crisis to be made clear to her so she could begin all over again—and get on with the rest of her life.
But what if Jesus’ solution wasn’t the answer she wanted—or expected?
----
“How long have you been a Christian, Hannah?” Abby asked later that afternoon as they drove to their hotel in Galilee. The group had spent a long day visiting several historic sites, including an ancient Roman aqueduct outside of Caesarea. As they were leaving their last stop of the day, Hannah had surprised Abby by offering her a ride in Ari’s car. Weighing the pros and cons of sitting alone in the safety of the tour bus or risking Ari’s driving again, Abby had decided the risk was well worth the opportunity to talk with Hannah.
“Let’s see . . . I’ve been a Messianic believer for about five years now,” Hannah replied. She turned to face Abby in the backseat. “My daughter, Rachel, became a believer first. And I have to tell you that I was quite upset when she told me about her faith. When a Jew hears the word Christian , we immediately think of the Crusades and the Spanish Inquisition and all the other horrors committed in the name of Christ. We’ve quite forgotten the fact that Jesus was Jewish, as were all of His disciples, the apostle Paul, and most of the earliest Christians.”
“I would have guessed it was much longer than five years,” Abby said. “I’ve been a so-called Christian all my life, but your faith seems so much stronger, more real than mine.”
Hannah fingered the ancient coin she wore on a chain around her neck. “The central belief of the Jewish faith is that God is working to redeem mankind. Once I saw that Jesus already brought about that promised redemption— my redemption—my faith was completed, not altered.”
Abby glimpsed Ari’s face in the rearview mirror and saw by his frown that Hannah’s words made him uncomfortable. Judging by his angry comments in Caesarea about the atrocities committed by the Crusaders, she guessed that he didn’t share Hannah’s beliefs. He had been silent during their drive, but now he interrupted Hannah to ask her a question in Hebrew. She answered him in the same language. Their discussion grew more and more heated, until Hannah ended it with a shake of her head and a gesture of finality.
“No, Ari. I can’t do that.” Then she turned to face Abby again. “When we reach the top of this hill, you will have your first glimpse of the Sea of Galilee There it is! What do you think?”
Abby caught her breath. Below her the sea resembled a deep blue sapphire, mounted in a setting of gentle green hills. The lake was smaller than she had imagined, but much lovelier.
“I never dreamed it would be so beautiful. For some reason, I always thought of Israel as a desert, but it isn’t at all. No wonder people have been fighting over this land for centuries.”
“Yes, and unfortunately we are still fighting,” Hannah said. “You experienced that for yourself yesterday.”
Abby gathered her courage to ask the question she had been avoiding. “Hannah, about what happened yesterday . . . do you think I’m still a suspect?”
“I can’t imagine that any sensible person would think so! Why?”
“I called home after we talked last night. My house in Indiana was broken into yesterday. Someone robbed it and ransacked the place.”
“Is your family all right?”
“No one was home at the time, but my daughter was pretty upset when she discovered the mess. I should call her again tonight and see how she’s doing. But I’ve been wondering . . . Do you think the two events are related somehow?”
Hannah and Ari exchanged glances. Hannah looked very angry. “I’d like to say no, Abby, but I honestly don’t know. There are radical groups in my country who would easily stoop to such tactics. Israel is still a nation in crisis, just as it was in Jesus’ time. There are people who want to fight and people like Ben who want compromise and peace. . . .
But what if Jesus’ solution wasn’t the answer she wanted—or expected?
----
“How long have you been a Christian, Hannah?” Abby asked later that afternoon as they drove to their hotel in Galilee. The group had spent a long day visiting several historic sites, including an ancient Roman aqueduct outside of Caesarea. As they were leaving their last stop of the day, Hannah had surprised Abby by offering her a ride in Ari’s car. Weighing the pros and cons of sitting alone in the safety of the tour bus or risking Ari’s driving again, Abby had decided the risk was well worth the opportunity to talk with Hannah.
“Let’s see . . . I’ve been a Messianic believer for about five years now,” Hannah replied. She turned to face Abby in the backseat. “My daughter, Rachel, became a believer first. And I have to tell you that I was quite upset when she told me about her faith. When a Jew hears the word Christian , we immediately think of the Crusades and the Spanish Inquisition and all the other horrors committed in the name of Christ. We’ve quite forgotten the fact that Jesus was Jewish, as were all of His disciples, the apostle Paul, and most of the earliest Christians.”
“I would have guessed it was much longer than five years,” Abby said. “I’ve been a so-called Christian all my life, but your faith seems so much stronger, more real than mine.”
Hannah fingered the ancient coin she wore on a chain around her neck. “The central belief of the Jewish faith is that God is working to redeem mankind. Once I saw that Jesus already brought about that promised redemption— my redemption—my faith was completed, not altered.”
Abby glimpsed Ari’s face in the rearview mirror and saw by his frown that Hannah’s words made him uncomfortable. Judging by his angry comments in Caesarea about the atrocities committed by the Crusaders, she guessed that he didn’t share Hannah’s beliefs. He had been silent during their drive, but now he interrupted Hannah to ask her a question in Hebrew. She answered him in the same language. Their discussion grew more and more heated, until Hannah ended it with a shake of her head and a gesture of finality.
“No, Ari. I can’t do that.” Then she turned to face Abby again. “When we reach the top of this hill, you will have your first glimpse of the Sea of Galilee There it is! What do you think?”
Abby caught her breath. Below her the sea resembled a deep blue sapphire, mounted in a setting of gentle green hills. The lake was smaller than she had imagined, but much lovelier.
“I never dreamed it would be so beautiful. For some reason, I always thought of Israel as a desert, but it isn’t at all. No wonder people have been fighting over this land for centuries.”
“Yes, and unfortunately we are still fighting,” Hannah said. “You experienced that for yourself yesterday.”
Abby gathered her courage to ask the question she had been avoiding. “Hannah, about what happened yesterday . . . do you think I’m still a suspect?”
“I can’t imagine that any sensible person would think so! Why?”
“I called home after we talked last night. My house in Indiana was broken into yesterday. Someone robbed it and ransacked the place.”
“Is your family all right?”
“No one was home at the time, but my daughter was pretty upset when she discovered the mess. I should call her again tonight and see how she’s doing. But I’ve been wondering . . . Do you think the two events are related somehow?”
Hannah and Ari exchanged glances. Hannah looked very angry. “I’d like to say no, Abby, but I honestly don’t know. There are radical groups in my country who would easily stoop to such tactics. Israel is still a nation in crisis, just as it was in Jesus’ time. There are people who want to fight and people like Ben who want compromise and peace. . . .
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