Back to Jerusalem.
Friday, May 9, 2008 at 6:15AM Yesterday we travelled back from the Galilee to Jerusalem. I was impressed, once again, by the distance that Jesus would have covered on foot as he moved towards his death. Not only is it far, but it is also a very steep climb up from the coast!
I do believe that Israel (both as a region and as a cultural and religious grouping) have a special place in Biblical history. I am, however, not convinced that the Zionist agenda (to 'restore Israel' as a sovereign state) is in line with Christian theology. I am open to correction and being convinced. However, I think that issues of justice and God's universal evangelical agenda supercede a nationalist Jewsish state.
One of the problems is that many texts related to Israel and Jerusalem (e.g., Psalm 122 and Ezekiel 36) are read by contemporary Christians without any acknowledgement of the fact that these texts have their own social, contextual and historical setting. It is a mistake, by my mind, simply to think that one can give 'eternal prophetic' status to texts such as these and ignore other texts in scripture that speak of justice, mercy, peace, and God's love for all nations. I think Ezekeil 36:22, together with Acts 1:1-11 show that with the ascension and Pentecost God's missiological agenda shifted from the geography and bloodline of Israel to the Kingdom of God throughout the world, among all people. The 'sons of Abraham' according to both Pauline teaching (see Romans and Galatians) are now counted as such not because of their bloodline, but because of their faith!
So, don't get me wrong, I do pray for the peace of Jerusalem - but I also pray for the peace of Darfour and Zimbabwe etc. This is a special place, but God loves other places and people with the same passion and grace.
Let me know if I'm missing something.
Shalom from Jerusalem! Today we shall pray at the City of David. You may notice thay I am not uploading as many pictures. There are two reasons for this. First, I have not found too many things that I felt were of interest in the last day or so. Second, internet access has been somewhat problematic and unreliable.
Reader Comments (1)
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