In the Footsteps of our Father Abraham

Edited by Salim J. Munayer PhD
musalaha@netvision.net.il
http://www.musalaha.org/

book review for one of Helen's MA modules
examining aspects of or references to:-
* Memory - holding / letting go - +/-
* Time / timelessness
* Forgiveness
* Reconciliation
* Healing / wholeness

Forward
"We believe that reconciliation is not a process where issues are ignored, but brought to light in a spirit of love, humility, forgiveness and a genuine desire to restore justice, truth and relationship."


Reconciliation - Ray Pritz

1 Cor. 5:14-20 inc
14For Christ's love compels us, .....
17Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! 18All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation:

p11 "This ministry of reconciliation flows into several areas of our life and witness, and its study can help us to represent our Lord more faithfully."

p12 Paul reminds us "For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!" (Rom 5:10)
"To reconcile means to restore to friendship, harmony or communion"
"Making a new friend may require a bit of boldness to strike up a conversation. But being reconciled to a friend-become-enemy may mean swallowing your pride, saying forgive me even when you may be convinced that the fault lay on the other side."
"And yet God has demonstrated how very great his love is... Even though he had done nothing to cause the separation, he paid the highest possible price, the death of His only Son, to make it possible for us to be friends again."
"The Scripture makes it clear that God's love knows no favourites. His Son died for the sins of the whole world, all races, all colours, all nations, and all religious backgrounds.

p13 The Personal Aspect - "If your brother has something against you, go to him. if you have something against your brother, go to him."
see Matt 5:23-25 "offering at altar and remember..."
and Matt 18:15 "If your brother sins against you, go..."
The story of Jacob and Esau also reflects this from the perspective of believer & non-believer. (Gen 33)
Finally, Paul writes, "If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone." (Rom 12:18)

p14f The National Aspect - Although extremely personal, the Gospel is a message for all people: one died for all.
see Eph 2:11-18 inc "remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth ... were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ. "
"People cannot be changed from the outside. The real, lasting changes must come from within, and only the Holy Spirit can do that."
"Arab believers in Jesus and Jewish believers in Jesus are, in the eyes of God, more related, connected, obligated to each other than they are even to their own non-believing, flesh and blood family members. Sadly, however, we carry over a lot of our old selves with us into the kingdom of God. He broke down the dividing wall and made peace between us, ... And yet we have picked up the building blocks of fleshly relationships, nationalism and worldly considerations and started rebuilding the wall."
"Can the non-believers around us experience enough of Jesus in us and in our reconciled relationships with each other that they will want to be at peace with each other?"
"19For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.
21Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of[a] your evil behavior. 22But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation" (Col 1:19-22)


The Peacemakers- David Miller

Matt 5:9 "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God."

p17 "To be followers of the example and teaching of Jesus the Prince of Peace...
1. Promote love not hate.
2. Foster unity and love among brethren.
3. Be a witness of a different kingdom, a higher way.
4. Follow the example of Christ."

p18 As a Christian Zionist "I believe that the State of Israel would never have come about had not the hand of God been behind it, and I believe that it is part of His divine plan in ".. the restoration of all things" (Acts 3:21)

"You shall love your neighbour as yourself"
"I cannot applaud the State of Israel if I be live that the State's policy is oppressive to my neighbour. ... My attitude must be an attitude of love, and doubly so if I consider someone to be my enemy, for Jesus has commanded us to love our enemies."

p19 "God also commands the nation as a whole, "And you are to love those who are aliens, for you yourselves were aliens in Egypt." (Deut 10:19) "I believe that many of the problems which Israel is experiencing on the West Bank today are the direct result of failure to fulfil that biblical command."

p19f As a tour guide he had to explain Israel's presence in the West Bank (a result of Jordanian shelling and incursion in 1967). Although he felt the Israeli position was justified, "Under the guise of encouraging people to love Israelis, I was subtley also encouraging them to feel animosity toward Palestinians."
This is counter to Christ's Gospel of love - our true citizenship is in Heaven. (Phil 3:20) "Jesus said, "My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place."" (Jn18:36)

p21-25 The Arab Believer / Gentile Christian, Palestinian Sympathizer
For an Arab West Bank Christian living under a military government it must be remembered that Jesus lived among a people yearning for Messianic deliverence from Rome. And his response,
"If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles." (Matt5:41)
(Roman Law allowed soldiers to coerce civillians into carrying their packs for one mile)
Thus Jesus' response is not to advocate civil revolt against social injustice but to offer an invincible freedom, salvation that was not political but an internal freedom from oppression. Jesus promised the freedom of a changed heart, one that allows the oppressee to love their oppressor.
p22 "The Gospel is a message of the love of God and the repentance toward God which results in true freedom, the freedom to love, and to walk away from hatred and bitterness. A Gospel needed by both Israeli politician and Palestinian stone thrower."
p25 "Jesus Christ alone is theway of peace and His gospel, the way of His cross, is the only way to peace, ...
... as Christians we must learn to love our enemy and so make him our friend."