Becky Luzier
03-18-98

I have been a follower of the Messiah Jesus my whole life, yet I am a gentile and of no Jewish descent. My parents were converted through the ministry of Jesus and I was raised as a gentile Christian. This was not easy for me or my parents. It was very hard for my parents as they were accused of not being "true" believers because they did not practice Jewish traditions and customs and were not descendants of the "chosen" people of Israel. These accusations, however, did not discourage them from believing. They followed Jesus throughout his earthly ministry and heard first-hand his teachings and promises, all of which they passed on to me as I grew up. They taught me that God's salvation and forgiveness was meant for all who believe, and all who sin are at the mercy of God, Jews and gentiles alike. This I can see for myself in the gospel of Mark 3:28-29 and 3:34-35.

My parents spoke of the miracles that Jesus performed fight here in the area of the Decapolis where I live. Jesus amazed the people in my region when he cast out the demons of a man who had been possessed and living in tombs for many years. The man came back and told my parents what had happened and it is also documented in Mark 5:2-20. Then again, in 7:31-35, Jesus healed another man here in the Decapolis who had been deaf and mute.

I believe that Mark had gentiles in mind when he wrote his gospel because he takes the time to explain Jewish customs in 7:2-4 and in 15:42; and he translates Aramaic words in 3:17, 5:41, 7:11, 34, and 15:22. He also seems to concentrate on persecution and martyrdom in 8:34-38 and in 13:9-13. These subjects are very important to gentile believers.

Now I am grown and I live in Pella, still in the area of the Decapolis. I am a married woman and my husband and I are considered peasants of the Plebian class of society. We are both gentile Christians belonging to a group of fellow believers consisting of members of both Jewish and gentile descent. We have been a committed group of followers for quite some time now, but a war in Jerusalem has broken out between the Judeans and the Romans. Now I feel that the Christian community is being pulled in several different directions. "- '

Some of our members have already left for Jerusalem to fight in the war. They believe this is God's holy war, signaling the second coming of Christ. Now others are considering following them. This is because they left us with the warning that, in order for us to prove our belief in Jesus as the Messiah, we had to join in the war effort. Before they left, they continuously quoted passages found in Mark that refer to nations rising against each other and war marking the beginning of the end of the world, such as in 13:2, 8, and 26-27.

Even some of our Jewish members have now dismissed the idea of Jesus being the one, true Messiah. Some now claim Simon ben Gurion as the Messiah, and yet others are proclaiming John of Gischala as such. I could not believe what they were saying. Such remarks reminded me of the ignorance of King Herod and his people in Mark 6:14-16 when they believed Jesus was John the Baptist raised from the dead, or that he was Elijah, or just another prophet from the past. I cannot understand how my friends could be making the same mistake all over again or how they could question their own faith. This is what the scriptures are for, so that we may learn from the past. And yet, I still feel that they have learned nothing from such passages.

Unfortunately, some of our newly, converted gentile members have dismissed Jesus as well and have returned to a pagan lifestyle with Rome. They have given up on Christianity because they feel that it is unstable and they have become frustrated. When they questioned me as to why I have stayed a Christian, I referred them to the parable of the Sower in Mark chapter 4, and especially pointed out verses 16-17. I also reminded them of the rewards Jesus spoke of in verse 20 of the same chapter. Upon reading this, some decided to stay, but we have still lost a vast majority of our group to pagan thinking.

The hardest part of this whole situation was that my husband was considering going to Jerusalem to fight in the war with the other members of our community. When I protested, he quoted Jesus saying, "For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it" (Mark 8: 35-36). He claimed that those who fought in this war would not die because it was God's war (Mark 9:1).

After hearing his arguments, I finally voiced my opinion in hope that I might change his mind. I brought up Mark 10:15 and asked how anyone could receive the kingdom of God like a child in the way God wants if he is trying to enter it by killing others in a war. This is not the way of a child. I also reminded him of all the warnings Jesus gave about being deceived about the time of the end of the age, (Mark 13:5-7 and 21-23). True, at the time of the parousia, the Son of God will be seen "coming in clouds with great power and glory," but Jesus also said that the day and hour will be unknown. According to 13:32-33, we do not know when that time will come and, therefore, we cannot assume that this war in Jerusalem means Christ is coming again. I told my husband that he was right that we needed to be prepared, but fighting the Romans was not the way.

He has now decided to stay in Pella but I still fear that, as the war goes on, he might change his mind.

As for me, I believe that the time of the return of the Messiah is not to be known to us in any way. We are expected to please God throughout our everyday lives, not just when we think Judgement Day is at hand. We should live every day in preparation for the return of the Messiah, Jesus Christ.