Jesus, our Prince of Peace

by Rob Berman, Branch Director South Africa

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this. (Isaiah 9:6-7)

But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
Though you are little among the thousands of Judah,
Yet out of you shall come forth to Me
The One to be Ruler in Israel,
Whose goings forth are from of old,
From everlasting. (Micah 5:2)

Elize and I recently hosted a Palestinian Christian in our home. Our guest hails from Bethlehem, the seemingly insignificant town where Jesus, the Jewish Messiah, was born.

We were equal parts nervous and excited to be hosting her, as we knew that she loves Jesus, but the war is such a sensitive topic that we weren’t sure how things were going to go.

During her stay with us, we discussed the ongoing conflict with love and understanding because we have all accepted Jesus, the Jewish Messiah, as our Saviour. She also explained to us what it was like growing up Christian in the West Bank and having accepted a Jewish Messiah, and I talked to her about what it is like to be a Jew who follows Jesus as the Messiah! We prayed together and saw a glimpse of what heaven will be like: Jew and Gentile together in perfect harmony, bending the knee before Yeshua.

When our guest had left, Elize and I chatted about our time together and confirmed to each other that this visit was of the Lord, as we had such a lovely time of fellowship with her. The Lord showed us once again that only He can bring people of incompatible sides together. Truly, Jesus is the Prince of Peace! Please pray for her and her family as they continue their walk with the Lord and bring the light of Messiah into a dark world.

This astounding visit was then followed by more exciting news. One of our Jewish contacts, who is the only believer in his family, wanted to meet with us and, with great enthusiasm, shared that for months, he has had a growing desire in his heart to get baptised and asked if we could facilitate his baptism. We spoke at length about what baptism is and how Jewish it is. He had no idea that it was such a Jewish act and was delighted to learn that just as circumcision is a sign of the Lord’s covenant with Abraham, baptism is a sign of the new covenant and circumcision of the heart. It was a privilege to share that precious moment with him a week later at his baptism.

The good news doesn’t stop there. His family has always been vehemently against his faith, but recently, some members have had a change of heart and are now open to exploring the teachings and claims of Jesus. Praise God for His faithfulness in answering believers’ prayers for their family members. The Lord is the One who circumcises the heart (Deuteronomy 30:6), turning hearts of stone that resist Him to hearts of flesh open to hearing about salvation in His Son, Yeshua.

If that wasn’t enough, we were connected with a young Jewish woman deeply touched by the show of Christian support for the Jewish community here in South Africa – especially in a world where seemingly everyone is turning their back on Israel and the Jewish people. She couldn’t stop saying how much this meant to her and her community and asked that we keep on standing with Israel and the Jewish people. We assured her this would continue because we not only worship the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob but also follow the Jewish Messiah. Please pray that the seeds sown during this conversation will grow to bear gospel fruit in her life, family and community.

Since 7 October and the ICJ genocide case the South African government has brought against Israel, we have seen a remarkable change in the Jewish community. They are more open to engaging with us and other Christians and talking about Jesus as the Messiah. There is an openness in the Jewish community that we have not seen in decades. As Jesus said in Luke 10:2, ‘The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.’ And we are seeing this before our very eyes: The fields are white and ripe.

In this season, as we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Saviour, let’s remember that only Jesus, the Son of David, born in Bethlehem, can bring true peace and bring those who otherwise should be sworn enemies together as a family.

Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you. (John 14:27)

In Yeshua, our Prince of Peace,
Rob Berman