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Should Christians Care about Antisemitism?
“You’re a Christ-killer!”
Moishe* was stunned when, as a young boy, a kid in a Catholic school uniform snatched the yarmulke from his head and yelled those words at him.
Jesus died centuries ago, Moishe thought. How could I have possibly killed him?
Moishe’s experience is, unfortunately, quite common. At just eleven years old, Moishe experienced antisemitism from a Christian.
He was certainly not the first Jewish person to face this form of hatred. Sadly, the church has a longstanding history of antisemitism. There are certainly and have always been Christians who fought against antisemitism, even risked their lives for Jewish people—such as Corrie Ten Boom, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and the French Reformed Church, who protested the deportation of Jewish people. Unfortunately, the weight of horrific persecutions eclipses these Christlike acts in the minds of most Jewish people.
- Crusaders in the Middle Ages massacred Jewish towns on their way to the Holy Land
- Catholic leaders during the Spanish Inquisition forced Jewish people to convert to Christianity under threat of expulsion or death
- Martin Luther, one of the leaders of the Protestant Reformation, wrote a pamphlet encouraging Christians to burn down synagogues and Jewish homes.
As followers of Jesus, how can we prevent antisemitism, even among believers?
First, we must understand the Jewish origins of the Bible and Christianity, not to mention Jesus was Jewish. We should also grasp the biblical mandate to love others. Equally important is recognizing God’s unique and enduring plan for Jewish people.
Salvation Is from Whom?
When Christianity first began, it was not a new religion. It was simply a group of Jewish disciples who followed and obeyed their rabbi, Jesus!
As Jesus spoke to His disciples, He told them about the “new covenant” at the Last Supper (Luke 22:20). They knew He was referring to a prophecy from Jeremiah 31:33–34. This new covenant was an update of the old—instead of God’s law being written on stone tablets, it would be written on people’s hearts (v. 33). Moreover, through the inauguration of this new covenant, the Messiah would also redeem the nations:
It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also make You a light of the nations so that My salvation may reach to the end of the earth. (Isaiah 49:6)
When Jesus met the Samaritan woman at the well in John 4, He said, “We worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews” (John 4:22). As Christians, we serve a Jewish Messiah and read a Bible written by Jewish authors (with the possible exception of Luke). The truth is, without Jewish people, there would be no Bible, no Messiah, and no redemption for the world! As a result, Gentile believers in Jesus have a special “debt of love” to Jewish people (Romans 15:27).
How can we pay this debt today? We must love the Jewish friends God has put in our path.
“What Is Love?” You Ask.
Jesus defined love by quoting two Old Testament commandments about loving God and loving others: Deuteronomy 6:5, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might,” and Leviticus 19:18 “. . . you shall love your neighbor as yourself; I am the Lord.”
When we truly love God in this holistic way, we will overflow with love for others, including Jewish people, whom the Scripture identifies as “the apple of [God’s] eye” (Zechariah 2:8). With God’s love guiding our heart and hands, the opportunities for acts of love and service will abound. We will readily see the needs of our Jewish friends and make haste to help.
What are the needs of Jewish people today? It is clear Jewish people urgently need Christian help to oppose antisemitism. We know love “rejoices with the truth” (1 Corinthians 13:6); therefore, we cannot adequately love our Jewish neighbors while standing on the sidelines, allowing the lies being spread about them to go unchecked. We can go online and post a blog entry, video, or picture decrying antisemitism when we see it. You have an opportunity to use today’s modern tools for truth. Even a gesture as small as reporting an antisemitic post on Instagram can make a huge difference!
The world will know we are Christians by our love (John 13:35). Yet, tragically, the Jewish community has endured much hate from the church. Let God redeem the past by answering His call to stand with His chosen people.
We will have much more to say on this topic at our event in New York this June.
“Father Abraham Had Many Sons”
In Genesis, God called Abraham from the land of Ur to follow Him to “the land I will show you” (Genesis 12:1). That land today is Israel—the Holy Land—where more than half of the world’s Jewish people live.
The Lord’s promise went beyond land, however. God promised Abraham:
And I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great; and so you shall be a blessing; and I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed. (Genesis 12:2–3)
These verses point to Israel’s right to exist as a nation, as well as the unique role of Jewish people in God’s plan for the world. Since those who bless Abraham will be blessed—and those who curse him will be cursed—there are consequences for antisemitism.
No matter how many times throughout history corrupt leaders have tried to destroy the Jewish people—be it Haman, Hitler, or Hamas—God has always preserved and delivered them. God has also preserved a remnant of Jewish people who believe in Jesus (Romans 11:5).
Where do Gentile believers fit, and what is our role?
You might be asking, “Well, what about the Gentiles?” God always planned not only to graft Gentiles into the olive tree and share in the blessings (Romans 11:17–18) but also to give them a unique role. The apostle Paul wrote, “I say then, they did not stumble so as to fall, did they? May it never be! But by their transgression salvation has come to the Gentiles, to make them jealous” (Romans 11:11). Our walk with Jesus should be so loving, joyful, and honorable our Jewish friends and neighbors become jealous of our salvation!
As Jesus said, “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16). Remember our friend Moishe from the beginning of this article? He became a believer in Jesus after experiencing the joy and kindness of a Christian boss. One person’s witness can make a difference in bridging the gap between a Jewish person and the Jewish Messiah.
Although the church’s history of antisemitism is heinous and ugly, we can redeem the past by reuniting our Christian faith with biblical love for Jewish people today.
At our event in New York City on June 20, we will dive deep into how (and why) to fight antisemitism! Hear from Dr. Mitch Glaser, Dr. Michael Brown, and Mark and Freya Leach about modern antisemitism and how to better support the Jewish community around the world in the wake of the October 7 attacks. We will also worship with Joshua Aaron, Yaron Cherniak, and Aaron Shust. It will surely be an incredible night of music, prayer, learning, and fellowship.
Register today to join us. This event is free!
If you cannot make it, we hope you take these words to heart and commit to praying for and standing with the Jewish community wherever you are.
