Letter from Bethlehem: Mazin Qumsiyeh
Fourteen children died in Gaza from cold in one day of
rain and more cold fronts are coming as some 2 million people live in ragged
tents or in the open. And the genocide continues. Meanwhile tourists are
trickling into Bethlehem, here to visit the Church of Nativity and some to
visit our garden and museum (do visit us palestinenature.org/visit). I come
from a Palestinian Christian family - descendants of those Shepherds that
spread the word about the birth of Jesus. It seems fitting at this season (end
of the year & Christmas) to recall this heritage which is a human heritage
(i.e. regardless of our religious beliefs we honor it). Jesus gave a sermon
whose essence is reflected in both the Gospel of Matthew (5-7) and Gospel of
Luke (6). Matthew’s version is longer and they differ on location of e sermon.
But the message is similar and since 2.4 billion Christians and 2 billion
Muslim (i.e. more than half of humanity) believe in Jesus as a messenger and
“word made into flesh” to speak to us, it is highly important to remember those
words which can directly relate to our equally troubled
times:
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom
of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who
hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the
merciful, for they will receive mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they
will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of
God. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’
sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are
you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil
against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is
great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were
before you.
You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its
taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything,
but is thrown out and trampled underfoot. You are the light of the world. A
city built on a hill cannot be hid. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under
the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the
house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may
see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.
Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the
prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. For truly I tell you,
until heaven and earth pass away, not one letter, not one stroke of a letter,
will pass from the law until all is accomplished. Therefore, whoever breaks one
of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, will be
called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does them and teaches them
will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your
righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees*, you will never enter
the kingdom of heaven.
You have heard that it was said to those of ancient
times, ‘You shall not murder’; and ‘whoever murders shall be liable to
judgment.’ But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you
will be liable to judgment; and if you insult a brother or sister, you will be
liable to the council; and if you say, ‘You fool,’ you will be liable to the
hell of fire. So when you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember
that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there
before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother or sister, and
then come and offer your gift.** Come to terms quickly with your accuser while
you are on the way to court with him, or your accuser may hand you over to the
judge, and the judge to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison. Truly I
tell you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny.
You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit
adultery.’ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust has
already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you
to sin, tear it out and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your
members than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand
causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away; it is better for you to lose
one of your members than for your whole body to go into hell. It was also said,
‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ But I
say to you that anyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of
unchastity, causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman
commits adultery.
Again, you have heard that it was said to those of
ancient times, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but carry out the vows you have
made to the Lord.’
But I say to you, Do not swear at all, either by heaven,
for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by
Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. And do not swear by your head,
for you cannot make one hair white or black. Let your word be ‘Yes, Yes’ or
‘No, No’; anything more than this comes from the evil one.
You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a
tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone
strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also; and if anyone wants to sue
you and take your coat, give your cloak as well; and if anyone forces you to go
one mile, go also the second mile. Give to everyone who begs from you, and do
not refuse anyone who wants to borrow from you.
You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your
neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for
those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven;
for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the
righteous and on the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what
reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you
greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing than others?
Do not even the Gentiles do the same? Be perfect,***
therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of
others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father
in heaven.
So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with
trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be
honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full.
But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right
hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees
what is done in secret, will reward you.
And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for
they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be
seen by others.
Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in
full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your
Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will
reward you.
And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans,
for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like
them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
This, then, is how you should pray: Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is
in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but
deliver us from evil. [for yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory
forever. Amen.]
For if you forgive other people when they sin against
you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive
others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.
When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do,
for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell
you, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on
your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to others that you
are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees
what is done in secret, will reward you.
Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where
moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up
for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and
where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your
heart will be also. The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy,
your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eyes are unhealthy [or
generous vs stingy], your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the
light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!
No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the
one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the
other. You cannot serve both God and money.
Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what
you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more
than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they
do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds
them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying
add a single hour to your life?
And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers
of the field grow.
They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even
Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God
clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into
the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not
worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we
wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father
knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and
all these things will be given to you as well.
Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will
worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same
way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will
be measured to you.
Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s
eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your
brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a
plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye,
and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.
Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls
to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and turn and tear
you to pieces.
Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find;
knock and the door will be opened to you.For everyone who asks receives; the
one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a
stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though
you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will
your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! So in everything,
do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and
the Prophets.
Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and
broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But
small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find
it.
Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s
clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will
recognize them.
Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from
thistles? Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad
fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good
fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the
fire.
Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.
Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the
kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in
heaven.
Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not
prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name
perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away
from me, you evildoers!’
Therefore everyone
who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man
who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the
winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its
foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not
put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The
rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that
house, and it fell with a great crash.
When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds
were amazed at his teaching, because he taught as one who had authority, and
not as their teachers of the law.
Footnotes
*Pharisees: Sect of religious zealots who believed in
separation and rituals. They opposed the more tolerant Sadducees (who put
obeying the Mosaic law as primary over the rituals). They challenged Jesus and
he in turn challenged their claimed authority and their hypocrisy. Acting against them included his turning of
the profiteers tables at the temple for trading religion. Pharisees ended up
handing Jesus to be crucified.
**In Islam it is also told that you should first settle
your debts before coming to prayer. That this is more important
*** The more proper translation from Aramaic (language of
Jesus) is “complete.”
Stay Humane, act, and keep hope and Palestine alive
Mazin Qumsiyeh
A bedouin in cyberspace, a villager at home Professor,
Founder, and (volunteer) Director Palestine Museum of Natural History Palestine
Institute of Biodiversity and Sustainability Bethlehem University Occupied
Palestine
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