THE FIDDLER ON THE ROOF
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| http://www.mountmadonnaschool.org/userfiles/Fiddler.jpg |
Have you ever tried to play a fiddle on a roof? I cannot say I have myself, but I suspect it is no easy task, keeping one's balance in such a precarious situation.
As a Christian living in a Jewish State, in a mixed Jewish and Arab city (Jerusalem), torn daily with hatred, suspicion and fear, not to mention violence, it is no easy task to keep my balance. I have experienced at least 4 wars and three Intifada's, and have learned what it is to have enemies who want to kill me. It is very personal. Every day as I set out to work or the shops, or just take a walk down the street, I do not know if it will be my last day on this Earth. The man walking behind me may pull a knife and stab me, the tractor pulling up behind me at the traffic lights may keep on going and crush my car, the worker at my school may be a suicide bomber, with explosives strapped under his jacket. It is hard not to fall prey to fear, which in turn gives rise to feelings of anger, hatred, revenge and violence. And in such a climate, it is so easy to be influenced by the opinions and events around me, to allow the tiny seeds of hatred, prejudice and, yes, even violent thoughts creep into my thinking. I often have to check my balance. It is something I have to consciously do from time to time. I thank God, I have an anchor, a plumb line with which to correct my thinking and heart, the love of God for all mankind, Jew, Arab and Gentile alike. Yeshua (Jesus) taught us to love our enemies and pray for their salvation.
You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.Matthew 5:43-45.
What a contrast this is to the spirit of revenge and hatred that rules this region.
A large part of the battle in the Middle East today is the battle of the mind. Truth is being distorted, history rewritten, and values overturned. One of the main battlefields lies in the minds of our children. A generation of children are being brainwashed, filled with fear, hatred and violence.
Last week Ynet News, the online version of one of the main newspapers in Israel, interviewed a group of young children, aged between 8-13, who were taking part in the riots in East Jerusalem, choosing to burn tires, throw rocks and Molotov cocktails at Israeli police, risking injury or death, rather than attend school. Why?
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| Palestinian children who have skipped school to join the rioting in East Jerusalem. (Photo: Mohammed Shinawi) http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4594812,00.html |
“We are willing to die as martyrs, we have nothing else to lose,” says one.
Another says,
“All of us are willing to sacrifice our lives and die as martyrs. We have nothing to lose. It is true we are kids but we have courage and strength to do many things like heroes. Israel attacks children and we will not let this happen quietly. Al-Aqsa is ours and we will not give up on it." A third says, “Our blood is not cheap. This is the time to resist, it is more important than being at school or at work. If we do not respond they will eat us. Everyone always calls on students to join the struggle” .
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4594812,00.html
Who are these people who call the children to sacrifice their lives to save the Al Aqsa Mosque from 'the Israelis who are attacking it'? Who is it who is feeding them the lie that Israel is 'attacking' the Al Aqsa Mosque? Who is it who dresses even the tots in the garb of a shahib (suicide bomber or martyr) and teaches them that this is their highest calling in life? Where are their parents? Why do they permit them to do this? Surely this is child abuse of the highest order!
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Thankfully there are those, and not a few, who are working to build bridges, to counter the prejudice and brainwashing on both sides, and working for peace and understanding. One such is the "Hand in Hand" organization that runs five mixed Jewish and Arab schools around the country. Last night one of those schools was set ablaze and anti-Arab graffiti sprayed on its walls. A first grade classroom was gutted before the fire brigade brought it under control. More than 600 students, equally divided between Jews and Arabs, attend this pre-school to high school bi-lingual institution. I am glad to say that the school opened today and classes were held in spite of all.
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| Firefighters inspect a burned classroom at the Max Rayne Hand in Hand Jerusalem School, Nov. 29, 2014. Photo by Tali Meir http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/.premium-1.629147 |
There are other similar mixed institutions around the city and wider Israel too, including the International School in which I work. Please pray for the staff and students of these schools which could now also become a target, by extremists from both sides of the conflict.
