Jac de Gooijer · June 2026
Where are you?
Israel, the Messiah and the question
that keeps history open
The question
"Where are you?"
The first question of the Bible is not the question of man to God.
It is the question of God to man.
A question that never fell silent. That echoes through the history of Israel, through the conscience of man — and ultimately becomes personal.
An essay on conscience, history and accountability.
Contents
Six chapters,
one question
The essay begins in the garden of Eden and moves through the history of Israel, the Messiah and the conscience of every individual person.
Prayer
The prayer that preceded this essay
Eternal God, Judge of all the earth — this morning we seek Your face.
Prologue
The question that never fell silent
God does not ask for information. He calls man forth from his hiding place.
Chapter I
Conscience before religion
Conscience does not begin with the law. It begins with an encounter.
Chapter II
Why Israel?
Election is not a declaration of superiority — but of calling.
Chapter III
The Jewish Messiah
In His presence people do not remain neutral. They are revealed.
Chapter IV
Conscience cannot bear a mirror
When a person is addressed, there are essentially two possibilities.
Chapter V
The return
The return of Israel is not the closing of a history — but the reopening of a question.
Chapter VI
Where are you?
No civilization can answer in your place. No tradition can give your answer.
The prayer
Eternal God,
Judge of all the earth
Where are the voices that stand up for truth? Where are the nations that speak out for what is right? Where is the conscience of the world, now that Israel once again often seems to stand alone?
But You are the God who asked the first question to the man who killed his brother:
"Where is your brother?"
That question still echoes today. To leaders who remain silent, to churches that look away, to each of us when we know what is right — and yet remain silent.
"Behold, He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep." — Psalm 121:4
Amen.
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