The Church in a Bubble

Days before Jews in Israel were to celebrate Purim in early March, the recent war with the radical Iranian regime ignited. Many Purim celebrations took place in bomb shelters, even as Israel hoped that the modern-day Haman—the militant Ayatollahs in Iran—would be brought down.

The book of Esther describes Purim as one of the greatest times of deliverance in the Bible. Around 470 BC, the entire Jewish population in Persia was doomed to destruction at the instigation of the vicious Haman, the senior figure in the court of Emperor Ahasuerus (Xerxes). His new queen, Esther, played a counter-role by exposing the plot to the king, inspired by her cousin, Mordechai.

Initially, Queen Esther seemed to be living in a social and political bubble within the palace, unaware of the peril to her Jewish people. Her uncle, Mordechai, confronted this with an “information campaign,” bringing the queen up to date on what was happening in the kingdom.

Translated to our day, he informed her about the vast sums of money sent by the Iranian and Qatari governments to various terror networks, and about the plans of Hezbollah and Hamas to wipe Israel off the map. He also informed her about the rapid growth of antisemitism around the world, and how more governments are turning their backs on Israel.

Esther’s subsequent risk assessment concluded that the risk was too great. Anyone who broke royal protocol faced the death penalty—even the queen herself.

What followed is the most famous passage in the scroll of Esther: Mordechai’s final appeal for Esther not to keep silent. Relief and deliverance would rise for the Jews from another place, he told her, “But you and your father’s house will perish… And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:13b–14).

What was truly at stake was not Israel’s survival, but Esther’s own. These words pierced her heart. She responded by calling for a three-day fast and resolved to go before the king, declaring boldly: “If I perish, I perish.” Esther was transformed into a courageous woman willing to risk everything for her people’s survival.

Thousands of years later, the global church finds itself facing an identical crossroad. Much like Esther, many Christians and churches today live in a bubble. By default, we tend to focus on our own struggles and church projects, while missing the challenges unfolding around us.

In May 1944, German pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote from his Nazi prison cell: “Our church, after fighting solely for its self-preservation during these years, as if that were an end in itself, is incapable of bringing the reconciling and redeeming word to mankind and to the world.” Outside today’s church walls, Bonhoeffer’s warning feels chillingly prophetic.

In many European countries, statistics show that Jews face far more hate crimes than any other group—by a significant margin. Synagogues are once again being attacked in Germany and across Europe; Jews are being gunned down in public places. Constant angry anti-Israel protests are taking place worldwide.

Jew-hatred has reached levels comparable to the early years of Nazi Germany. Tragically, as in the 1930s, many churches continue with business as usual. In his 1933 essay “The Church and the Jewish Question,” Bonhoeffer wrote: “The church has an unconditional obligation to the victims of any ordering of society, even if they do not belong to the Christian community.”

Are we willing to pay the price?

Recently, two churches in Europe were forced to cancel a major conference on their premises due to external threats. These churches support Israel but felt the risk was too high. Some pastors privately say: “Thank you for coming to my church, because I cannot speak about Israel anymore.” These leaders have succumbed to pressure and chosen silence.

Before World War II, Germany was known for its deep Christian heritage. Yet when Hitler rose to power, most churches remained silent. Today, most churches in Germany are empty and lack spiritual vitality. The warning “you and your house will perish” may be more real than we realize.

History is cycling back around. We are entering a time in which the church is once again confronted with the Jewish question, and the Church must find the courage to take a clear stand for our Jewish friends—simply because it is the right thing to do. The declaration “If I perish, I perish” may be a statement of faith from ancient times, but it also has profound relevance for our own day.

First published in the ICEJ’s Word From Jerusalem magazine; www.icej.org

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