and technology, and with prosperity winning globally, the world will enter a new age of progress and even ‘the end of history’. This is not utopia. Recent years have taught us that humankind is bent on repeating history.
It is an evil world. Ours is a beautiful world with much to love and enjoy, and yet from the human heart spawns tremendous wickedness. It is astonishing that God should show such patience and grace.
Here is what my Bible reading was this morning, and frankly it is not what we deserve and it cuts against even how my own society often thinks of the human body, and yet it is profoundly good and light and life. In death and life, while enjoying the warmth of the sun or sitting in the darkest place, here is God’s promise,
“Listen, I am telling you a mystery: We will not all fall asleep, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we will be changed. For this corruptible body must be clothed with incorruptibility, and this mortal body must be clothed with immortality. When this corruptible body is clothed with incorruptibility, and this mortal body is clothed with immortality, then the saying that is written will take place:
Death has been swallowed up in victory.
Where, death, is your victory? Where, death, is your sting?
The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!” (1 Corinthians 15:51-57)
We live in an odd society here in Australia. Part of us thinks that growing up means ridding ourselves of God and all those Bible verses that we find so constraining. And yet we haven’t found an alternative to provide the necessary robust foundations for moral living and a sharper and more stunning hope for ultimate peace and righteousness.
Yesterday afternoon (October 30), six former Prime Ministers of Australia released a statement. John Howard, Kevin Rudd, Julia Gillard, Tony Abbot, Malcolm Turnbull, and Scott Morrison. These former national leaders represent different sides of the political spectrum. Through the years, they have expressed strong and opposing words to undermine each other and their respective Government positions. However, today, they are standing with one voice.
I do not recall another occasion where this significant number of former national leaders of Australia signed a letter with such force, unity and concern. This is a rare and historic moment and ought to cause Australians to consider the very real and dangerous and ugly antisemitism that is spilling onto streets and social media around the world, including here in Australia. 75 years ago the world declared, ‘Never again’, and yet from university campuses to political representatives and crowds, we are hearing cries for Jewish people to be destroyed.
In the midst of an Australia that is becoming more divided and fractured, these former Prime Ministers have laid aside differences and produced a timely and vital declaration that I urge Australians to read and take with the seriousness they are conveying. They express deep concern at the antisemitism on display around the world and at home. They offer clear and unapologetic condemnation of Hamas and their evil, both upon Israel and their own people in Gaza. They also call on Israel to abide by international conventions as they exercise their right to destroy the terror network.
Returning to my opening reflection, as our former Prime Ministers seek to lead by example, they turn to the Bible for example and help. They quote Psalm 34, which forms part of the Scriptures for both Jewish people and Christians.
“Seek peace and pursue it”
I find it odd and somewhat shallow when inner suburbanites yell at Christians and tell them to keep their Bible out of public issues. They make an exemption when Christian words seem to support their progressive (or conservative) agendas, but as soon as dissonance returns, the demands for silence come back with pugnacious certainty. Of course, sometimes Christians say unhelpful things and misuse the very Scriptures that shape us. There are times when the Christian perspective is neither left or right, progressive or conservative; indeed, this is most often the case. There are times when Christian wisdom displays a properly diagonalised view, which avoids false binaries and compromises. This is why a Christian perspective is sometimes misunderstood and or unwanted. There are also occasions when not speaking is the right thing to do. I do not, however, see how we can remain silent as the noise of antisemitism grows in Melbourne, Sydney and elsewhere (the same is true when our Muslim neighbours are targeted and abused).
It is worth noting that in October 2023, as the world witnesses horrific evil and growing unrest, six former Prime Ministers lean upon the Bible for guidance and moral impulse. I am encouraged and would encourage others to also lean in.
As we do, the Scriptures push us even deeper, not letting us settle for a consolation built on myth or vapor-like hopefulness. Words are just words if they are not conveying concrete truthfulness and goodness. Like a Shakespearean Sonnet with sonorous beauty or a Hallmark Card, they form a heart without a pulse. As the Apostle Paul dares to insist, if Christ has not been raised, we are to be pitied by all men, and our faith is an exposé of ignorance.
The phrase borrowed by our former Prime Ministers, Psalm 34, has more to say that is worthy of consideration and which provides reason and guts to the search for peace. For example, the full sentence of verse 24 says this,
“Turn from evil and do good;
seek peace and pursue it.”
Immediately following this statement, the Psalmist provides a framework for substantiating peace,
“The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are attentive to their cry;
but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil, to blot out their name from the earth.
