Sunday, May 11, 2014

Mexico Learns To Love Israel

Mexico is not an anti-Semitic nation, and for the most part, at least in Christian circles, there is a growing appreciation and developing brotherhood for all things historically Jewish among the faithful. Probably the main reason for this is the freedom of religion act that started in 1993 and the reality that many foreign missionaries have come to share the Jewish side of Jesus and more detailed information about the lives of the early believers with their congregations. Genesis 12:3, “And I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.” Trust me, many Mexicans are learning to love Israel not for the blessings that follow the promise, but simply because it’s the right thing to do. They are, after all, God’s Chosen People. Be that as it may, in this one case, and it’s not isolated, a Mexican man decided to make an anti-Semitic website, he then got the Mexican officials to give it a green rating, despite obvious racism and anti-Semitism. I won’t show you the page or tell where to find it, but as one surfs the site and sees all the anti-Jewish stuff written all over the page in Spanish, you can see the man has built an openly racist site. Of course, everyone knows that anti-Semitism isn’t only found in Mexico, hardly! Racism and racial purity movements can be found in every country on earth. For that sickening and sad statistic, I am personally sorry and so ashamed. I know people have asked me, “Where was God during the Holocaust?” And, my questioning answer is, “Where were all the human beings during the Holocaust?” Back in November 27, 2012, in Mexico City, Jacqueline Hoist, the President of the Council to Prevent Discrimination in Mexico City, said that 35,000 messages were posted on Twitter that where against the Mexican Jewish community. Said Hoist, "There is a call to hatred against the Jewish community that affects coexistence and creates a perception of fear, it creates bad behavior. It’s true that a large series of disgraceful electronic assaults against members of the Jewish Community in Mexico occurred via Twitter. Just like the rest of the Jewish-Zionist garbage, it poisons the consciousness of the Mexican people and therefore should disappear." Even as good as Jacqueline Hoist’s words are, the Chiapas Herald takes an uncritical view of a local festival where they celebrate the burning of Judas and other Jews, reporting that as far as it concerns Mexicans, this anti-Jewish display, “fosters unity and respect,” and “purifies the soul.” All Christians have a duty to love the Jewish people for their donations that gave beginnings to the Christian faith. Jesus Christ was an outstanding Rabbi from Nazareth and He said, "Salvation is of the Jews!" John 4:22 We should carefully consider what the Jewish people have imparted to Christianity: The Sacred Scripture, The Law, The Golden Rule, The Prophets, The Patriarchs, Mary, Joseph, and Jesus Christ of Nazareth, The Twelve Disciples, The Apostles, ETC. It is impossible to say, "I am a Christian," and not love the Jewish people. The Bible teaches that love is not what you say, but what you do, 1 John 3:18
. In life we know that a bell is not a bell until you ring it, a song is not a song until you sing it, and love is not love until you share it. While some Christians try to deny the connection between Jesus of Nazareth and the Jews of the world, Jesus never denied His Jewishness. He was born Jewish, He was circumcised on the eighth day in keeping with Jewish tradition, He had his Bar Mitzvah on his 13th birthday, He kept the law of Moses, He wore the Prayer Shawl Moses commanded all Jewish men to wear, He died on a cross with an inscription over His head, "King of the Jews!” Jesus considered the Jewish people His family. Jesus said in Matthew 25:40, "Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as you have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren (the Jewish people), ye have done it unto me.” Part of any missionary or outreach pastor’s job is to biblically teach about the relationship that exists between Christians and Jews. And, I certainly do that and so do my students. And, we promote love, relationship and connection with our Jewish friends, even with those living in Mexico. This flyer is still posted on a wall near the beach in Ensenada and it’s a bit confusing as an X crossing the photo might mean, ‘no, not a good thing to do.’ But, it can also mean, ‘yes, a good thing to do.’ When people go to vote in Mexico they must draw an ‘X’ over the candidate of their choice. I hope that in this case it means, ‘no, not a good thing to do!’

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