Perilous Times

Many, if not most, Christians have a favorable view of Judaism, but the positive attitude toward the Jewish people has been a relatively recent development. After Theodosius I decreed Christianity to be the official state religion of the Roman Empire in the 4th century, the uneasy relationship between Jews and Christians began to unravel. For the next 1700 years Jewish survival would be a continual challenge. Jews were seen as Christ-killers by the church and were often marginalized, if not persecuted, by an increasingly powerful Christian government.

During the 20th century many Christians began to rethink their feelings toward Judaism. Some of these changes in attitude can be attributed to theology, as some branches of Christianity believed that a reconstituted Judaism was paramount to Christ’s Second Coming. Then, too, World War II created sympathy for the Jewish people when over six million of them were slaughtered by the Nazis, including a million children.

How can Christians not be sympathetic toward a people who have suffered so much throughout their history? For almost 2,000 years these people were without a country and lived as exiles in foreign lands, often at the mercy of hostile governments.

In 1948, by an United Nations’ resolution, the Jews established the State of Israel and in the years that followed many Jews returned to their ancestral homeland. President Harry Truman recognized the State of Israel on the same day the new nation came into being and shortly afterwards other nations did as well.  

Tensions between Arabs and Jews arose in new Israel almost immediately. In the past 75 years these tensions have often escalated into open conflict. Today, the State of Israel continues to be plagued by unrest and violence.

It is not hard to understand why. After the Jewish diaspora in 70 A.D., when the Jewish fight for independence was quashed by the Roman General Titus, the Arab population grew to become the majority race in Israel or Palestine, the Arab’s preferred name of the land they had inhabited for over 2,000 years. The land had become their home—their sacred space where they lived and died, married, raised their families, and worshipped their God. Suddenly, through a U.N. resolution, their homeland had been taken away.

Sometimes Christians speak of how the land of Israel was promised by God to the Hebrew children, and the Bible does support this claim, but not at the expense of making the Arabs second-class citizens. The fact of the matter is, these two peoples have always lived side by side. Jews have lived in this land alongside Arabs since the days of Joshua, usually amicably, that is, until 1948.

A number of years ago, my wife and I became acquainted with two brothers who practiced the faith of Islam. The younger brother attended a class I taught in Hebrew studies at a small college in Texas. The older brother had graduated with a Ph.D. in agriculture from Texas A&M. One night at dinner they shared with my wife and me a story that was all too typical for many Arabs. Their grandfather had owned a bakery in Jerusalem for generations. Above the bakery there was a small apartment where the family lived.  

One afternoon, in the fall of 1948, Israeli soldiers came to the bakery and told the grandfather that he and his family had to vacate the bakery and apartment within 48 hours. They received little compensation and became refugees. Later, they migrated to Jordan, where they continue to live today.

The story of their eviction has been repeated countless times since 1948, as Arab families were forced to leave their homeland. Naturally, their forced removal created resentment and hatred. Yes, the Arab people often fought back through any means available, sometimes savagely, but atrocities have been committed by both sides.

Martin Buber

Jewish scholars and statesmen, men like Martin Buber, worked tirelessly to reconcile differences between Arabs and Jews. Buber believed that only when Muslims and Jews shared power in government could there ever be peace. During the early days, these attempts at reconciliation may have been effective, but sadly, today’s entrenched feelings of hatred make any reconciliation remote.

Each side has grievances, as terrible wrongs have been committed in the name of God by both. It is an incredibly complex situation, and I do not pretend to understand the suffering that both peoples have experienced.

In recent days it appears that the Israeli government has ratcheted up the tensions, especially along the West Bank, by continuing to expand Jewish settlements in that area, breaking a long-standing Israeli promise that they would leave that part of Israel for the Arabs.

To further add fuel to the fire, the far-right wing government of Prime Minister Netanyahu, has engaged in judicial “reform” that the majority of Israelis are against. The so-called reform would reduce the Supreme Court’s authority in matters of law, potentially further alienating Arabs.

Prime Minister Netanyahu

The opponents of Netanyahu believe that Israel’s democracy is at risk. Netanyahu himself is on trial for corruption, and many are convinced he wants to change the judicial system so that he will not be held accountable for his alleged crimes. The country is deeply divided.

God brought into existence the people of Israel to be a priestly nation. They were to be a model of how people are to live in community in peace and harmony. The history of Israel tells us that time and again when Israel failed to follow the path prescribed by God, the country met with disaster.

If God has his hand on Israel, as I believe he does, the people’s special relationship with God also entails moral and ethical responsibilities—to be a people that do what is right and good (Deut. 6:18). Whenever Israel failed to live up to their calling, as the Old Testament bears out, God will, as he often has, withdraw his protective hand.

For Israel to think they can honor God while dishonoring their neighbor betrays their sacred faith. Moreover, for Israel to turn away from democracy and move toward an authoritarian form of government would erode the goodwill that much of the world has grown to feel for them. These are perilous times for Israel.