User Tools

Site Tools


jn_en_2010_11_18

2010_11_18_t1.jpg

2010_11_18_t2.jpg

2010_11_18_t3.jpg

Deutsche Version | Wiki Start | Topics Collection ii

Special case Israel ...

Thursday, Nov 18, 2010. The Jewish people have been considered special during many periods of world history. If you look back into the past, or if you study the situation today, we can say that Israel and the Jewish people had special experiences, compared to other nations or nationalities.

Before we look into any possible explanation, let us try to observe the facts. The Jews have been at the intersection of several important regions of the earth, between Europe and Africa, Africa and Asia, somehow central. But the events over several thousand years of world history cannot be explained by that.

2010_11_18.jpg

In the medieval ages there were particular difficulties of Jewish people. They had to face disrespect and have been partly collected into special parts of towns, Jewish ghettos. During the Nazi regime a fierce persecution, with Millions of dead, took place. What drove people of many nations to their particular behavior?

2010_11_18_2.jpg

Peace between us …

We are currently reading the letter of the apostle Paul to the Ephesians. Here, the text is written on the special background given by the role of Israel in world history. However, in the bible the background is not based on historical observations, but by God's particular choice. He had promised Abraham, to be with him and his descendants. This is the people of Israel. So they were particularly close to the eternal God, in the middle of world history.

Let us read the next verses of Ephesians in the original:

14 He has made peace between us Israelites and you non-Israelites. By the suffering he endured in his body, he made us into one group of people and broke down the “wall” that was between us. 15 He abolished the rules and commandments, in order to make our two groups (i.e. Israelites and non-Israelites) into one group - in this way making peace between us. 16 The effect of him dying for us - his body being nailed to a cross - was to bring both groups into friendship with God. In this way he killed the hostile attitude the two groups had for each other. 17 He brought the message of peace both to you non-Israelites who were a long way from God4 and also to us Israelites who were closer to God. (Ephesians 2: 14-17)

Paul talks about the role of Jesus. We will have to analyse this in more detail in our next session. Here we just note that there have been big differences between Israel and the rest. The differences came since God had been closer to Israel. It is his chosen people.

But the passage also clarifies that the distinction is past. Things have changed. Today, both the Israelites and all other nations can be close to God in Jesus. Today there is peace between the groups, between Jews and Christians. We are brothers and sisters. We belong to each other, since we are both Children of the eternal God in Jesus. ... more texts

jn_en_2010_11_18.txt · Last modified: 2017/06/18 16:48 by 127.0.0.1