I never would have thought I could learn so much from Japanese television! I found myself stumbling upon that station after perusing channels, and saw (in subtitles) something about Muslim faith. As I will be travelling to a muslim country in a couple of weeks, I thought there may be some pertinent information to learn about the culture, so I stopped for a while...well, an hour, actually.
Come to find out, the speaker and host were both Christians. The video cut away often to join this Pastor as he led a group of Japanese Christians on a tour of the temple grounds in Jerusalem. The way he explained things gave me a basic awareness of the Christian/Muslim conflict that I never had before. For example, he discussed the passage in which Abraham lays his son on the altar. The interpretation of this act is the root of dissent between the two spiritual forces. While Jews believe that it was Isaac that Abraham laid on the altar, Muslims believe that it was actually Ishmael. They justify this with the passage in which God commands Abraham to give "his only son." Since Isaac was born 25 years after Ishmael (who was born through the maidservant, Hagar), they believe God's instruction was directed at Ishmael.
So, the crux of the conflict is whether you believe God's prophecy to be fulfilled in the line of Isaac (Abraham--Isaac--David--Jesus) or Ishmael (Abraham--Ishmael--Mohammed).
What an important lesson for us to learn. Had Sarah been patient with God for a son, this feud would not exist. It is imperitive to wait on God's timing.
This pastor also walked his tourists through the spot on the temple grounds where the Holy of Holies was believed to have stood. Wow. Those of you who have had the good fortune of visiting Jerusalem would know that the Mount of Olives (and the temple of Christ's Ascension), the Golden Gate, and the Holy of Holies all fall in line with each other. This pastor asked his tour group to touch the exposed bedrock on this site and thank God for the cross of Jesus. What an experience that must have been.
Have any of you had this experience? I would love to hear your thoughts!
1 comment:
I remember standing in the exact spot you are describing. My first thought was, "Wow, this is where the very presence of God was located." A friend of mine was kind enough to correct me. He reminded us that the presence of God had been all over the temple mound in the presence of Christ, who is God made manifest. Fortunately for both us, we had an even wiser friend. She reminded us that we do not need to stand in awe because "God was right here". The most amazing thing to remember is that God has chosen to be in us and our lives. Through the sacrifice of Christ, we have perpetual access to the presence of God.
Post a Comment