Weekly devotion: Finding hope in a village where Jesus walked

Caritas Jerusalem, West Bank

A view of present-day Taybeh (Creative Commons)

Taybeh is the last remaining Christian village in the West Bank. Located 12 kilometres northeast of Ramallah, this elevated village overlooks the desert wilderness, the Jordan Valley, Jericho and the Dead Sea.

As in other areas of the West Bank, government healthcare in Taybeh is under-resourced. The Israeli occupation has created numerous physical and bureaucratic barriers to Palestinians needing to access effective treatment and healthcare.

In response, our partner – Caritas Jerusalem – runs a small clinic in Taybeh that focuses on treating patients with chronic diseases, especially Type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in Palestine and national statistics tell us that nearly one in five Palestinians over 18 are affected by at least one chronic disease.

The clinic is working to treat and monitor the chronic conditions of 400 patients from Taybeh and its surrounding villages. The staff also provide information and training on how to manage these conditions and lead healthier lifestyles.

The current Israel/Hamas war is putting significant pressure on the clinic, not least due to the movement restrictions that Israel has imposed across the West Bank. Do pray for both the staff and the small community they serve.

Bible reading

Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. “Take away the stone,” he said.

“But, Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad odour, for he has been there four days.”

Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”

So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.”

When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face.

Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.”

John 11:38-44

Thought

The raising of Lazarus from the dead fell like a bombshell among the onlookers, radically dividing opinions about Jesus. We are told that some who witnessed this event believed in him (v45), whereas others reacted in anger and plotted to kill him (v46, 53). After this event took place, Jesus could no longer walk openly among the religious leaders (v54) and he retreated to a city near the wilderness called Ephraim, which is believed to be modern-day Taybeh.

Taybeh was a place of safety and refuge for Jesus and his disciples at the time – we are told that they remained there (v54). It is heart-warming to think that Caritas Jerusalem’s small clinic in Taybeh also acts as a place of hope and safety for the patients it serves today.

Ask yourself: We encounter Jesus when we read the gospels. How will you respond to Jesus today – in trust and worship, or in suspicion and hostility?

Prayer

Healing God,

We lift before you the vital work that Caritas Jerusalem is doing in this small Palestinian community. Grant the staff the resources they need to care for the patients they serve.

We pray for the 400 patients, all living with chronic conditions. May they know a sense of your love and care for them as individuals. May they continue to have access to the medication they need, and grant them resilience and fortitude as they seek to make lifestyle changes.

We thank you for the ongoing Christian witness in this small village where Jesus and his disciples once found refuge. Surround this place with your care and protection, especially in the context of the occupation and increasing violence.

Draw our hearts to you, and help us to respond to you in love.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.

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