There was a man who was a farmer. He was a good, honest and honourable man. And as he came to his last days, he felt that it was time to get his affairs in order.
So he called his two sons and he divided his farm between them. The half on the west side of the mountain he gave to one son. The half that was on the east side, he gave to the other one. And then he passed on to His maker
His sons mourned his loss and they went their separate ways - one on the west, one on the east. The first harvest came and the one son was sitting in his kitchen with his wife and he said,
"My beloved I have to share what's on my heart. It is harvest time and we were blessed with a bountiful harvest. But when I reflect on my brother on the other side of the mountain, I'm terribly pained. For you see, I have you and all our children. I'm so blessed and so rich. He on the other hand, is all alone. The least I can do is give him material blessing.
What I propose dear wife, is each night I will take a wagon full of our produce, and secretly put it in his storage bin."
His wife, a good woman, agreed and the plan was set.
Meanwhile, sitting alone in his house on the other side of the mountain, the first brother was thinking to himself.
"I'm here alone, my needs are few, my brother on the other hand has so many demands. He has a wife, he has children, and he has expenses. The least I can do is give him some of my produce to ease his burden."
And so he resolved that each night he would take a wagon full of his wheat and secretly store it in his brother's barn.
This went on night after night, until one night the inevitable happened. As one brother came to the top of the mountain from the west, the other brother came from the east.
And they met.
For a moment they stood silent, each understanding what the other had been trying to do. And then they dropped the reins of their horses and they embraced. They cried some tears and each went his own way.
When the angels in heaven saw this, they turned to the Holy one, blessed be He. And they demanded that He do something to recognize the love that the two brothers had for one another.
And God quieted down the heavens saying, "Indeed, I will recognize this act of love. For on this place, where these two brothers have met tonight, I will make My home. And when my children show me the love that these two brothers have shown for each other, then I shall dwell in them.
And it is on that site that the Almighty chose to build His Holy Temple.
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The first time I heard this traditional Jewish story I was in Israel in 2003, along with 20 other Canadian Christian leaders who had been invited by the government of Israel to tour the nation and promote greater friendship between the Christian community and the state of Israel. It was our final night together and as we finished our meal, a prominent Canadian Jewish leader rose to share this story with us.
“And,” he concluded, “when we join as brothers and sisters and show the love for each other that is as unlimited as the love of those two brothers, thereby defining our love for God, God will keep His word. And on that day, the Lord will be one and His name one.”
I was then asked, on behalf of the Christian leaders, to respond to this story. Immediately what came to my mind is how the simplest elements of any covenant in our Middle Eastern culture are bread and salt. So as I walked to the front of the room, I picked up a dinner roll and salt shaker from one of the nearby tables.
First I shared how deeply my heart was touched by this story. And then, taking the salt and bread, I invited this man and all the Jewish officials in the room to enter into a simple covenant with myself and the other Christian leaders: we will not let go until we see healing in the relationship between Jews and Christians and the hurts and wounds of the past replaced by a deep friendship and love for one another.
It is because of this promise that Christian leaders from different ministries in Canada have united to invite members of the Israeli Knesset to be our guests this April. They, along with a team of Canadian Jewish leaders and Canadian Christian leaders, will travel to 5 cities – Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, Winnipeg and Vancouver, between April 19-23, 2009. In each city the Christian and Jewish community will be invited to join together with us for a time of sharing hearts. Our prayer is that this simple act of meeting together will be a meaningful step in seeing walls of division melted and greater understanding and friendship come between our two communities.
More information about the events of that week will be released in the next short while. In the meantime, will you please join in prayer asking God prepare the hearts of the Christians to welcome and embrace our Jewish brothers so that from the moment they touch Canadian soil they will feel surrounded by our love.
Also if you would like to sow to help cover the expenses of hosting this tour, you can do so by credit card using our secure server at https://watchmen.org/donation.asp. Simply choose “Canada-Israel Together” as your “giving option” and funds will be directed to this event. Or if you prefer you may mail a cheque or money order to:
Watchmen for the Nations
PO Box 23125
Kelowna, BC V1X 7K7
Thank you for your heart to walk with us.
All my love
David
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