The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles.
The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”
There is evil in the world. There is also sin in each one of us. Modern Australia often tries to wipe away moral absolutes and considers categories like sin and evil as the language of oppressive Christians. Yet, time and time again we fall back into biblical language and concepts to articulate what we see and feel and know intuitively. Lean more attentively.
“Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near” (Isaiah 55:6)
The world said, ‘Never again’. Following the Holocaust, where 6 million Jews were slaughtered, guilt, conviction and repentance led much of the world to exclaim, ‘Never again’. Most people believed the words, and yet today, in the year 2023, that promise is losing confidence and support.
Two weeks have passed since the terror attack on Israel killed 1400 people and left thousands injured, and more than 200 as hostages. It is not the condemnation of Hamas that surprises, but the support for Hamas that is rallying voices in cities worldwide, including Australian cities.
A friend of mine, as she tries to make sense of what is happening, made this remark,
“Over the last week or so it’s dawned on me how much I’ve domesticated Satan in my own thinking. Yes he is the subtle tempter. But he is also the blatant protagonist of violence, clamour, hatred, cruelty & death. And he’s currently having an absolute field day. God have mercy.”
Indeed, Lord have mercy.
What we are witnessing around the globe, from Melbourne to New York, Sydney to London, are scenes that harken back to the darkest moments in 1930s Germany. Of course, the geopolitical situation is not analogous, and yet a deep and vile hatred toward the Jews is manifesting. These are not quiet murmurs but public and vocal, and at times the anti-semistim is lauded by crowds and even by political and so called ‘erudite’ groups.
We can try and explain away some anti-semitism by suggesting it’s just the fringe. When the forecourts of the Sydney Opera House witnessed a mob shouting, ‘Gas the Jews’, and when young Jewish men were threatened on the streets of Melbourne with ‘I’ll kill you’, our minds calculated that these are the words of the tiny few.
The world has seen footage of children in American schools chanting, ‘“From the River to the Sea, Palestine Will Be Free”, a saying that means eradicating Jewish people from the land of Israel.
Bari Weiss’ office was defaced over the weekend with ‘F#ck the Jews’.
There is story after story.
Lest we think that the awful language is limited to a few thugs, there are politicians and academic institutions supporting Hamas against Israel. Many Universities and Colleges in the United States have produced statements in support of the Gaza ‘uprising’ and condemning Israel.
Harvard University, for instance, is considered one of the world’s leading institutions of education. Yesterday, the halls of Harvard were filled with students supporting Palestine against Israel. This followed a letter that was signed by 30 student groups at Harvard blaming Israel for the atrocities on October 7. They didn’t even wait for the dead to be counted before asserting,
We “hold the Israeli regime entirely responsible for all unfolding violence”.
So, Hamas terrorists are not responsible for raping, kidnapping, and murdering innocent civilians but somehow they are justified or simply victims being swept up in a moral fight against their oppressors? Apparently, a few of these student groups have since rescinded their support of their letter, saying that they hadn’t read the letter carefully.
Sydney’s Town Hall plays to all manner of social causes and lights up to display solidarity, and yet the Mayor of Sydney has blocked the attempt to show the blue and white of Israel. These are not examples of antisemitism, but this is not a time to play the argument of moral equivalence and to sidestep what took place in Israel. But to make clear, ‘never again’.
It isn’t helpful to exaggerate how wide or deep the anti-Jewish sentiment runs through our cities, for large portions of our populations see how vile such dehumanising is. It is becoming clear, however, that antisemitism exists and it is perhaps more commonplace than we realised, and it is event present in our elitist institutions with noise and clanging. We didn’t believe it. Perhaps we still refused to accept it. But for all our sophistry and hubristic self-belief, we are not immune from profound ugliness and distaste.
Contrary to the wistless historical positivism about history’s arc turning toward justice, the 20th century blew that idea out of the water.* The early decades of the 21st century have further reinforced that the saying is vapour. History is more like a Wagnerian cycle; prolonged agony with an audience gasping for resolution amidst near-eternal dissonance. Yes, we see progress and good in many spheres and yet none removes that basic instinct to sin.
My friend is right to attribute the evil of recent weeks to Satan. Satan is a cunning foe, and he is also a powerful ally in the ambition of hatred and death. It is not as though people are helpless victims in his hands, but rather he exploits our pre-existing heart condition. Lurking in all our hearts is far more sin than we are prepared to admit. It was Jesus who made the diagnosis,
“For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come—sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and defile a person.”
