There is a tree in the old city of Jerusalem. It stands in near an ancient road near an old city wall. The bright yellow sun shines down on it and makes it grow.
The tree is proud and stands tall and happy. It makes shade and on hot days people come and sit under its shade on a bench that sits near its trunk.
A man comes and sits under the tree. He is hot and tired. Sweat shows on his forehead. He is dressed in a thawb and wears a Taqiyah on his head. He is Muslim.
Another weary man walks by and sits. He is also tired and hot. He doesn’t notice the first man until he is sitting. His appearance is very different. He is wearing a large black hat and has a beard. Long curls hang over his ears. He has a black coat and trousers over a white shirt. From under his shirt hang tassels. He is Jewish.
Both remained quiet, their religions are very different and they are not friends. But neither wants to leave the shade. And so both remain as a third man shows up. He doesn’t look like either of the others. He is wearing a pair of jeans and a button up shirt. He takes the last seat on the bench in the shade and lets out a sigh of relief.
“Oh, what a blessing the shade is.” The man eyes the old olive tree, “This must be a Christian tree.”
Both the other men eye him. He continues, “Yes, it is an olive tree and that symbolizes life, Christ was resurrected here. It must be a Christian tree.”
The Muslim shakes his head. “Not so. This tree is here where it can see the Dome of the Rock. It is here to provide shade to the seed of Abraham and his Muslim posterity. You can see that is leans toward Mecca in the south. This is a Muslim tree whose shade we enjoy.
The man with the hat countered both with his own explanation. “It is an ancient tree, that can be seen. Before there was Islam and before there was Christianity there was a chosen people. This tree is Jewish. Look you can even see its seven branches that look like a menorah. It is a reminder that God looks out for his chosen people.”
Each of the three men had given their explanation and in turn listened while the others had given theirs. None of them agreed and the silence showed that. They were sitting again in silence when the Muslim spoke. “Well what ever the tree is I am glad that God has blessed us with the shade.”
“Yes,” the other two agreed. They sat in silence until each in turn left, leaving the tree alone.
Note:
This story came as a result of a trip to Israel at the end of the summer. In Jerusalem there is much conflict, misunderstanding and hate. I wanted to write something of hope and unity. This was the idea that I had. It is a simple story but it focuses on finding common ground instead of differences. The world, no doubt, would be a better place if we all could all just appreciate the shade and not be so concerned with the tree.
1 comment:
I read this, not bad.
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