As in the days of Yeshua’s ministry in Israel about 2000 years ago, when the religious political authorities were led by Annanias and Caiaphas, so today the coalition-maker SHAS party, whose spiritual leader is Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, and political leaders Eli Yishai and Arieh Deri, reflect the corrupting influence of violent men who would take the kingdom by force.
On a Channel 2 television interview this evening, Deri and Yishai were interviewed together. This was a momentous occasion, for both these men were cooperating for the first time in 13 years since Deri was convicted of bribery in his political office of cabinet minister, and served a three-year prison sentence from 2000. Whether these two men will be able to maintain the conciliatory air presented publicly now remains to be seen. Deri said that he saw Shas as a party representing the “have nots” in a country whose social gaps were widening out of control. Both emphasized in the interview that they have compromised their personal viewpoints for the sake of party unity and the upcoming elections, now scheduled for January 22, 2013.
For those who have taken an interest in the Messianic community in Beer Sheva, the Chief Rabbi of Beer Sheva is Yehuda Deri, the brother of Arieh. The Israeli Police Chief responsible for Arieh’s indictment for bribery in 1993 was Yaakov Terner, who became the Mayor of Beer Sheva in 1998, the same year that Yehuda Deri became the Chief Rabbi. In November of that year, the Beer Sheva Chief Rabbi, with the help of Yad L’Achim (an anti-Messianic organization) organized an attack against the Nachalat Yeshua Messianic Congregation in Beer Sheva.
Will the leading Israeli political figures continue to make their pilgrimage to Rav Ovadia Yosef, now that he has brought back an unrepentant convicted criminal to the top of Israel’s power-brokers? Will the major political parties, led by the Likud, continue to seek SHAS participation a government coalition in the event of a political victory in the upcoming elections? Will the Israeli voters protest the corruption at the top — and not only of SHAS — in their choices in the next election? Will Messianic believers in Yeshua continue to find hope in such a state of affairs, or will we look to the One whom has been appointed by God as His choice of King in Zion? Jesus says that all who come before Him [to presume to take His rightful place] is a thief and a robber. May the true Son of the Father return in our days!
