You Got a Problem with That (Advent 8, 2023)

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Jesus’ mom was Jewish.  His Dad is God.  To all the so-called church leaders out there diminishing His birth by removing all celebrations because of the war between Hamas and Israel, is that what Jesus would do? Wow, there’s strife in the world among men.  I guess we should put communicating peace with God for all eternity on hold until a better time.

Maybe Bethlehem hasn’t had a problem with the commercialization of the Nativity, but for quite a while, they’ve had a problem with the Jews and demonstrably with Christians of faith (not ecumenism or The Church of the Holy Tourist). 

“According to the statistics provided to CNA by the Ministry of Tourism, the economy of Bethlehem relies on tourism for 60%-70%. “We were expecting that 2023 was supposed to be the peak year” … But the war has changed everything. “We expect that 12,000 out of 15,000 workers are no longer employed in the tourism industry. I can estimate that 90% among them are Christians,” he said.”

Many Christians have chosen to flee the area due to persecution and religious harassment.

“In 1950, Bethlehem and the surrounding villages were 86 percent Christian. But by 2016, the Christian population dipped to just 12 percent, according Bethlehem mayor Vera Baboun. Across the West Bank, Christians now account for less than 2 percent of the population, though in the 1970s, Christians were 5 percent of the population. In Bethlehem, the traditional birthplace of Jesus, today there are just 11,000 Christians.”

Bethlehem was administered by the British Mandate from 1920 to 1948 when Israel became a recognized state.  However, since 1995, Bethlehem is located in territory under Palestinian National Authority administration and military control by decree from the UN.  The influx of refugees from the war-torn region into Bethlehem changed the demographic profile from a Christian majority into a Muslim one.

“In 2020, when the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research (PCPSR) asked Christian Palestinians “how they felt under Israeli occupation,” 70 percent responded that they felt safe, 94 percent said they were free to travel, and 57 percent said they never felt harassed when crossing Israeli checkpoints.

“If Israel does not make Christian Palestinians feel unsafe, then who does? According to PCPSR, 87 percent of Christians worried about a surge in crime in PA territory, 77 percent feared radical Islamist groups, including Hamas, and 67 percent of Palestinian Christians said they felt unsettled about a provision in the Palestinian Basic Law that stipulates that “the principles of Islamic sharia are a main source of legislation.”

The one place in the Middle East where minorities have continued to thrive is… yes, Israel.

Questions for further thought:

Dating back to Bethlehem’s mention in the Bible, there was neither Christian majority nor Muslim.  When Joseph and Mary went to the census, Christianity did not exist.  It was Jews, nomadic tribes of Arabs, and Roman pagans.  Islam wasn’t invented until Muhammad in 610 AD.  Galilee and Judea were considered Jewish though under Roman rule.  Hence, the census.  “So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child.” (Luke 2:4-5).   

How did the Roman census serve to have the Messiah born exactly where Scripture foretold?

Today, by making sure there are no Jews remaining in Bethlehem, how does that dash any remaining Jewish expectation for the Messiah to be born there?  How does that serve to discourage Jews in their Messianic hopes?  How ought it help Jews of faith to reconsider that their Christ has, in fact, come?

Prayer:

Lord God, please use me to communicate the arrival of the Messiah 2000 years ago in a manger in Bethlehem and the ways in which He is presently fulfilling every expectation the Jewish people ever had regarding their Messiah.  The ingathering of Jews has begun, the capital of the nation of Israel is Jerusalem, and You will return.  We look to the clouds for Your coming and ask in today’s moment, You will help us to communicate the love of God “from the Jews for the world.”  We praise You that You wrapped Him up in a tiny package of an unexpecting baby to be crucified as a man and to rise to the glory of God.  We praise You for Your plan of salvation.  Amen.