That is what we are seeing spillover around the world. Deep-seated views and convictions are sensing opportunity to come out and be expressed. Anti-semitism is but one example of many blots on the human heart, but it is a fearful one.
I still cannot fathom how a Melbourne Anglican Minister went on Twitter (X) in support of Hamas’ violent and bloody attack on Israelis. It is beyond belief.
Never again.
It is difficult to overstate the seriousness of the unfolding situation in Israel and Gaza. It is impossible to fathom the anxiety and fear overwhelming people in Israel and Gaza. National leaders and diplomats are pressing to control the situation and to find ways to release the pressure valve while at the same time acknowledging Israel’s right to destroy Hamas. For 3,000 years, Jerusalem has magnetised world history, and it remains so today. What happens in Israel doesn’t remain in Israel. We live in a global community, and when a stone is thrown in one part of the world, the ripples spread wide.
Surely we are gripped with sadness, grief and diminishing trust in man’s ability to overcome.
Never again.
Among the stories that gripped attention for more than a week is the speed to doubt and disbelieve. As reports were given to journalists and to the public of atrocities in Israeli homes, towns, and fields, many said, no. This isn’t true. We don’t believe you. Show us the bodies. Yesterday Israeli Defence Force representatives invited journalists into a room and played video footage of the dead. Films taken by Hamas show their members torturing, killing, burning and yes even beheading Israelis. The media are now reporting what ears refused to believe but eyes have now seen and witnessed now through flood of tears.
Andrew Neil retells,
“Journalists in tears as IDF shows them body cam footage of massacres by Hamas terrorists on Oct 7 with civilians and soldiers being shot, stabbed, tortured and burned merely because they were Jewish.
Their corpses were bound, gagged and riddled with bullet holes and knife wounds.
In one clip, a Hamas terrorist throws a grenade at a father and his son. The blast kills the father, while the young boy is covered in his blood. The child is dragged inside and forced to sit next to his brother, whose eye is a bloody mess after being subjected to horrific torture. One of the boys sobs: ‘Why am I alive?’
Other footage shows IDF soldiers beheaded with their headless corpses left splayed in the streets, while a contingent of female soldiers were injured by a grenade then shot at point blank range.
A Hamas gunman brags on the the phone to his parents about ‘killing 10 Jews’. He is using phone of a Jewish woman who has just been murdered and boasts that he ‘is a hero’ after killing Israelis with his ‘own hands’.”
Never again?
Unlike the waves of self-appointed Middle Eastern experts offering their opinions, I am not an expert. It does not, however, require a PhD in political science to understand that Hamas’ attack on Israel was evil and that Israel has the right to defend herself and her people and to agree that Hamas must never again have the ability to repeat these atrocities.
We can also and ought to affirm the protection of civilians across borders and people groups, regardless of their religion and ethnicity. How damnable are Hamas for preventing their own people from fleeing south. That Israel’s Defence Force gives prior warning and urge people to move away from targets, is demonstrably more than what a nation at war would normally do.
We pray and call for the protection of innocent Palestinians and Israelis. Speak up and stand against anti-semitism. We pray for justice. We pray for peace. Surely, we can give up our godless pretensions and take God at his word,
The Lord is angry with all nations;
his wrath is on all their armies.
He will totally destroy them,
he will give them over to slaughter.
Their slain will be thrown out,
their dead bodies will stink;
the mountains will be soaked with their blood.
All the stars in the sky will be dissolved
and the heavens rolled up like a scroll;
all the starry host will fall
like withered leaves from the vine,
like shriveled figs from the fig tree. (Isaiah 34)
Never again.
As it happens, I don’t believe that the modern state of Israel is the fulfilment of Biblical promise. I think that view misses the point about how the person of Jesus Christ fulfils all of God’s ancient promises. And yet one cannot ignore the Apostles’ teaching in the New Testament about how God loves Israel (the people); therefore we must also. This is a part of the Bible that Christians have sometimes ignored or abused. Sadly, the history of Christianity in Europe is marked by chapters of persecuting Jews. There are also positive moments, whether Oliver Cromwell welcoming Jews to return to England or the posture of preachers like Charles Spurgeon who insisted, ‘a Christian must be the last person who ought ever to speak disrespectfully or unkindly to the Jews’.
Never again.
