Jesus left the temple and was going away, when his disciples came to point out to him the buildings of the temple. 2 But he answered them, "You see all these, do you not? Truly, I say to you, there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down." 3 As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, "Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the close of the age?" 4 And Jesus answered them, "See that no one leads you astray. 5 For many will come in my name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and they will lead many astray.
6 And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are but the beginning of the birth pains.
9 "Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name's sake. 10 And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. 11 And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. 12 And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. 13 But the one who endures to the end will be saved.
14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. Matthew 24:1-14 (ESV)
I find the war in the Middle East heartbreaking on many levels. There is so much destruction, so many lives lost, so much hatred. For Dottie and me, the heartbreak is more personal. In 2018, we were in Israel with a group of Lutheran parish nurses from around the world. We spent the first three days in Bethlehem at the ministry complex of Christmas Lutheran Church which is a German Lutheran Church.
Christmas Lutheran Church also has a parish nurse. This lady is the director of “whole person” health for the city of Bethlehem. Her position is essential because there are no services for retired people in Bethlehem. As we learned when we were there, younger family members traditionally have taken care of their aged relatives, but because of all the turmoil in Israel these past few years, young Palestinians leave Israel as soon as they are able.
We don't hear much in the news about Christians living in Israel. I was surprised to learn that before the 1967 war, Bethlehem had a population of 14,000, 7,000 of which were Christians. Since the 1967 war, Muslims have been forced to live in Bethlehem. The city now has a population of over 200,000, but 7,000 are still Christians. There is also a twenty foot wall around Bethlehem so the Israelis can control anyone wanting to leave and go to Jerusalem.
Getting back to the current war, Dottie and I have friends living in the midst of the turmoil. When we were there, I also learned there are villages south of Bethlehem made up entirely of Christians. All of these people are at risk not only from Iranian missiles, but also from Jewish zealots, who want to rid Israel of all Christians.
When Jesus addressed his disciple's questions over the future destruction of the temple and Jerusalem, we mostly think of when the Roman General Titus and his army did so in 70 A.D. After that total destruction of Jerusalem, Jewish people were not permitted to live there for six hundred years, but as I learned, Christians had no restrictions. A Christian man I got to know who lives in Bethlehem told me his ancestors have lived in Bethlehem since Jesus was born. He also told me his ancestors in Bethlehem were members of one of the first Christian churches on earth and it was right there in Bethlehem.
Jesus knew there would always be hatred and war. War is raging in the Middle East again. Destruction is everywhere. War is the sign of man's rebellion against God, who is love. Even Christians will be persecuted for our trust in Jesus. What should be our response? Jesus told us in his Sermon on the Mount when he said:
“But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.” Matthew 5:44-45 (ESV)
I pray every night that peace may come to the Middle East and to this troubled world. I hope you do too.
Rev. Steven Simon