"Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
Matthew 5:11-12.
The thorny problem has to do with those of clear Hebrew descent, whose Mother comes from clearly defined Jewish stuff, but who have come to know You, Yeshua, as Messiah – these whom the world refers to as Messianics. Here’s where things get tricky. Regardless of their beliefs, such Jews with strong heritage are not permitted Aliyah. This confuses me because, as my research into the matter suggests that spiritual orientation is only “loosely” involved in the administrative decision by the governmental powers that be, to grant citizenship.
I know I’m a pathetic outsider looking in, but I have seen other Jews granted Aliyah who have little to no spiritual connection what-so-ever. Secular Judaism seems to be OK in the eyes of those separating the lambs from the goats and biological heritage suffices to allow some, permanent sanctuary. Yet someone with fierce conviction of relationship with You Father God, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the same God who loved these Aliyah seekers so much that he gave his only begotten son to die for their sins, those particular Jews are Persona Non-grata.
Why? Some would call it a “technicality”, others see it as irrefutable law. Long ago, soon after your death and resurrection, Yeshua, a chief rabbi was presented with a dilemma. He perceived that a Jewish zealot, who fought fiercely against the Romans, was the true Messiah. There were other issues convoluting his consideration, You God, know and understand them better than I. The bottom line is that whatever was his perception, whatever was the condition of his heart, the Rabbi made a decision that caused a satanic rift that injures all of us to this day. He decreed that, because there could only be one Messiah, Jews who believed their Spiritual Conqueror and Redeemer to be Yeshua could not also be counted as Jews.
The actions of one have condemned into future history the wellbeing and unity of Your people. I’d laugh at the irony, but it doesn’t seem very funny in retrospect: First, the zealous Messianic crusader and his champion Rabbi are both long buried in historical obscurity. The decision made, set Judaism and Christianity as enemies of one another instead of close kin who seek a common Kingdom.
Now the government of Israel and the Rabbinical powers debate this Aliyahistic conundrum seldom even considering that it was the very insistence of believing in Messiah that causes them now to separate out those who actually do recognize their Savior.
But one group, even more so, was injured in the quarrel. Jews, devout Jews, Jews who can trace back to the Exodus their heritage and who love You as much, possibly more than other Jews; have been denied the rights of Judaism. These Yeshua believers could, by one action, restore their Judaism. All they have to do is renounce the son of God. They do not and will not and so our modern day society and those who lord it over them, and us, have propelled our world back to the days of the Inquisition.
It must make You weep, it certainly does me. Lord, you teach me to forgive those who strike my cheek. I can only imagine your conversation with the Rabbi for what he set in motion. It is one more evidence that mankind continues to crucify you and ourselves. I beg on the Rabbi’s behalf, on my behalf, on the behalf of all, your forgiveness, for we know not what we do.
And You offer hope! On our trip to the Land, we have met many of the Aliyah seekers who also call themselves Followers of Yeshua, we have experienced their love and their persistence in trying to bring fresh eyes to a problem. They also desire reconciliation and they forgive those who have turned Your design, Most High, into a meaningless political dance.
The Hopeful Ones are courageous indeed, one righteous women stating to me, “Some of us aren’t hiding, I’m not hiding.” When she said this, images of Cory Tinboom and Ann Frank came to mind. What a twisted reality where some must hide from the very community in which they wish to participate.
There are other Hopeful Ones who seek the nuance of the situation. They hope that the question of their belief in you Yeshua never comes up in their quest for Alyiah. They monitor carefully their time on social media and their daily associations. I have been shown examples of those who attended an event, or associated with a Messianic group for a brief period. We even pray right this moment for a young person (how sad, I don’t even want to hint at their sex because of prying eyes that might glance casually this direction), who have Messianic family members. Even though they are not Messianic themselves and have demonstrated a sincere desire to embrace You as their Judaistic Creator, their biological association with such, quote-unquote, nefarious characters, makes them permanently suspect.
Perhaps the above mentioned approach is saddest of all, for it makes you, Yeshua, Unmentionable, going against the very heart of your calling to teach all nations, even the nation of Israel.
Maybe I’ve gone on too long about the dilemma, Lord. I look to The Spirit to wrestle within the hearts of all those, on all sides of the struggle of Aliyah. All I will do is what you have always taught me to do: End with a question that will cause me (and I pray others) to seek deeper relationship with you…
—If we are all, Jew, Messianic, Arab and Gentile—Believers seeking Messiah. Would it not benefit us to seek him together, with one Heart, one Mind and in one Land?
Thankful in the Lord,
Mark C.
Thanks for the enlightenment and revelation....Thanks for being a good flashlight....Rock and Roll Brah....Jesus is the Rock and we Roll!
ReplyDeleteMark, you have managed to grab the many complexities of this issue and summarize them quite neatly. Well done!
ReplyDeleteI went back and reviewed the Covenant G-d made with Abraham that evening at the summit of Mt. Moreh. (Gen 12) At no point in their conversation did G-d place limitations on whom would qualify for this extraordinary promise. He said, "To you and your descendants ..." G-d went on to ratify His Covenant with Abraham's son, Isaac, and grandson, Jacob.
Today, the Orthodox members of the Israeli Knesset have placed themselves in G-d's place as if to say 'we know better.' It is they who make the rules regarding who can be granted citizenship and who's application will be rejected.
It is one's belief in Yeshua that leads to the majority of those rejections. As a result, these Jewish believers - yes, they are still Jews! - are being denied their G-d-given birthright to their homeland.
I pray for G-d to replace these Knesset members and change this horrible law.