It wasn’t long after the statue of baby Jesus wrapped in a Palestinian kaffiyeh appeared in the Vatican that the controversial nativity scene disappeared again.
It wasn’t the main nativity scene at the Vatican, but it certainly got a lot of attention. Pictures of the Pope facing the keffiyeh-clad baby were splashed all over the internet, giving his tacit approval of the political message. Olive wood statues were presented to the Pope by artists Fatem Nastas Mitwasi and Johny Andonia from Bethlehem, now an overwhelmingly Muslim city under the Palestinian Authority. You can buy these beautiful nativity scenes, sets made of olive wood by Palestinian Christians, all over Israel. However, with the addition of a keffiyeh scarf, this was a particularly political nativity scene, suggesting—yet again—that Jesus was a Palestinian.
The problem with a Palestinian Jesus
This determination to pretend that Jesus was Palestinian is a diabolical trend. People are even suggesting that Mary wasn’t Jewish as well now, following the new Netflix film about her, played by an Israeli actress. But of course Mary was Jewish! Her Hebrew name was Miriam and her husband, Yoseph, was also Jewish. And so was her son, Yeshua.
He was born Jewish, He is of the tribe of Judah, and will come back to reign on David’s throne in Jerusalem.
Wrapping a figurine of Jesus in a keffiyeh doesn’t make Him Palestinian any more than a man wearing a dress makes that man a woman. There’s nothing wrong with male and female and there’s nothing wrong with Jews and Arabs. All are beloved, all are equal before the Lord. But make no mistake, Jesus is Jewish, and it matters.
Truth matters.
The problem with this Palestinian Jesus business is not only that it’s just not true, but also that it is in direct opposition of God’s plans and purposes. Jesus said He will not return until His people are calling from His holy city, “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!” (Matthew 23:39). God has regathered His people to Israel on purpose, just as He promised in His word. He is preparing the ground for His soon return, and Israel must be there. There must be Jews in Jerusalem. God has reestablished Israel and joining those who fight against it is joining the fight against God.
As Jesus said when he dramatically confronted Saul who on his way to Damascus to arrest Christians, it’s not a good idea to “kick against the goads” (Acts 26:14). Now Saul was certain he was in the right, defending God’s honor as he understood it. But he was way off. His error led to great bloodshed before Jesus gave Him that Damascus road revelation. But it’s revelation that’s so often required. People always like to think they are doing right but are actually getting it wrong, as Proverbs 14:12 tells us, and it’s only with supernatural help that we understand God’s purposes. His ways are far higher than ours.
“Peace, peace, when there is no peace”
This is not the first time the Pope has had to walk back an anti-Israel position. He has recently had to explain his way out of comments in his new book calling for Israel to be investigated for genocide1, and now he is backtracking on the whole kaffiyeh in the cradle debacle. Like Joe Biden who has been seen clutching an anti-Israel book2, it doesn’t look good. This is a gap you cannot straddle.
Pope Francis simplistically demanded, “Enough with wars, enough of violence!” But there would be no war if Israel’s enemies accepted God’s decision to regather the Jewish people to their ancestral homeland. By demanding an end to the fighting, he’s expecting Israel to sit back and be slaughtered, because the terrorists are not ready to give up on their mission to destroy the Jewish state any time soon. This is something Rabbi Yosef Garmon, a former IDF tank commander, explained to the Pope, defending Israel against the pontiff’s suggestion that Israel may be committing genocide.
“Israel has the capability to end the war in one day and erase Gaza entirely, but it did not act that way and risked its soldiers to prevent the killing of innocents. You should investigate those who call to investigate Israel – not the other way around,” Rabbi Garmon explained to the Pope1.
Things are not always as they seem. The keffiyeh scarf itself, for example, has a fascinating history which ironically proves the point very well.
Many around the world want to be purveyors of peace, and hold a “both sides” stance. Surely the Lord of the Angel armies is not drawn into taking sides, as he told Joshua:
“Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua went up to him and asked, “Are you for us or for our enemies?”
“Neither,” he replied, “but as commander of the army of the LORD I have now come.” (Joshua 5:13)
If we’re going to take a side, we need to take the Lord’s side. And that means getting acquainted with His point of view. We must know our Bible. It does, admittedly, require great faith to take God at His word. His ways can be bewildering sometimes, and His ideas of righteousness and justice don’t always match those of man. But if we love the Lord and believe in His word, we need to accept His ways without fighting them. God is His own side, and all who love Him should seek to join Him.
- All Israel News, Pope addresses Israel genocide comments, says they were taken out of context, Jo Elizabeth, November 26, 2024
- Fox News, Biden seen holding anti-Israel book during Black Friday shopping excursion, Louis Casiano, November 29, 2024