Political and military courses have a place and imperative. However, the ultimate answer to justice and mercy, peace and reconciliation is the Christ whom we in the West are trying to remove from the story. Indeed, the world has tried that approach before. The world once famously rejected the Messiah. They arrested him under false pretences. They accused him of all manner of wrongdoing. The soldiers then had him tortured and forced him to carry the implement of his own execution. They crucified him, hands and feet until dead. And yet as Peter explained to the crowd in Jerusalem at Pentecost, it is through that very cross God was winning redemption for us. To confirm this ultimate victory, God raised Jesus from the dead.
Many of us remain sceptical today and others quietly go about thinking, maybe. In Gaza today and scattered around Israel too, are small groups of Christians, believing the world’s only hope is this Jesus.
In my previous and initial reflections on what happened on October 7th, I quoted an Old Testament Bible passage, and I do so again, because of how fitting it is. These words were written by a Jewish man who rested his hope on the promise of God. As he spoke of looming disaster and chaos and suffering, because of sin, Isaiah also gave words of comfort and hope. How the world today needs this kind of concrete hope.
“Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress. In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future he will honor Galilee of the nations, by the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan—
2
The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned.
3
You have enlarged the nation and increased their joy; they rejoice before you as people rejoice at the harvest, as warriors rejoice when dividing the plunder.
4
For as in the day of Midian’s defeat, you have shattered the yoke that burdens them, the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor.
5
Every warrior’s boot used in battle and every garment rolled in blood will be destined for burning, will be fuel for the fire.
6
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7
Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.
A friend pointed out the origins of the ‘arc of history’ quote, which is from Martin Luther King and posits a faith in God who will make all things news. This differs from how the phrase is commonly used today, unfortunately
“Esther again pleaded with the king, falling at his feet and weeping. She begged him to put an end to the evil plan of Haman the Agagite, which he had devised against the Jews.” (Esther 8:3)
Shock. Horrified. Anger. Weeping.
The world is reeling at the sights and stories flooding our screens and phones from Israel.
The attacks on Israel over the weekend by Hamas is the most serious threat to the security of that nation in 50 years. It is no coincidence that the attacks were orchestrated while Israelis enjoyed a public day to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles. As families gathered and IDF members relaxed at home, thousands of rockets were fired into Israel and 100s of armed militants crashed through border fences and began killing and kidnapping.
It was 50 years to the day since the Yom Kippur War when Egypt and Syria launched a surprise invasion of Israel. As though like a blood-filled reminder and yet ironically oblivious to the outcome of that war, Hamas struck with terrifying assault on civilians and soldiers alike.
More than 1000 people are known to be dead and 1000s injured, and the situation is far from over.
“For three sins of Gaza,
even for four, I will not relent.
Because she took captive whole communities
and sold them to Edom,
I will send fire on the walls of Gaza
that will consume her fortresses. (Amos 1:6-7)
What is happening in Israel right now is of Biblical proportions. The last 2-3 days have witnessed the greatest number of Jewish deaths since the Holocaust. That is a terrible statistic to hear.
Across the globe and around Australia, there is widespread support for Israel. The Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is among international leaders affirming Israel’s right to defend herself and condemn the insidious violence and brutality being carried out by Hamas. As the Scriptures remind us, the State has the power and responsibility to wield the sword. It is a heavy burden and duty and requires great wisdom, patience and righteousness, and yet a State has that right to protect herself against armed aggression.
While cities across the world light the night sky in the blue and white of Israel, as will my own city of Melbourne tonight, there are however some groups lifting their voices in support of Hamas. News outlets are now saying that Iran was involved behind the attack. A notable Imam in Sydney was on the streets last night, proclaiming to a crowd that this was a day of victory and celebration.
Hours earlier, The Victorian Socialists tweeted support for the terrorists,
‘Solidarity to the Palestinian resistance’.
Such a posture is disgusting and shameful.
I even saw a message from a Melbourne Anglican Minister supporting Palestine against Israel, as though the violence is somehow justified. It beggars belief.
In Sydney tonight, police have warned Jewish people to stay away from public spaces such as the famed Opera House because they are concerned for their safety. It is no wonder that Jewish people are fearful and many people are tonight wondering what on earth is going on?
I suspect (I pray), that those voices are like a scattering of drunken individuals at the MCG on non-game day. Their opinions are loud and carry across the G with force, but they are relatively few in number.
What is more common, although still a minority from what I have gauged, are journalists and political leaders trying to dance around the issues and employ whataboutism. As though, yes Hamas is bad, and so is Israel, and there goes the merry round. When tragedy or evil strikes, whataboutism is about as kind to victims as Job’s friends.
