The Bible Nerd

One of the most beautiful reports that I have heard about is that there is a church in Israel where both Jewish and Palestinian Christians come together to worship God in one place.  I am sure that there might be more, but my home church has supported and visited this church of rare brotherhood (I won’t mention its name or location for security reasons).  It lets me know what is possible in Christ and in this world, and gives me hope for the future.

There are two issues that I am asked about that didn’t fit into the previous posts.  Are all Gentile Christians called to support the Jews and Israel?  In missions and life, we usually talk about each Christian being called to a specific people group (often their own) or sub group in society (like businessmen).  But, in addition, are we all called to the Jews as Gentiles?  The most often quoted passage in support of this is Psalms 122:6 “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem!”.  When David writes this, Jerusalem has just become the capital of Israel, God’s theocracy.  The other passage is Romans 15:27, “For they were pleased to do it, and indeed they owe it to them. For if the Gentiles have come to share in their spiritual blessings, they ought also to be of service to them in material blessings.”  Here Paul was trying to raise funds from the Gentile church to help the Jews of Palestine and Jerusalem afflicted by a famine.  He saw the offering as a crown on his theology of the olive tree (Rom. 11), Gentiles grafted into one tree with the Jews.

There is a difference however between praying for the peace of Jerusalem, giving to help the poor, and giving money to a secular government or to a lobbying firm in Washington, D.C.  I am not making a value statement here, but I am saying that you should be careful before saying that what you are doing has a “Biblical mandate” behind it.

The other issue is will Israel be the place of the final battle and return of Jesus?  This question can only be answered by a larger look at eschatology that we will do later in this series on top Bible questions.  In a short answer, people who hold a view called premillenial dispensationalism believe that the end times predictions are speaking about literal Israel, and so 1948 and the formation of modern Israel was key to end times prophecies.  Another view called amillenialism believes that the end times predictions are speaking of spiritual or figurative Israel, and so Jesus’ return to Earth will be all at once and global in nature.  The posts on the millenium quetion will go more into detail.

I would like to finish this series of posts with three warnings. First, let’s not simply write off the Jews as being irrelevant to the future of the church.  Paul makes it clear in 11:12 of Romans what their salvation would mean for the world, and it sounds pretty good to me (especially since I am one :).  There is a reason that Paul would go first to the synagogue and then switch to the Gentiles when he entered a new city.  He knew the foundation of theology and the Old Testament that the Jews already had, propelling them forward much faster in their Christianity once they accepted Jesus.

Second, let’s not ignore what is ACTUALLY happening in the modern nation of Israel, giving any of the parties involved a “free pass” to commit crimes and atrocities.  No matter what view you end up with, we can not excuse the violation, torture, or killing of any people group.  God is love (1 John 1), and we as Christians should be known for our love.  I have seen too many Christians turn a blind eye to sins committed by a people group due to their eschatology or views on Israel.

Third, we must not forget that a key focus of the New Testament when it comes to the church is the unity of the people.  Ephesians 4:1ff grind this into the heads of the believers with the repetition of “one”, “one”, “one”.  Not only is this a call to see the reconciliation of Jews and Palestinians, but also among Christians who have differing views on Israel.  What is happening in Israel is difficult and sad, but what is happening with division in the church is inexcusable.  We are one body, one new man, and one church of Jesus Christ.  He is the God of Jews, but also of the Gentiles.  And He is one, right?