Three Faiths: Habeeb Says The Christmas Messiah Unites Us
Will there ever be a time when people in the Middle East live together in harmony?
Can the three faiths be brought together in peace? Jews, Christians, and Muslims.
Can there be a common unifying theme to all three faiths?
Can it be the Messiah, Jesus, whom Muslims call Isa?
I'm Habeeb Habeeb. Let's talk about Christmas.
Most people love Christmas. We love getting and giving gifts and the festive holiday spirit. People are in better moods this time of the year. It's so fun to open presents, and it's great to get together with family and friends.
Let me throw an idea at you. Did you know that Easter begins at Christmas?
What do I mean? Michael W. Smith's had a song called "ABOVE ALL". The lyrics capture a very powerful thought. It says:
Crucified
Laid behind a stone
You lived to die
Rejected and alone
Like a rose trampled on the ground
You took the fall
And thought of me
Above all
Did you catch that? The song says: HE LIVED TO DIE! So what does that mean? It means that the Easter story began at Christmas. Think about that: Jesus knew all of his life that he is headed to death for you and for me. I hope you appreciate the magnitude of that powerful story.
Let me throw another idea at you. Right now, the world is full of horrible violence especially in the Middle East. Religious wars are between people who are actually relatives and share the same heritage. These three religions are Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
My publication "The Middle East Family Tree" graphically shows the lineage from Noah to Abraham, Christ, and Muhammad.
Noah had Shem, the father of the Semites. Then came Abraham. Abraham had Ishmael and Isaac. Isaac Had Jacob.The Jews are descendants of Jacob. whose name became Israel. The Jews were expecting a Messiah. Jesus came from that family tree. So far, it's in the family. Of course, there was a family fight, but that feud is over now. That was Judaism and Christianity.
Now let's go back up to Abraham. His other son was Ishmael. Muhammad traces his lineage to Ishmael. So now we have three religions, all trace their lineage to Abraham. And Abraham was a descendant of the one and only NOAH. Yeah, that's the guy from the flood. So really, ALL of us, every one of us is related because we are all Noah's descendants.
I was born in Lebanon to a Christian family. I've always been a Christian. If you are a fellow Christian, let me say: We don't own God.
God owns us. God owns All of humanity. We don't have a corner on God. We are privileged to serve Him. We are taught to love everyone. So let's humbly live that way.
If you are a Jew, whether you believe in the Messiah or are still waiting on His arrival---God loves you. You are my brothers and sisters. Jewish teachings says the Messiah will bring peace to the whole world. We eagerly wait for peace.
If you are a Muslim, we are family too. We came from the same family tree as I just discussed. Please know that we both believe in one God. In fact, we share Jesus also. Jesus is one of your Major prophets. We have a lot in common. The Koran describes the Christmas story. YES, I bet many Muslims and many people all over the world don't know that. In the Koran, the Angels tell Mary: "God wants you to rejoice in a Word from Him. His name is the Messiah, Jesus son of Mary" and Mary answers: "Lord, how can I bear a child when no man has touched me?" God replied: "God creates whom he will. When He decrees a thing, He just needs to say 'Be' and it is." So the Koran affirms that Jesus was born from a virgin. The Koran also says Jesus healed the blind and leper and brought the dead to life. It affirms the Christmas story. It says he came to heal and bring the dead back to life. That's peace, not killing or fighting.
The Christmas Messiah is a unifying force for peace in the three religions. This peace should be demonstrated between the three religions and towards all mankind. Here are the three references from the three religions:
Judaism's Torah: "Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel." ~ (Isaiah 7:14)
Christianity's Gospels: "The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel" (which means "God with us"). ~ Matthew 1:23
Islam's Koran: the Angels tell Mary "God wants you to rejoice in a Word from Him. His name is the Messiah, Jesus son of Mary" and Mary answers: "Lord, how can I bear a child when no man has touched me?" God replied: "God creates whom he will. When He decrees a thing, He just needs to say 'Be' and it is." Koran 3:45-47
So there you have it, all three religions tell of a Messiah that is peaceful and instructs in peace. Jesus performed many miracles as proof that His message was divine. We three religions believe in one God. We are related. We are family. Let's stop that family feud. Let's get along. Let's serve the only God. Let's follow God's instructions about peace. Let's stop the killing. And let's celebrate together this Christmas.
May the Lord of all mankind bless you and bring you peace. And may peace be on all mankind and all people everywhere.
May God protect you and give you true joy this Christmas. Happy Holidays and a blessed New Year to everyone everywhere.
Habeeb published a Biblical family tree that traces the lineage from Adam to Jesus with Biblical references. He also included Ishmael's lineage because Muhammad traced his lineage to him. It is also a handy reference about Islam.
To order or to learn more about the content of "The Middle East Family Tree", click here "The Middle East Family Tree"