Advice To The Church: Gaza Is The Hill You Should Be Ready Die On

Jesus' heart would break for the people of Gaza. — Jesus’ heart would break for the people of Gaza.

Jesus died on a hill for defying the conventional “wisdom” of his day.

Conventional wisdom says love your friends and hate your enemies; Jesus preaches that we should love all people.

Conventional wisdom says shun and judge those who are different from you; Jesus tells us to help anyone in need.

Conventional wisdom says those who are in prison deserve their punishment; Jesus came to set the captives free.

Conventional wisdom expects the needy to lift themselves up by their own bootstraps. Jesus ministered to the needy, no questions asked.

Conventional wisdom says just obey the rules and stay out of trouble; Jesus says justice and mercy are the highest priorities – worth giving our lives for.

Jesus helped where he saw need. Need was his only criterion.

Jesus said, Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God (Matthew 5:9).

(NOTE: this is not a plea for donations. This is a plea for action based on compassion.)

Jesus’ heart would break for Gaza

Jesus calls us to love all people. Jesus calls us to love the people of Gaza.

The parable of the Good Samaritan teaches us to have compassion for those who have been subjugated and crushed. This is the people of Gaza (more commentary on the Good Samaritan here and here).

The parable of the Sheep and the Goats teaches that when we see someone suffering, we should see Jesus himself, and reach out to help. See Jesus in the people of Gaza (more commentary on the Sheep and the Goats here and here).

Jesus fed and healed the hungry, reached out to those in need (including his people’s enemy), and cared for strangers, regardless of their politics or religion. The people of Gaza need our help.

The very first words of Jesus’ ministry were about setting the captives free. The people of Gaza live in a prison – by no fault of their own.

Christians ought to stand steadfastly on the side of peace and justice. We ought to stand up for international law and humanitarian law. Above all, we should advocate and practice love for all people.

Why are we afraid to embrace the suffering people of Gaza?

“It’s a political issue, and we stay out of politics” – No, this is not a political issue. It is a human rights issue, a dire human rights issue. Thousands of innocent people have died in Gaza, and the rest are starving, sick, or injured. They have no food or water, no power, no medical supplies, and nowhere safe to hide from airstrikes.

As Christians, we can not stand for this deep injustice, no matter who is causing it. We must hold justice and peace closer than a few people who might not like our message.

The Church must not be afraid to stand up to the perpetrators, even if it causes us to face criticism. This is a hill we should be willing to die on – an undeniably blatant abuse of power against a profoundly marginalized people. These are the hopeless, the helpless that capture the heart of Jesus. They are not lesser human beings.

The Church must be ready to admit it has been silent too long on this issue – as we were before and during the Holocaust. We must repent and make up for lost time.

We must be ready to roll up our sleeves and do something to help, not simply say a prayer and move on with our day.

How to begin

If you are not already familiar with the issue, get familiar with it. Mainstream media tells only a partial story. Go here and here to learn about it in a faith-based framework. Go here and here to get familiar with the current news.
Share what you have learned with others – have a watch party in your home to view this (brand new) video; invite a local Palestinian-American to your church, Bible study group, etc. or host a special evening for them to speak and answer questions.
As a group, attend a rally in support of Palestinian rights. If there isn’t one planned near you, organize one. It doesn’t have to be big to raise awareness.
Call your Congress members and tell them to STOP THE MASSACRE.
Repeat steps 2-4 till justice is done.

Remember: this is not a political issue. This is a human rights issue. It belongs in the pulpit. It belongs in the hearts of every Christ follower. It requires action.

The problem requires a political solution, but it is not a political problem. March up this hill and stay there.

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