Israel in Four Dimensions

In January 2023, I co-led a trip to Israel. When I arrived back in Manchester, I debriefed with our leadership team and told them that it was very successful. Someone responded by asking me what differentiated a successful Israel trip from an unsuccessful one. As I’ve reflected on that question, I’ve realized that the answer offers insight into the church’s relationship with Israel and how we need to think critically about it moving forward.

A successful trip is one that has depth. It engages Israel in different ways, producing an ongoing, living connection to the people and the land. An unsuccessful trip is one-dimensional. It treats Israel merely as a living museum with immersive exhibits. While that may be meaningful for the individual tourist, it doesn’t produce long-term health between Israel and the church. It may help Israel from an economic perspective, but it doesn’t foster meaningful relationship.

A one-dimensional trip only engages the sites. By “the sites,” I refer to the Biblical, historical, and modern landmarks that commemorate important events in Israel’s past and present. These sites are important, and they are a foundational part of touring Israel. However, the church’s relationship with her will lack depth if we only stop at the sites. We need to push into other dimensions of experience and understanding.

The first dimension should be the story of Israel. After leading Israel trips, teaching Israel classes, and discussing Israel with church leaders and members, it’s clear that the majority of the Western church doesn’t know the story of Israel. By “Israel’s story,” I refer to the comprehensive Old Testament narrative, from Abraham’s election to Malachi’s prophecies, including the keys transitions in tabernacles, temples, and exiles. I also refer to the intertestamental period that historically sets the stage for Jesus and   the turbulent conflict with the Roman empire that ensues after His ascension. I refer to centuries of Jewish wandering and then the rise of modern Zionism, which led to the rebirth of the state of Israel in 1948. Lastly, I refer to the ongoing story of modern Israel and what the Bible teaches about her future. For the most part, Christians have a few isolated stories in their minds regarding all of this, but not a full picture that holds everything together with continuity. However, if we don’t know Israel’s story, we can’t know Israel’s people.

The second dimension should be the significance of Israel. Once we actually know the story, we then need to ask why it matters. What is so important about a tiny population among so many other people groups, ethnicities, and nationalities? According to scripture, what is the significance of this tiny strip of land in the Middle East? Do Israel and the Jewish people matter, and, if so, why? What does the story mean?

The third dimension of understanding should be the situation in Israel. This nation gets a lot of attention in global politics and media. On university campuses, anti-Israel sentiment continues to rise, being primarily built upon a sympathetic identification with the aspiring Palestinian people. However, I’ve found that most people have not taken the time to actually understand the political situation. The current tensions within and around her borders have a complex history. Without knowing her story and her significance, it’s impossible to understand her situation. Too often, Christians quickly dismiss Israel or adopt a negative attitude toward her simply because they glance at a few headlines and make a quick judgment call with partial and often distorted information. Again, the situation is complex, and it’s worth taking the time to actually understand it.

The fourth dimension of engagement should be grappling with this question: Based upon Israel’s story, significance, and situation, what is our responsibility to her individually as disciples, locally as churches, and globally as the Church? Once we understand who Israel is and what she is facing, does it provoke us to some kind of action? Does it move us beyond mere tourism of her sites into an intercessory posture regarding her future?

To clarify, I’m not at all discouraging Christians from visiting Israel and seeing her sites. I actually think that is a very important step for Christians to take. (It was certainly an important step for me!) My argument is simply this: To cultivate a helpful, meaningful relationship with Israel, we can not settle for just taking pictures in her land. The sites need to become an invitation into her story so we can see her significance, understand her situation, and contend for her future. Israel is more than a living relic. Israel is a living people. For her sake, we must ask serious questions to ourselves and to God.