This article was originally published by The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry.

It wasn’t a large toad: maybe two, two-and-a-half inches long. I was in the yard with my grandma when we found him hopping alongside the house.

We caught him, put him in a Mason jar with holes in the lid, and dropped some grass inside for comfort. 

The next day, I took him with me to preschool for show-and-tell. This promised to be the best thing my fellow 4-year-olds had ever seen! 

As I waited with my mom in the small foyer outside the classroom door before class started, I slid the jar underneath my jacket, so no one could catch a glimpse before the great reveal. I stood there, proud of what I had found and so excited I could hardly wait. As it turned out, I wouldn’t have to wait long.

Just as the door to the classroom opened, I lost my grip on the jar. It went crashing to the floor, shattering into several pieces. I’m sure my eyes were the size of saucers as I realized what had just happened. My toad friend went hopping crazily around as parents and children alike screamed and made quick jumps around the small foyer to avoid stepping on him. It was pandemonium.

Eventually, my toad friend—shaken, but unscathed, after his fall—-was recaptured in a paper cup, and I showed him to the class. They loved him.

I laugh about it now, but that memory is clear to me, because it was traumatic. One slip of my hand broke the jar and resulted in momentary chaos.

It’s similar to what happened to our world and to the human race in the Garden of Eden. Things were good when Adam and Eve were created—very good. But when Adam sinned, it ushered sin and death into the world (Rom. 5:12). Poverty. Homelessness. Broken families. Confusion about gender and sexuality. Abortion. Economic tumult. Pollution of the creation. Greed. There is chaos and brokenness everywhere we look in our world today. 

What do we do about this?

Many in the Jewish community seek to remedy these and other problems according to the rabbinic teaching called Tikkun Olam. Literally meaning “world repair,” at its root, Tikkun Olam assumes the world is broken.

On a practical level, synagogues, religious and non-profit groups, and Jewish individuals regularly take part in hands-on activities that seek to carry out Tikkun Olam. They want to make the world a better place by taking part in humanitarian work that benefits their neighbors and the world.

The Jewish community is not alone in this desire to bring healing to the broken world, though. Christians, too, are exhorted to alleviate suffering (Jas. 2:16), to care for the disadvantaged (Jas. 1:27), and to speak up for those without a voice (Prov. 31:8). Throughout history, the Lord has used believers to minister to the physical needs of others, believers such as William Wilberforce, Amy Carmichael, and modern evangelicals who lead the fight against sex trafficking and the abortion industry.

As good as it is to seek to alleviate suffering, we must never forget that the Scriptures teach there is only One who will bring lasting healing to the world, and that is Jesus the Messiah.

John, the beloved apostle, records the vision he saw of the day ultimate Tikkun Olam becomes a reality, when the new heaven and new earth are here:

And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”

Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts” (Rev. 21:4-6).

Seeking to make the world a better place and to alleviate suffering are noble and good things to pursue. But ultimately Tikkun Olam—world repair—will come when God Himself makes all things new. 

Like the jar my toad called home, this world and all its suffering will be disposed of, the chaos will be over, and the world will be permanently and wholly repaired. In order to take part in this, though, each person must drink of the fountain of the water of life by trusting in the finished work of redemption Jesus accomplished on the cross. 

So, what about you? Will you experience lasting Tikkun Olam?

This article was originally published by The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry.

"Do you support Israel because you want Jesus to come back?”

I had been asked this question a handful of times before by Jewish friends but never in this setting. Riding on a tour bus through Poland, I was the only Gentile and, as far as I know, the only follower of Jesus on the bus. We were all part of an educational trip on the Holocaust. He was seated next to me on the bus when he asked me the question.

“No,” I answered. “I genuinely love Israel and the Jewish people, no strings attached. And I don’t believe Jesus’ return to Earth is dependent on anything I do. Why do you ask?”

The man went on to explain that the evangelicals he knows told him they support Israel and want the Jewish people to return to the land because they believe doing so will hasten Jesus’ return. He was understandably dubious of Christians like myself who say they support Israel.

Although it saddened me to learn that the Jewish people had been taught that believers in Jesus support Israel for selfish reasons, I was glad my friend felt free to confront me with these questions. It showed me that such misconceptions were common, and it gave me the opportunity to explain why I support Israel and love the Jewish people.

Why do Christians support Israel?

To be sure, not every Christian supports Israel. There are Christian organizations, such as Christ at the Checkpoint, that are actively opposed to Israel on political grounds. Many Christian denominations, too, hold to Replacement Theology—the theological concept that the church is God’s new Chosen People and that the Jewish people have no future. Sadly, there is not much love for Israel in these circles.

Thankfully, though, many evangelical Christians do support Israel and believe the Jewish people have a historic, God-given right to the land of Israel in perpetuity. Those of us who believe this way are called Christian Zionists.

So, why do Christian Zionists support Israel and love the Jewish people?

1. We recognize that God has chosen Israel as His unique people.

Christians believe the Bible, both the Tanakh (Old Testament) and the New Testament, is the inspired Word of God. All throughout the Bible, God makes it clear that He has formed and chosen the Jewish people (physical descendants of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and the twelve tribes) to be a special people for Himself (Isa. 46:13).

To be sure, this doesn’t mean He loves Jewish people more than Gentiles—the Bible teaches He loves all people (Jn. 3:16). But God loves Israel in a unique way and has chosen to reveal Himself to that nation and to work through that people in a way He does not with anyone else (Rom. 9:4-5).

2. We are indebted to Israel.

Paul, the Pharisee-turned-Jesus-follower, described Gentiles as those who are “aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world” (Eph. 2:12). That’s a pretty stark picture of those of us who are not Jewish.

Indeed, part of Israel’s role as God’s chosen servant was to be a kingdom of priests to the world (Ex. 19:6). A priest is one who mediates between God and man. As a kingdom of priests, Israel was to represent God to the goyim, the nations.

Today, the majority of Christians are Gentiles. We, though “aliens from the commonwealth of Israel,” have come to know the God of Israel through the Scriptures He gave to the Jewish people. We believe that Jesus is the Son of God, the promised Messiah of Israel, a belief based on the Hebrew Scriptures. By faith in the Messiah, we “who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ” (Eph. 2:13).

We are indebted to the Jewish people for their transmission and preservation of the Scriptures and for the gift of the Messiah Jesus by Whom we have been brought near to God and have hope.

3. We understand God has promised to bless those who bless Israel.

Further, He promised Abraham that He would bless those who bless Him and His descendants and He would curse those who curse him (Gen. 12:3). In fact, God says that aiding the Jewish people in their distress is the same as aiding Him (Matt. 25:35-40). Conversely, harming the Jewish people is the same as doing harm to Him (Zech. 2:8; Matt. 25:41-45). 

As Christians, our desire is to bless the Jewish people, not only for the great blessings we have received through Israel, but also because it reflects God’s heart.