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High Kirk Trip to Israel
It was a great privilege and pleasure
to return to Israel this year but with
twenty nine people to share the Paul’s further point is that as the Jews
experience. I said to my fellow pilgrims rejected Jesus it became the soil from
at the start of our journey that Israel which the Gentiles (us) came
would “get under their skin” and many to faith in him. The Jews’ rejection of
have subsequently agreed as the tour Jesus was “the reconciliation of the
unfolded. It is in turns a special place, world” (Rom.11:15); we should not be
a beautiful place, a spiritual place and a boastful or arrogant but rather be
frustrating place.
thankful that salvation has come to
us albeit through the unbelief of the
The text quoted in Romans 11 has often Jews. And so we have this strange
been with me when I have been in relationship with Israel; we honour
Israel. As Christians we owe a lot to and respect it and yet when we visit it
Israel, but as Paul suggests in Romans we also see a continued refusal to see
chapters 9-12 the Christian’s relationship that Jesus is the promised Messiah. They
with Israel is not straightforward. We owe are zealous for God but “their zeal is not
much to our Jewish roots – Jesus was a based on knowledge” (Rom.10:2) and they
Jew, salvation has come through Israel continue to reject salvation offered in
and perhaps it will be to Israel that He Jesus.
will return.
Service on the Sea of Galilee
