Abstract

In this theological study, I examine the Abrahamic Covenant as a foundation of reconciliation between the ancestors of Isaac and the ancestors of Ishmael, drawing implications for the Palestinian Christians and the Messianic Jews of the contemporary culture. ;Seeking ways for believers from both sides to be able to experience genuine reconciliation as members of the body of Christ, I first reviewed the history of conflict and violence between the two nations over the past 100--150 years. Then I showed violence is not the solution, rather the way of the Jesus, which is the way of the cross, is the solution. Second, I dealt with the sensitive issues that usually separate us from one another, the dispensationalist and nondispensationalist teaching concerning the church, Israel, the role of Israel in eschatology, and the concept of covenant in the Old Testament and the New Testament. I tried to be fair to the scripture and at the same time focus on a commonground that will bring us closer to reconciliation. I emphasize the work of Jesus on the cross as a tool of reconciliation on the vertical level between God and humanity. At this level, every human being who puts his or her trust in the crucified Savior can relate to the pain and suffering of Christ because of what humanity has suffered, whether it be the terrible suffering of the Jewish people in the holocaust or the injustice and oppression suffered by the Palestinians people. The good news is that people from both sides who reconcile to God through the risen Christ can forgive and can experience real reconciliation with one another as members of the one body