RBC reached out to two Christian leaders to give thoughtful responses to the current conflict in the Middle East.
Israel, Hamas, and Me
I sat staring dumbfounded at my computer screen, scarcely believing what I was seeing. Men and women fleeing for their lives. Peaceful communities shattered by violence and bloodshed. Young men armed to the teeth cutting down unarmed civilians in cold blood. Battered and bloodied hostages being carried away amid cheers. The edited videos did very little to hide the sheer brutality of what had been done.
Weeks later, I sit staring at my computer screen as bombs fall, tanks roar, and machine guns rattle. I see craters where homes and hospitals once stood. Streets filling with rubble. Men frantically sifting through the debris. Women and men wailing for their children. Shell-shocked children.
The brutal conflict between Israel and Hamas has come at us, not through the logical reporting of a trained correspondent, but through real-time video that almost forces us into the action, like a violent movie or computer game.
My reaction to the initial attack by Hamas was anger and horror. How can human beings butcher other human beings? These were clear-cut crimes against humanity. I felt justified in my outrage.
Growing up, I was told to “pray for the peace of Jerusalem.” As a teenager, I read Exodus, by Leon Uris, and celebrated with the Jews as they returned to Palestine and reclaimed their homeland. It is their homeland, isn’t it? And the Palestinians—they’ve lived there for generations. It’s really too bad, but they just need to deal with it because, after all, that land belongs to the Jews, doesn’t it? The Bible says so.
Thirty-five years on, things don’t seem so clear-cut. I’m a pastor, but don’t feel very qualified to speak about prophecy, covenants, and things of that nature. I believe God gave this land to His people centuries ago, but what does that mean today? Can Israel exercise whatever means necessary to preserve its existence as a people and as a nation? I am distressed by the suffering, violence, and death on both sides. Is this justified, even in the name of self-defense and preservation? How do I respond?
Answers seem hard to come by. Political and military solutions aren’t really my thing.
But I am a citizen of the kingdom of God, and really want to be worthy of this Kingdom. My King said, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.”
One thing we can do is mourn. We can choose to look into the faces of the people of Gaza and Israel caught in the crossfire and mourn with them as they weep over their dead and their loss of homes and safety. As best as we know how, we can strive to join them in their grief.
And, like my King, who wept over the city of Jerusalem, we can weep for the people of Israel and Gaza who are weary of bloodshed, who long for peace, yet who have rejected the Prince of Peace for centuries. We can weep for them because of the heartache that sin and separation from the Father bring.
Our King also said, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.” The conflict in Israel is spilling over into cities and college campuses around the world and could make its way into our tight-knit Rosedale Network communities.
We have the opportunity to be peacemakers, not by reconciling Hamas and Israel, but by being a people of peace. We can refuse to engage in arguments about who was there first, which side has the moral high ground, or a myriad of other topics. When rhetoric gets heated, we can engage with a focus on Jesus, the gospel, and true and lasting peace found only in Him.
We can continue to pray for the peace of Jerusalem, accepting that a resolution to the conflict may not happen very soon, or even in our lifetime. But we can pray that all nations will receive their King, the Prince of Peace. Together, we can look toward the day when the city of God, the New Jerusalem will come down, and the dwelling place of God will be with men; He will be our God, and we will be His people.
Even so, Lord Jesus, come quickly.
Conrad Hertzler serves as lead pastor at Fairview Mennonite Church in Kalona, Iowa. Conrad has lived in Ontario, Canada, as well as Mozambique, Africa. While in Mozambique, he, his wife, Heidi, and their three children served with Mission Aviation Fellowship.
Hearing from a Middle Eastern Christian
I grew up as a Muslim in Iran but fled my home country to become a refugee in Turkey at 21 years of age. While in Turkey, I met Christians who were assisting refugees. I was captivated by their love, compassion, and acceptance. I was overwhelmed by the message of hope and healing in Jesus. They extended kindness to me, in spite of my background and my views of them and Jesus.
Growing up in Iran, I’d been fed hatred towards the West, Jews, and anyone who thought differently. We consumed a daily diet of vengeance, intolerance, and fear of the future, not only of outsiders, but also of God. You can imagine that when I met Jesus, my worldview was turned upside down!
Now living in the West, I observe a lot of confusion around the subject of Islam. Here, Muslims enjoy the benefits of living in a free, secular society and want to be given uncritical respect and freedom of religion.
It appears to me that many Westerners are accepting Muslims in their midst without understanding that Islam is a religion that can and should be analyzed and critiqued as any other religion.
Muslims in the West want special treatment as an oppressed minority, but I’m keenly aware that Islam looks very different when it is in the majority. At its core, Islam has many violent teachings like Jihad (holy war), where the killing of non-Muslims, and even other Muslims, is a religious duty. In this current conflict, I am astonished by the lack of response from other Muslim leaders in condemning and rejecting Hamas’ terrorist activities. Instead, we have seen the opposite.
I don’t intend to give a green light for the Israeli government to punish Palestinians for the atrocities committed by Hamas and other Muslim extremists. It’s heartbreaking to watch civilians and babies suffer for a crime they did not commit. But how should a government deal with a terrorist group like Hamas that deliberately uses civilians as human shields?
Some argue that there is no difference between Hamas and the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF). They both kill. But I believe that equating Hamas with the state of Israel is a moral failure.
It’s never right to celebrate destruction and loss of life. Jesus says, “The thief comes only to steal, kill, and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly” (John 10:10 ESV).
Jesus was able to love sinners and at the same time reject sinful actions and thoughts. Balancing love and judgment is very difficult, but with wisdom, prayer, and caring hearts, we strive to love both Jews and Palestinians, while also calling out sinful deeds and ideologies.
I believe the leaders of the Muslim world are complicit in failing to call out their co-religionists for atrocities committed in the name of Jihad. The West can work to get rid of one terrorist organization after another, but the troubling core doctrine of Jihad remains.
My prayer is that one day Muslims will learn that Jesus is God and the only hope that can redeem all of us.
Darius Meraj is an Iranian American who has lived in different cultures and speaks multiple languages. He completed his M.Div. degree from Ashland Theological Seminary and works at Everence Financial in Kidron, as a financial consultant. He lives in Hartville with his wife, Emily, and two boys.
One Response
I appreciate your perspective. Thant you, Bob