Ministry partners of Derech Avraham, Daoud and Boulos (not their real names), have been taking Palestinian Muslims on tours around the land of Israel as a way of imparting the truths about Jesus.
Regular sponsored trips take groups of Muslim seekers out to locations where they can learn about stories from the Bible. Some of the stories may be familiar (if a little different) from the Koran while other stories are completely fresh and new to them.
Recently a tour of twenty went up to the Sea of Galilee, the Kinneret as it is known in Israel, to learn about the life and teaching of Jesus. They stopped at the Mount of Beatitudes to discuss the meaning of the Sermon on the Mount, and went on to Capernaum, where the Apostle Peter came from.
Tell me the stories of Jesus
The group heard some of the miracles and parables of Jesus, about the disciples, and many of the things that happened in that very town.
“They said there was an atmosphere they never experienced before,” said Daoud. “They saw there are things close to their own religion and it prompted all kinds of questions, thoughts, and conversations.”
“In Capernaum we discussed how God’s mercy and His justice go together, all the way from Adam to the cross”
“We looked at how important the blood is. Some of them said they had never thought before how it works, how forgiveness happens,” said Daoud.
“The group started to ask all kinds of questions, like who paid for Jesus, if He pays for us? It was very interesting,” he said.
They also explained to the group about the concept of Jesus as the mediator between God and mankind, with Daoud making the point that a mediator must be equal to both parties they are mediating between: both man and God.
“For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time.” (1 Timothy 2:5)
“Their mediator is their prophet – but he has to be equal to those the parties he is mediating between. There is only one God and one mediator, and that is Jesus,” Daoud explained. “We talked about the identity of Jesus – He is not less than God.”
The group went to the Tiberias promenade beside the lake where many more conversations opened up. “There were many very good questions – they understand words differently, and we were able to dig deeper as people became more interested.”
With the day starting early and lasting for about twelve hours, questions can be discussed at leisure with plenty of time to explore matters of faith in a relaxed and relational way.
Boulos has also been leading these tours for years, and in the past has brought many from Gaza to see the sights of Israel. “We take them to the Mount of Olives, the Tomb of Jesus, and wherever Jesus did miracles,” he explains. “They didn’t know what these places were – they only knew what Islam taught. They were shocked by the tomb, they didn’t know there was such a place.”
According to the Koran, Jesus wasn’t killed on the cross, but was switched at the last minute – the horrors of crucifixion and humiliation in death seem an unthinkable end for a respected prophet in Islamic thinking. Most Muslims don’t know what happened at calvary, or much about the crucifixion and the resurrection, so seeing these sites is a totally new and fascinating experience for them.
“They’re always amazed and challenged,” said Boulos. “They’ve been raised to pray and worship a certain way but we help them see there’s more to it.”
Groups have been taken to locations around Jerusalem such as the Western Wall and Peter’s Church where they can hear about characters like Abraham and Jesus, discussing Bible stories from the Old and New Testaments.
Evidence of the Bible’s veracity
One group went down into the desert, to the baptismal site of Jesus by the Jordan river known as Qasr Al-Yahud in Arabic. According to Boulos, “it was the first time they were ever there, the first time they even heard about it — even 60 and 70 year olds had never learned about it.”
They also went to Qumran where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered. There were some profound discussions and one of the group even declared, “The Bible hasn’t been faked, it’s our scriptures that have been faked,” after seeing clear evidence that the biblical text has not been altered over the centuries, contrary to what Muslims are taught.
“They want to go to places they’ve heard of in the Koran, where Jesus did miracles. It helps them think about things completely differently,” said Boulos.
“People come here from all over the Middle East and realize everything they’ve been told about Israel was a lie,” another partner concurred.
God is opening doors to the Muslims at this time, and many who are responding to the offer of salvation are often older. However there are also young people who respond well too. One man had his 29th birthday during one of the tours and took several free Bibles that were being offered because he wanted to give them out to his friends.
“They’re empty inside, something missing, despite their religion,” said Boulos.
When asked if some become angry when hearing about Jesus and the message of the gospel, he said that the response was quite the opposite:
“They don’t get angry, they’re very happy!” he said. “They invite us into their houses.”
Following the tours, interested participants are invited to meet up again for meals and discussions, often at Christchurch by the Jaffa Gate. Sometimes they meet up in homes, and last year there was a specially organized conference for those who wanted to learn more about Jesus. For some, the learning was not just a matter of information but of real experience.
Boulos relayed the story of someone who was healed by Jesus during their time together.
“One very religious woman had problems with her hand, and received a healing miracle so she told everyone she knew in Jerusalem: ‘A Christian prayed for me and I was healed!’”
“Something on my heart is to stand with Muslims, to bring them to believe in Jesus and to leave Islam because it’s a lie,” said Boulos, “…To open house groups to teach them, so that they can learn. We really need to have a whole team of Muslim background believers to do this work,” he added.