“Is it possible that we are Gogodala Israelites?” my friend asked with wonder in his voice.

Ever since a Gogodala started claiming more than 10 years ago that his people are part of the lost tribe of Benjamin, many have taken a keen interest in the nation of Israel. The Gogodala have always been interested in their ancestry, but somehow they got the idea that they would be entitled to houses and land in Israel if it could be proven that they were indeed descendants of this ancient Semitic tribe.

About 10 years ago, tribal leaders asked Dr. Tudor Parfitt to analyze Gogodala DNA samples. Previously, Dr. Parfitt had published evidence that the Lemba tribe in central Zimbabwe might be of Jewish descent. Ten years have passed, but the Gogodala never forgot his promise to come back and give them the results. In March of this year, he finally returned and addressed the tribe. Several thousand people gathered in a field in Balimo to hear him speak. He told them that the results were inconclusive, but many Gogodala continue to cling to the notion of Jewish heritage.

Whether the Gogodala have Jewish heredity or not doesn’t really matter. What matters is that the Gogodala belong to Christ. As the apostle Paul said, “There is neither Jew nor Greek . . . for ye are all one in Christ and if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise” (Gal. 3:28, 29).

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