Pastor Jim Samra of Calvary Church in Grand Rapids MI preached a sermon on February 25th, 2024 looking at the conflict in the Holy Land through the eyes of the parable of the tenants in Matthew. I re-post and summarize it here not because I agree with every point or want to promote dispensationalism but because it is a very good example of a balanced, progressive dispensational posture on the issues in the Holy Land. Whether you agree with this dispensational framework or not, the conclusions and postures towards people in the land (Arabs, Jews, Christians) are a valuable take-away in this day filled with partisan hatred, prophecy addiction and apocalypticism.
In subsequent posts I will look also at some other postures and frameworks for thinking theologically about the land. For now, I highly recommend Jim’s sermon which you can watch below, or read my notes.
Sermon notes:
“In Gen 12 God chooses Abraham to demonstrate his undeserved favor and blessing by giving he and his descendants a ‘free house’ to live in. God doesn’t necessarily like Abraham any more than the rest of humanity, but he wants to demonstrate the value of relationship with God and righteous living by building them a house and giving them rules to live by. The intention is that if Abraham’s biological family follows God’s laws, he will so abundantly bless them that everyone else will want God to build them a house too.
In time, God lays out the conditional terms in the contract or covenant with Israel in Leviticus 26. God spells out the blessings and good news for obedience. He notes that even if they fail, but confess and repent, God will remember “the land” and return them. And, then there are consequences if the Jewish people do not take care of the land and live the way God intended. Four levels of consequence are spelled out in vs 14- end. So what happens if Israel doesn’t listen to God?
- They will experience disease and defeat when they go out to battle outside the land.
- Crops will stop growing. Rain will stop falling.
- They will experience attack, plagues and seige in the land of Israel
- God will be hostile to Israel, vs 27 is explicit (and horrible) they will eat their own sons and daughters, pile up dead bodies, God says “I will abhor you. I myself will lay waste to the land and scatter you among the nations. You will be exiled in the countries of your enemies.”
Exile is the last consequence, God will ‘level the house’ he initially gave to Israel if they do not obey… and this is what has happened in 2Kings. The Lord removed the people of Israel from God’s presence into Assyria in chapters 17 (Northern Kingdom) and 25 (Southern Kingdom).
In Ezra and Nehemiah the people repent in part and a remnant returns. They rebuild in part, but are not wholly obedient. By the New Testament (Matt 21) Rome is ruling, a foreign occupier, and they are experiencing levels 1-3 of consequence.
Jesus tells the parable of the vineyard to illustrate that level 4 is coming. The people of Israel that were alive in the 1st century were told they had beaten the prophets and not listened and now they are not listening to God’s son (Jesus) who was coming to look for the ‘fruit’ of the vineyard. These are the by-products of obedience like justice to the poor, and love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, etc. The people had not produced these fruits, i.e. they have not fulfilled the terms of the contract.
In the parable, the last messenger from the vineyard owner is the heir, the son. Jesus predicts his own death in the parable, for the land tenants (Israel) throw out the son and kill him. Therefore when the owner of the vineyard comes he will throw them out and rent it to other tenants who will give him his ‘fruits’ and crops (again, justice towards foreigners, obedience to the laws of sabbath and jubilee, postural and heart-attitudes of love joy, peace, goodness etc.). Jesus says the ‘Kingdom will be taken away from you (the Jews) and given to others.” The Jews were offended and wanted to kill him.
Jesus gives them a warning that the 4th level of consequence is coming… and it did come in AD70 when Hadrian put down the Jewish revolt (they were trying to take the land by force), tears down the temple and exiles them renaming the land Palestine. Exile was the situation, under consequence from God until 1948 when the UN, Britain and other countries like the US created the modern state of Israel. Many Christians thought 1948 was a fulfillment of prophecy… but the question remains ‘why did Israel get kicked out of the land’? Because they rejected the Messiah, and did not produce the fruits God required.
Those who formed the modern state did not repent, nor confess Jesus, nor produce the fruits of justice, righteousness, love, joy, peace, patience, self control, etc. These fruits are not present, nor has there been confession. If we look at what is currently happening (the war in Gaza), the death of tens of thousands of people…. this does not feel like how God operates. God may use the events in 1948 to fulfill his promises, but it cannot be the fulfillment promised because there are no fruits.
This story (1948) sounds much like the story of Jacob, (later Israel) who did not wait for God to give him the blessings, but he stole the birthright through deception. He tried to take what was promised ahead of God’s timing and in a way that God did not intend. The means by which Israel came to posses the land in 1948 do not meet the standards God desires.
What we have now is a political problem of human making. Not a divine fulfillment. Thus here are 6 principles for how Christians ought to think about Israel/Palestine:
- Priority today must be supporting, loving, blessing and praying for Christians in the land (Arab, Messianic etc.). They are the ones in the land giving God the fruit he deserves.
- Love Jewish people because they are deceived and need Jesus as Messiah. The main problem in the Middle East (Hamas, Israel etc.) is that people are estranged from God. We don’t turn a blind eye to violence, to illegal settlements etc.
- Love Muslims because they too are being deceived. The main prayer is that people come to know Jesus.
- Death is tragic, especially for those that don’t know the savior. Hell is a real place.
- Reject political allegiances and follow Jesus alone. Opinions tend to follow partisan lines… we cannot view things along US partisan lines. We are not for the state of Israel nor for the Palestinians. We are for the kingdom of God and for Jesus. The implication is that people have been hostile towards Jesus and so God is hostile towards them… we cannot fall into a partisan divide.
- We pray for peace and look for a political solution that is fair, right and just realizing that our ultimate hope is for the return of Jesus.
Eventually God will restore the land and his people to the land, and bring about what is right, just and fair. For now, forgive us lord and help us to love all people that do not know you: Jews, Muslims and Arabs, and bring peace and justice to the land.”
