Bring Them Home

Over the years as Hamas encouraged the sending of Molotov incendiary kites over the border destroying wheat fields and woodlands, the Kurtz family instigated an annual kite festival for peace. Kibbutz members would make and send colourful kites over to Gaza with messages of peace and hope. Sadly instead of the scheduled festival on October 7th, the Kurtz family of five were among those slaughtered. A week later the kites were sent, but this time the message was on behalf of the hostages and simply read, ‘Bring Them Home.’

We grieve for the people of Israel with their loved ones held hostage deep in the Hamas tunnel system, but we also grieve for Gazans as they suffer disproportionate retaliations with relentless bombing as the IDF targets Hamas terrorists. Palestinians who have lived under occupation for decades and under blockade since Hamas took over in 2007 are now under siege.

It grieves me that our western governments for years have turned a blind eye to the treatment of the Palestinians, silent as human rights are violated. Aggression by Israeli soldiers, police and more recently West Bank settlers has increased. Persecution of Christians and desecration of churches have also increased. Currently, over 1,200 Palestinians are being detained in Israeli prisons without charge or trial. I don’t believe it is antisemitic to question Israeli politics.

Feast of Tabernacles

October 7th, the day of the massacre, marked the end of the Feast of Tabernacles, a week when the Jews dwell or at least take certain meals in the small shelters they have put up. They remember God’s provision during their desert wanderings – the guiding pillar of fire and the water from the rock. They look forward to the coming Messiah and a great ingathering from all nations to the kingdom of God (Zechariah 14:16). As Christians we see a partial fulfilment in Jesus now who ‘tabernacles’ among us (John 1:14), declares himself to be the ‘Light of the World’ (John 7:37-38), and promises the Holy Spirit like ‘rivers of living water’ to whosoever thirsts and believes in him (John 8:12). We long for Christ’s return and the consummation of this great harvest feast.

Sons of Abraham

The apostle Paul, himself a Jew, ached for the salvation of his own people, but because of their hardness of heart was sent to the Gentiles. We are fruit of this calling and should feel an indebtedness to the Jewish people because the root of our faith comes from the promises to our forefather Abraham. Paul stresses this hardness is partial – there are Jews like the early disciples who love and follow Jesus, and it’s temporary until the fullness of the Gentiles are gathered in (Romans 11: 25).

Let’s pray for a softening of Jewish hearts, a lifting of the veil of blindness that they would ‘look upon the One they pierced’(Zechariah12:10), acknowledge Jesus as the suffering servant, and fulfil their irrevocable calling to be a light to the Gentiles.

Meanwhile Gentile Muslims are coming to faith in Christ often amid economic crisis and war in their homelands. Afghans responding to Christ through Christian social media posts often declare they are ‘sick of the violence and are looking for another way’. Iranians, Afghans, Kurds and Somalis are finding the way of Jesus.

Let’s pray that in their desperation Palestinians would have a revelation of Christ as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world and gives living water to the thirsty, the Son of God greater than any prophet.

Bring Them Home

Jews see their lineage coming through Isaac while Muslims look to Ishmael as their forefather. In Genesis 25:9 we read that Isaac and Ishmael buried their father Abraham together. This fleeting reconciliation is surely a picture of the deep and lasting peace only made possible through the death and resurrection of Jesus – the only way home to God.