Why Support Israel?

By Douglas V. Gibbs

As a Christian Conservative, the Left does not understand why I have such love, and support, for Israel. I receive from liberals comments that question my motives. After all, the only unpardonable sin is rejection of Christ, and if anybody rejected Jesus, it was the Jews.

"Are you going to tell them they are going to burn in Hell?" asks one leftist commenter. "I'd like to be there when you do."

In fact, one of my good friends, Eric from Tygrrr Express, is Jewish, and when I met with him last January this topic did in fact come up in conversation.

Eric said to me, "When Mr. J shows up, I will just ask Him, is this your first time here, or your second? If he says 'second,' I have a lot of explainin' to do."

Jesus Christ, in fact, is the Messiah for Israel. His coming was prophesied througout the Old Testament. On the cross on Calvary a sign was jokingly nailed to it by the Roman Soldiers proclaiming Him to be the "King of the Jews." Thing is, that sign was absolutely correct.

The first Christians were Jews. It was not the Jewish people that called for Christ's crucifixion, it was the leadership. The blame lands squarely on the establishment, and more specifically, the Jewish religious leaders who saw Jesus as a threat to their power structure.

Growth of the Christian Church extended into the Gentile (non-Jewish) world, and these new Christians saw themselves as adopted into the family of God. The great thing about this adoption is that all we needed to do was ask to be a part of the family, and we were welcomed with open arms.

Though a large segment of Israel accepted Christ as the Messiah, the majority did not. The Jewish People expected a King with flaming swords on a white stallion, not a humble carpenter riding in on a donkey.

There are some Christians, like Calvinists, that believe in replacement theology. These folks have decided that Jews gave up their "chosen people" status when they rejected Christ, and the Christians are now God's chosen people. With this attitude, they have sided with those against Israel in most cases (as exhibited by commenter "Caday" on my Townhall blog), and have determined that Israel is in fact the reason for the problems of the world.

Most Christians, however, do not see Israel this way. The Jews are God's children, and we have been adopted into that fantastic family through the grace of God, and in the name of Jesus Christ. I would stop loving the Jews because of their rejection of Christ no more than I would stop loving my own brother if he decided to disown himself from my family. In fact, my love would increase, and I would work very hard to bring him back into the family circle.

Israelites, however, do not always respond well to the word "Christian." The term reminds them of Rome, and the foolish actions of "Christians" against Jews in the Crusades, or the actions of those persecuting Jews in the name of Christianity, even though these persecutors exhibited nothing that could be considered Christian in their actions. So, as my mother told me after a trip to Israel, she called herself a "believer" to the Israelites. Jews have no problem with those that accept Jesus as the Messiah, aside from the opinion that Jesus is not the Messiah they have been waiting for.

Interestingly enough, Christ represents Israel in so many ways. The destiny of mankind is intimitely tied to the Nation of Israel, and the suffering, death, and ressurection of that tiny nation mirrors the life of Christ. The hatred of Jesus runs parallel to the hatred the world has for Israel. Psalm 129:3-5 describes this shared hatred for both, reading: "The plowers on my back; They made their furrows long," referring to Christ's suffering as He was whipped and the injuries were deep and bleeding. Then, Psalms continues by saying, "Let all these who hate Zion be put to shame and turned back." This is a clear indication that the Messiah, Jesus Christ, would identify himself with Israel.

As was Christ, Israel will be tormented. Violence will be done to Israel as to the flesh of Christ (Jeremiah 51:35).

So to answer the questions, "Why support Israel? After all, aren't the Jews going to burn in Hell?" - Should I not support my brethren? And who says Hell is the ultimate home for God's chosen people? Remember, Christianity is the third largest religion in Israel, and the second largest religion among the Jewish people.

By asking me to turn my back on Israel, you are asking me to deny my brother, and my love for the family of God runs deeper than that.

-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary