Brothers in Unity
See, I’ve always had this odd fascination with and deep respect for Middle Eastern cultures and religions. The deeply embedded division between Israel and Arab nations falls right into that. And though I’ve gleaned as much head-knowledge as I could in the last few years of university, it’s only just now that I’m encountering a taste of the reality of this dreadful division.
The non-profit I’m currently interning with runs community-building programs for high school girls, in an effort to combat discrimination and embedded hatred between individuals. After just one day in the office, after reading just one blog post by my executive director, the conflict was no longer just a fascination for my academic mind. It became a heartache.
Here’s an excerpt from the blog post that struck me to the core:
“[W]hen the participants arrived in Denver this summer, we asked them to anonymously write down their thoughts and reactions to certain words. And then, when we arrived at the camp, we showed them what each other had written. The words they wrote revealed the real challenge before them. Under the word, “Terrorism,” we saw the response, “Islam.” Under “Israel,” the words, “I hate you.” Under “United States,” we saw, “Land of the free, home of the bigots.”
The twisted lies that have been passed down from generation to generation, the very real hurt, confusion, and sense of betrayal that lies at the center of these responses... it all became clear to me.
What became even clearer? This is not what God intended.
Politically, the peace process has been stalemated for so long. Progress seems impossible: to choose political cooperation is to deny religious and cultural beliefs, for both sides. The rest of the world is reaching a point of frustration: why can’t they just make a deal, draw a line, and never interact with each other again? They’re never going to agree. They’re never going to hug and make up. Let’s just adjust the map of the world accordingly.
Thing is, the God of Isaac, i.e. the God of Ishmael, & the God of the Gentiles too, is not in the business of division. He hates divorce, He made very clear - does it not follow that He would hate any kind of broken bond? What the Lord values is unity. Just look at how Jesus prayed for us in John 17:
“The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one,I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.” (vv. 22-23)
I think we tend to forget that Isaac and Ishmael were brothers. Ishmael, too, was the seed of Abraham. And though Isaac was the one to enter into covenant with God, Ishmael was never forgotten by Him. God made provision & promise just for him. And He “is not man [...] that He should change his mind” (Numbers 23:19).
When I read Psalm 133, I truly can only think of Isaac and Ishmael now, or rather.. Israel & Palestine:
Behold, how good and pleasant it is
when brothers dwell in unity!
It is like the precious oil on the head,
running down on the beard,
on the beard of Aaron,
running down on the collar of his robes!
It is like the dew of Hermon,
which falls on the mountains of Zion!
For there the Lord has commanded the blessing,
life forevermore.
I think He wants to restore the relationship. I think He wants to nurture unity between these peoples and heal the pain. I think He wants the Cross to bridge this gap that has been torn between two brothers’ legacies, a gap that all of us humans have given up on entirely.
These are big claims to make, about an incredibly complex and divisive issue in politics, religion, and morality. It’s bigger than me and you. But to be honest... it’s the perfect “impossible” set up for God to enter in and prove His sovereignty.
But hey - you may not necessarily share my crazed passion, and that’s okay :) But I think there are also small-time, daily challenges that come of this: are we, as individual Christians, bridging or tearing? Big change begins with one: one person who decides to love another, one interaction that could foster a relationship, one Body who chooses to include and not exclude. All these little choices, motivated by love, could easily snowball into something much more glorious!
Do let’s press on towards this goal :)
“By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” - John 13:35