It is not only the Muslims and the Jews who are prone to losing their balance, Christian and Messianic believers in Yeshua may also fall.
This week we saw the Pope praying with the Muslim Grand Mufti of Istanbul towards Mecca. Though not the first Pope to do so, it is nevertheless rather shocking. How can a man who claims to be the leader of the Christian Church worldwide pray to a pagan idol (a black meteorite) that was adopted by Islam, housed in the Kaaba in Mecca? What is he thinking? This is not the answer.
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| Pope Francis and Istanbul's Grand Mufti Rahmi Yaran pray together in the Blue Mosque. Photograph: AP http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/nov/29/pope-francis-turkey-pray-blue-mosque-islam-cooperation |
There is an answer and the only answer lies in the person of Yeshua (Jesus). He came to bring peace to the world and only in Him is there hope for forgiveness, reconciliation and love between men, Jew, Arab and Gentile. Only He can bring healing to this broken world. As Christians and Messianic believers we must not water down the gospel for it is the only hope of mankind. We must pray for our enemies as we pray for our friends. Love is the only antidote for fear and hatred.
Here in Israel I have often been saddened by the attitudes of some of my brothers and sisters in the Lord who suffer a kind of blindness with regards to God's love for Israel, either believing that God has rejected her in favor of the church, or loving her so enthusiastically that they forget that she has rejected her Messiah and needs salvation. Though God created Israel to be the vessel through whom he would bring the prophets, the Holy Scriptures, and ultimately the Messiah himself, it wasn't for Israel's benefit alone, nor even principally, but rather so that he could bring restoration to the whole world. One of my Jewish friends put it eloquently in an email she sent me this week. She said we need to come
"... back to a focus on the only place where there will ever be any peace or rest -- I should say the only one, Yeshua -- and the only focus where we will we see with spiritual eyes to see how God is actually seen to be working out the fullness of his plan from before the foundation of the earth.
If I can speak honestly, I have found that focus sadly missing from much of what I see being shared by many who love and support Israel. While I certainly am overjoyed that the church is awakening to the whole truth about God's intentions towards Israel and the Jewish people, and that he hasn't abandoned her, nor will he, and his supernatural deliverance in preserving the physical descendants of Abraham over and over and over again; I now find myself wondering if we haven't gone too far over to the opposite extreme or into a kind of tunnel vision where it concerns Israel (as we human beings seem prone to do about so many things). It seems like in the midst of this kind of renewal, we're losing sight that neither is God only concerned about the Jewish people -- and really never was. His plan from the beginning was always so much greater than that -- to bring all things under the lordship of Yeshua -- to reach out to the whole lost world."
And though we know the ultimate outcome that God has for Israel's good, the reality right now is the Jews are still in a state of rejection and rebellion against our own messiah, and there are consequences to that, and it remains yet to be seen how God will have to bring things about to turn our hard hearts back to him. There's even a teaching around by some well-known teachers that there's no need to bring the gospel to the Jews, because God's going to bring about their salvation some other way.
We need to keep that focus, because the only real hope for peace and reconciliation amongst men is in Yeshua. Only He can heal the hurts, the fear and the anger. Only He can give us love in our hearts for one another. Only He can bring about peace on earth.
I was thrilled to learn this week that our (Messianic Jewish) congregation is opening its doors to an Arab congregation which will be using our building for its meetings. We hope that we can fellowship together from time to time and demonstrate to our broken peoples that forgiveness and love is possible in Yeshua. It is sad that there are some believers in our city, and indeed even in our congregation itself, who oppose our position in this matter.
Which brings me back to the "Fiddler on the Roof". Whether we are Jewish or Arab or neither, if we are truly Christian or Messianic believers we have to keep our balance. We have to love all people, no matter who they are, even or especially our enemies. We have to pray for the salvation of all mankind and the ultimate redemption of the world. Only when this is finally completed, will there be peace and love amongst men.
May the LORD God of Israel help us all keep our balance on the roof!!!
