At this time of year, the Christian world observes the birth of an itinerate Jewish prophet 2000 years ago. According to legend, he was born in Bethlehem, a small village outside of Jerusalem, after his family made the journey from Nazareth in the Galilee to Bethlehem. This is a journey that they could not have made today since the Israeli separation barrier cuts Bethlehem off from Jerusalem. The Israeli Ministry of Tourism, with a wonderful sense of irony, reminds us of the meaning of Bethlehem for Christians by posting a sign saying “Peace be with you” on the barrier.
Jesus was born into a region that was experiencing a brutal occupation, not all that different from what is happening today. One wonders if his mother felt the same sense of doubt about the wisdom of bringing another human life into the world in that environment that was expressed to me by young Palestinian women. 
There were numerous other Jewish Messiahs in Palestine 2000 years ago who advocated overthrow of the Roman occupation and liberation of the Jews by force of arms. Interestingly, the only one who is remembered today is Jesus of Nazareth.
Jesus advocated for a different approach to confronting the occupation. The Roman model was “peace through victory”. Jesus proposed a model based on loving God and your neighbor as yourself. He reminded his followers to do good to those that hate you and to turn the other cheek. After seeing the threat that this approach posed for the Roman Empire and what it resulted in for Jesus, most of us have decided to abandon it.
President Obama seemed to be taking us back to the Roman times when he said in his Nobel Prize acceptance speech “Instruments of war do have a role in preserving peace”. During this holiday time Christians and their Jewish and Muslim cousins pray for “peace on earth and good will toward men”. The problem is that after the New Year, we pack up this concept along with the holiday decorations and go back to shooting at each other. We haven’t learned much in 2000 years.
Merry Christmas
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