Witnessing to Jews in Israel

Back in 2005, my wife and I were blessed to go on an all expense paid Trip to Israel with Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa and Horizon C.F. and one of the places we went to visit was the Holocaust Museum, in Israel. This was a very sobering experience to say the least. When you arrive at the Museum, there is a large cafeteria that you have to go through before you go into the actual museum itself. Because we were there with well over 300 people from our 2 churches the lines through the Cafeteria were very long.

While my wife and I were in line waiting to order our lunch, I was talking to one of the other Assistant Pastors that I worked with, and Lyndsey was talking to some of the ladies from our church. I was ahead of Lyndsey in the line due to the fact that the group of women she was talking to was behind us in line. And at one point, the ladies must have been talking intently, not realizing that the line had moved up a few feet, which left a gap between them and us. I didn’t realize it because I was looking forward and talking to my friend. However, while this small opening was available, there was a large group of Israeli H.S. students who took advantage of the talking tourists and slipped right in between Lyndsey and I to avoid standing at the back of the line.

When I turned around and realized what they had done, I politely asked them how they got there, and they said, “We’ve been here the entire time.” I said, “Listen guys, do you see that pretty lady behind you right there?” They said “yes”. I said, “well that is my lovely wife, and I can assure you that when I got into this line she as well as the other ladies that are with her were standing right next to me.” They smiled and said, “Okay, you caught us. We’re sorry.” But they stayed in line anyways (which wasn’t a big deal). However, we had a while to go until we got to the counter so I wasn’t going to waste this opportunity. I said to their ringleader, “What do you think the Torah would say about you cutting in line before visitors in Israel, and then lying about it?”

It got pretty quiet. So I smiled really big and said; “I am just messing with you guys” (they smiled) and then I said, “But seriously, doesn’t the book of Exodus say, “do not lie”? and that the LORD will not excuse that? How will you atone for the sin that you have just committed against the Lord?

I then said, “Did you know that your Hebrew Bible says the only way that you can have your sins forgiven and go to heaven, is through Messiah? Your Bible says that He will die for your sins.” One of the guys that was in the group began looking at me very seriously. I could tell this caught his attention, and he said, “Where does it say that?” I said, “In the book of your prophet, Daniel. You guys really respect Daniel don’t you?” They all said, “Yes! He is very important to us.” I then took them to Daniel 9:24-26, which says “Messiah will be cut off for their sins” and one of them said “can I read that?” I said “sure.” And he snatched my bible out of my hands faster than I could say, “thou shall not steal!”

He was reading it intently, and he said, “does this really mean this?” I said, “yes,” it says that “Messiah the Prince shall be cut-off, murdered, and it is so that He can “make reconciliation for your sins” (Daniel 9:24).

Not only that, but in that same passage of Scripture Daniel prophesied about when the Messiah would come. And I told them about the Nehemiah 2, and how the 483 years that passed from that time, was exactly the day that the New Testament says that Yeshua from Nazareth came riding into Jerusalem on a Donkey, fulfilling the prophet Zechariah’s claim in Zechariah 9:9 and everyone sang to Him the prophetic verse from Psalm 118. I then said, “This is why Christians believe that Yeshua is God’s Messiah that the Prophets foretold about. And Jesus is the only one that fulfilled these prophecies.”

Right as I was about to share with them all that Jesus did for them, their teacher came up and began listening in, she gave me a stink bug eye, and then made them leave and go to the back of the line with their other classmates. It was a bit disappointing that I couldn’t continue on, but I know that God used it to plant seeds in each of those kids hearts.

I was really blessed by God to have such a fruitful conversation with these young Israeli students, and to share the gospel with them through the Old Testament. I would have loved to speak with them longer, but I know that what I did share truly had their attention, and most likely caused them to search these things out further on their own.