John Angle, Hope Christian Trust; Sami Awad, Executive Director/Holy Land Trust;
Bishara Awad, President/Bethlehem Bible College; Steve; Steve Haas, VP/World Vision.
“Tell, me, have you ever met a real Christian?
What does he look like?”
Rather sobering, but I think this is the question
that we in the West should be asking ourselves.
While in Bethlehem, Brother Andrew, Janet and John Angle, and I went to see our friend, Nasser. He is a former Islamic Jihad and then became Hamas and now is neither. He was imprisoned 18 years ago (and many times since) along with 400 other Palestinians. Israel said there was no “blood on their hands” when they imprisoned these men, ages 14-60 years old. Nasser was 24 at the time. He is now a Social Worker and very, very bright. We met him at his parent’s home because that is the place of honor. His parents are honored and his place of birth is honored and it is the way guests are honored. Wow…
We could learn much from these people about honor. By the way, he lives 30 minutes from his parent’s home with his wife and 4 children. However, it takes him 3 hours to get there because of the checkpoints. He was willing to travel for 6 hours to spend less than two hours with us.
I asked him what drew him to Brother Andrew. He immediately teared up. He said that he would tell us a story: Some time ago he attended prayer at the Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem with 500 men. He said these were men who were scholars and god-fearing. The man speaking that day was asked by a man attending, “have you ever met a real Christian? Tell us, what do they look like?” Nasser said that the man speaking to the group told the 500 that he had met a Dutchman named Andrew who dared to go against the norm to visit 400 Muslim men (under threat of his own life) who were imprisoned many years ago at a place called “the meadow of flowers.”
He said, “Ask them to look at us with the same eyes.” In other words, could they walk in our shoes for a day to understand our plight? Could they withhold judgment until then?
He promised the men that he would go to their families and hug them, speak with them, and tell “their” heart to their families. He said that this man was what the true Christian looked like. Then a voice rose above the crowd saying, “I know that man! I have met him, too.” Then another and another… These men were also at the “meadow of flowers” and testified that this man was what the “real Christian” looked like.
Nasser stopped. He said that it was very difficult to speak the deep things of his heart and his love for Andrew. He then said that for many years Andrew has provided medicine for his mother that she is not allowed to receive in Palestine. Andrew is not asked, but he always makes sure she has it. Theological dissertations will seldom change the heart of a man, but living in such a way that the love and integrity of Jesus are seen and felt are the loudest sermons we can “preach.”
We left earlier than expected due to the possibility of rising tensions in the area. We concluded the night with the usual Arabic embrace and kiss. When Nasser departed he said, “I have changed…” I asked him what I should say to my American friends. He said, “Ask them to look at us with the same eyes.” In other words, could they walk in our shoes for a day to understand our plight? Could they withhold judgment until then?
In the mid 70’s, the KGB in Moscow picked up an underground Baptist leader whom they suspected of printing illegal scriptures on a homemade press. They beat and tortured him to find out the whereabouts of the press. But he uttered not a word. In desperation, they brought in his 16 year old son. They said, “We will beat him to death in front of you unless you tell us where it is.” Immediately the man began to waver. This was too much. How could he watch his precious son die? The blows began to descend. Crunch of bone and screams of agony— these were the sounds that went straight to his soul, and he was just about to cry out, “Stop, I’ll tell you; save my son,” when suddenly his boy cried out in the midst of his pain, “Dad, don’t give up. I can see Jesus coming for me, and He is beautiful!” With those words he died.
In the midst of a beating, there was beauty. In the midst of what I am involved with here I see His beauty and am reminded that each day is another opportunity to show the world that He is, indeed, beautiful…
