The bishops of the Church of England who backed a plainly antisemitic document need to repent and perhaps take note of a significant predecessor’s thoughts on the subject.
Kairos Palestine II, which purports to express solidarity with suffering Palestinian Christians, shows no understanding of God’s long-term plans for Israel, whom it falsely accuses of genocide, even appearing to justify the October 7 2023 massacre of Jews by Hamas.1
But the much-revered 19th Century Bishop J C Ryle had the spiritual foresight to see the divine plan laid out before him in the Holy Scriptures.
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One of the great supporters of CMJ (the Church’s Ministry among Jewish people), for whom I volunteer, Ryle preached a sermon in 1867 on Jeremiah 31:10: Hear the word of the LORD, O nations, and declare it in the coastlands far away; say, ‘He who scattered Israel will gather him, and will keep him as a shepherd keeps his flock.‘
The man who later became the first Bishop of Liverpool explained: “It speaks of the scattering of Israel; this is history. It speaks of the gathering of Israel; this is prophecy… For the Jew it holds out a hope: Israel shall be gathered. On the Gentile it lays a command: ‘Hear the word of the Lord… He that scattered Israel will gather him.’”
As CMJ Israel chairman Rev Timothy Butlin put it: “Ryle understood that God was not finished with Israel. As he read the Scriptures, he saw a future that many around him could not yet perceive.”
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The prophecy to which Ryle referred has now been fulfilled with most of world Jewry back in their ancient land.
In another sermon, on Romans 13:12 (The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armour of light), Ryle asked a searching question: “What time is it?”
Jesus himself challenged his hearers: You know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky, but why do you not know how to interpret the present time? (Luke 12:56)
Rev Butlin says: “The world has become increasingly focused on Israel. With that attention has come growing hostility, misunderstanding and conflict. None of this should surprise us. Scripture teaches us that Israel occupies a unique place within God’s redemptive purposes, and wherever God is at work, opposition should be expected.”
The Church of England’s second-oldest mission co-founded in 1809 by slave abolitionist William Wilberforce, CMJ was envisioned to take the Gospel back to the Jewish people — and specifically to Jerusalem — at a time when it made little sense to many.
Israel’s Jewish population was small and the city lay within the fading Ottoman Empire. “Yet our founders looked beyond the circumstances before their eyes,” Rev Butlin added. “They believed the promises of God were still unfolding, and they were willing to pray, plan and invest for generations yet to come.”
Two centuries on, despite being surrounded by enemies as in historic times, opportunities to witness to the Gospel of the Jewish Messiah abound as both Jew and Arab find hope and reconciliation through engaging with staff and volunteers at CMJ’s beautiful Christ Church compound in the Old City.
And an encouraging sign of their continuing witness is the reopening after four months of closure of their popular coffee shop where many meaningful conversations take place in a haven of welcoming hospitality.
I am also familiar with the wonderful work of Christians who offer practical help to the Jewish community, and whose deeds of kindness borne out of their love for Jesus are opening Jewish hearts to the Gospel.
As part of their ministry in Israel, they visit those traumatised by terror attacks and offer to help rebuild property destroyed by missiles. One rabbi asked: “Why are you doing this?” And then admitted: “Every time I hear Handel’s Hallelujah Chorus I get goosebumps.”
A Jewish woman they were helping said she’d had a vision “of a man being crucified” and wondered what it was all about. Meanwhile some soldiers are reported to be so traumatised that they are within an inch of committing suicide. Thankfully, there are Christians there to pray for them, Christians who are daily risking their lives as they serve God’s chosen.
But the bishops to whom I’ve referred are seriously undermining their efforts by portraying Christians as Jew-haters. Shame on them!
1The original motion to ‘receive’ the document was changed to the softer ‘hear’ in anticipation of controversy.
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