We don’t have to agree with all Israeli policy and affirm every past action of the Israeli Government. That’s not the point Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar! There is no justification for hating on Jews and for murdering and raping and kidnapping women and children. There is no moral equivalence here.
As much as the world moves on its axis and highlights different conflicts, movements, and moments, we rarely shift far from Jerusalem. That ancient city continues to perplex, amaze, and tilt global events, even today as the world watches on.
It’s not that we (Christians) equate the modern State of Israel with Israel of the Bible. Such equivalences fail to take into account Biblical theology and how Christ is the telos of God’s ancient promises. As the Apostle Paul describes,
“remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
14 For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, 15 by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, 16 and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility” (Ephesians 2:12-16)
As Christians, we understand the foundational role Jewish people have played in God’s unfolding plan of redemption. Abraham, Moses, and David are vital characters of both history and key to the shaping of what will become Christianity. Of course, the earliest disciples were all Jewish and Jesus was a Jew.
Gentile believers like myself appreciate our place in God’s gracious redemptive purposes. It is to be grafted by grace, as new branches into a very ancient tree, ‘You do not support the root, but the root supports you.’
How Christians can respond
How might Christians respond to the events in Israel of the past 48 hours? Here are 3 suggestions: pray, mourn, and press close to Christ.
There is something every Christian can do today. We can pray. We should pray. There is, after all, Biblical warrant for praying.
“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:
“May those who love you be secure.
May there be peace within your walls
and security within your citadels.”
For the sake of my family and friends,
I will say, “Peace be within you.”
For the sake of the house of the Lord our God,
I will seek your prosperity. (Psalm 122:7-9)
We pray for peace. We pray for justice. And we pray for mercy.
We both pray as members who have been grafted into that tree and we pray for Israel as we would another nation who have been terrifyingly attacked by men who doing evil.
Our prayers begin with Israel but they do not end with Israel, but extend to the Palestinian people as well. Hamas may control Gaza, but they do not represent all Palestinians. Indeed, thousands of Palestinians are Christian and no doubt many Muslim Palestinians are vehemently opposed to Hamas.
Second, the Scriptures teach us to ‘mourn with those who mourn.’
This is why the ‘wisdom’ of Job’s friends is so unkind. For a few days, maybe avoid whataboutism and instead sit with someone or at least show empathy to someone who is in profound grief and trauma. This includes thousands of grieving Israeli families and countless Palestinian families who are caught up by Hamas’s vile political and religious games.
When expressing anger at Hamas and showing support for Israel, let us be careful and not conflate all of Gaza with Hamas. I think of a Palestinian family whom I know. They have family living in the Gaza Strip and over the years members have died and others faced terrible conditions. In 2017 he shared on my blog what life is like for many people in Gaza including Palestinian Christians of which there are many.
“In Australia and much of the west it is very easy to take essential provisions for granted. Food, water, warmth, basic amenities, and the freedom to worship as a Church or body of Christian believers. Such rights as voting, police protection, medical and health cover, or a simple roof over your head do not exist to many in Palestine. Freedom to move around from suburb to suburb within the nation do not exist. There is no right to external travel, and no right of return. …Uncertainty and persecution is everywhere. Many fall in despair and suggest God is only a God of the Jews, and hater of the Palestinians. They consider God hated Ishmael – whereas instead God saved him in the wilderness, and blessed him bringing into his line 12 princes. The pain distorts their view on God’s true love and equitable justice. God is not the racist they often time feel He is portrayed as.”
Jerusalem was built on an ancient promise. Through millennia of blood and life, grief and joy, the very stones waited. The world is crying for ultimate justice and for ultimate hope. I am reminded of the One who warned us of wars and rumours of war, for he is the one who was crucified. He wept over Jerusalem and then entered the city as a King and then he gave his life as a ransom for many.
Today is a day where action and justice is required, to punish evildoers and to save life. It is also a day for mourning. A time will come and we pray soon, ‘Come, Lord Jesus’. Pray that God will awaken the conscience and spirit, to see that the tomb outside Jerusalem is today empty and that Jerusalem’s hope, the world’s only hope, is Yeshua.
Since writing yesterday afternoon, there have been so many additional reports and comments online that I fear that the anti-Semitic voice is larger than I suggested. And I say that with a heavy heart and one that makes me long even more for the Prince of Peace.
MurrayCampbell.net 