THE GAZA CONFLICT AND BUBBLE-BASED-BELIEVERS
We now live in a season of bubble-based-believers. The conflict in Gaza has subtly turned Bible-based believers into bubble-based believers. It has alienated followers of Christ and firmly placed us into “bubbles” of allegiances. Yes, make no mistake, every bubble is firmly equipped with its own set of biblical theologies to justify why this bubble is reflecting the true bubble. And the longer the conflict continues, the more the bubble grows and grows – not just in size, but in thickness as well.
Hear these bubble-bursting words of a Saviour as He addresses to situation in Israel and Gaza
Matthew 5:38-42
“You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.
Are these words of Christ in any way still relevant today in a region saturated with suspicion, fear and animosity? Does it apply to the global pandemic of hatred between Jews and Palestinians – and those who swear allegiance to either side? Are these words Christ’s nice teachings but secondary to “standing up for the truth” in a season where we feel compelled to choose sides and promote dualism?
Let’s be clear, when we observe the war in Gaza, choosing sides is easy. Choosing to follow the teachings of Christ is the hard part. Don’t fool yourself.
It might be meaningful to read Matthew 5 again … and again, and again. Jesus preached to a crowd who gathered on the side of a mountain overlooking the Sea of Galilee. But this was not just any crowd. There were the Jewish peasants, the farmers, the theologians and the political zealots. This was the one place where you found the Bethsaidians and the Nazarenes standing next to one another without any aggression. And even though they consisted of different classes, different communities and different cultures they all had one thing in common: they hated the Romans.
Yes, this was quite the crowd. They came to listen to Jesus – not to hear words of wisdom and spiritual regeneration, but words that would confirm their bias and justify their hatred. They were looking for a political saviour and they were all in the same bubble.
Go to Israel today and you will find the same crowd standing on the side of the mountain. There is still a common and deep-rooted hatred that joins people together – this time not for the Romans but for the Palestinians. Sadly you will find many Christians in the same crowd, breathing hatred and contempt, justifying their disdain and anger and even using scripture to do so.
And Jesus is still there teaching: “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person.
Theologically we can justify why this teaching is no longer applicable. Culturally we can argue why the times are different and the teaching irrelevant. Or can we? Jesus is speaking timelessly about unlearning the way of the flesh and embracing the way of the spirit
The crowds in Gaza today will not be much different. They too are gathering on the side of the mountain and with the death of every child the animosity grows exponentially – justifiably so, but only conceiving more hatred. Israel needs to be destroyed. The crowds are gathering.
Imagine being there today, on the side of a mountain overlooking the Sea of Galilee.
People you would normally not socialise with have suddenly become “bubble-buddies”. As you compare your hatred and prejudices you find that, to your great surprise, your common bias overrides your theological divide. You suddenly find yourself comfortably in the same bubble as the Jew who rejects Jesus, the atheist who loves Israel and the non-believing politician who hates Muslims. This is bubble red-flag number one. If you find your commonality with people around you based on fear or hatred and not a love for God and a love for your neighbour, you are firmly settled in a toxic bubble.
And then Jesus begins to speak. A strange silence descends like a dark cloud. This is not what you expected to hear from someone who has already and prematurely been declared the Messiah. It pierces your heart like a two-edged sword. Out of the blue, this Jesus comes with this teaching: “do not resist the evil Hamas terrorist, the Roman pagan, or any evil person. If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.”
Outrageous! Absurd! What a shocker. But not just a ‘what-an-inspiring-sermon’ shocker but a completely ‘what-the-heck-was-he-thinking’ shocker. This is unbiblical, new-age, lovey-dovey and definitely offensive for someone as rooted in scripture as you are. How dare he even consider compromising your sense of justice, your nationalist pride in being the nation of God, and everything you hold dear, not least of all your religion, to accommodate these pagan murderers. What about justice!
You want to get up and leave, but something holds you back. There is something about this teaching that is so radically different that it draws you in. But this is not what you have learnt since you were a young boy and what you have treasured in your bubble ever since. This is different from what your religious leaders have taught you before.
You remember well the teachings you grew up with. This was the law you were taught. It was non-negotiable and uncompromisingly so. An eye for an eye said Moses . He actually said a lot more than this Jesus. He also said to take life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise (Exodus 21:25). Moses said it, you believed it and that settled it. And that’s what shaped your religion – and your bubble. Who is this Jesus to come and contradict this teaching, especially in a time of Roman occupation and terrorist attacks?
But, even though the teaching seems contradictive to scripture, His words seem contradistinctive to the character of the God you serve. It distinctively confirms the longsuffering God who promised a Messiah who would fulfil the law. Could it be? Could this be the Man? Oh, God, I need to keep on listening.
But then the doubt settles in again. You know well who Jesus is referring to and so does everyone in the crowd. He is obviously referring to the Roman powers who occupy your beloved Israel. Theologically you see them as gentile, morally you view them as pagan, nationally they are unwanted, culturally they are foreign, and generally, they are cruel and despised. Jewish nationalism is at an all-time high and you could hear the murmur in the crowd. From inside the bubble, these words are really piercing your bubble of prejudice.
You also know all too well what Jesus is talking about. He is referring to the Roman law that permits any Roman soldier to stop a Jewish man on the road and force him to drop what he was carrying to assist the Roman soldier in bearing his load. Or, the soldier could have simply made the Jew carry his load out of laziness or a power trip. But the law only required the Israelites to walk one mile for the solider. Not two. Only one. Many of your fellow Jews even marked a mile in all directions from their home and would go not a step further.
What is possessing this teacher to tell this radical audience not to resist evil? He obviously has no idea who He is talking to. Or does He? This could not be right.
Then it dawns on you. Jesus is not so much saying NOT to resist evil but HOW, NOT to resist evil. There needs to be justice and retaliation for the acts of cruelty but just like hating is a form of retaliation, so is loving. Loving Your Enemy, IS a form of HOW to resist evil. You remember the words of Proverbs. 25:21 that if your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink. Your bubble is slowly but surely beginning to burst and you feel liberated. You realise that it is possible to oppose evil with gentleness and mercy. Isn’t this the God you worshipped from the start? Is this the whole point? Is He encouraging you to go beyond obligation? The second mile is not an obligation, it is an opportunity.
WOW, that has to sink in first. But He doesn’t stop there. To top it all off, Jesus throws in a lesson of unlearning. Five times he says the words “You have heard that it was said…But I tell you.. (Matthew 5:21, 27, 31, 33, 38, 43) If you want to escape your bubble, unlearn and then relearn
If you are in the crowds today don’t disregard the words of your Saviour. It still applies today to Hamas as much as it did to Nero and the Roman persecutors. Times might have changed but Christ didn’t, and neither did His teachings. By choosing to love you are not denying the “God of Israel” but reflecting “The God of salvation” who wants ALL people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. (1 Timotheus 2:4)
Let these words penetrate our bubbles. Learning new teachings comes easily for all of us, but unlearning old teachings, especially those that were ingrained in our lives as young believers are nearly impossible
“To attain knowledge, add things every day. To attain wisdom, remove things every day.” Lao Tzu
“Transformation is often more about unlearning than learning.” Richard Rohr
“Do not conform to the standards of this world, but to let God transform us inwardly by a complete change of your mind.” Paul – Romans 12:2
Remember, Jesus steered his disciples on paths of unlearning. Bursting their theological bubbles was probably priority number one for Jesus, and a task nearly impossible. How about you. What must you unlearn before advancing on this journey of faith?