On October 27, 2018, a hateful act of antisemitism shocked the United States
An armed man entered the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and took the lives of eleven innocent Jewish people observing the Sabbath. Exactly six months later, a shooter opened fire in a San Diego Chabad synagogue. This shooting took the life of one woman and injured two others. The Pittsburgh shooting is recorded as
“the deadliest antisemitic attack ever committed in the United States.”
But the Pittsburgh and San Diego incidents, unfortunately, are not isolated events. A virulent and vicious tide of antisemitism has been steadily rising around the globe. According to the Anti-Defamation League, “the number of antisemitic incidents in the U.S. rose 57 percent in 2017—the largest single-year increase on record and the second highest number reported since the ADL started tracking such data in 1979.”
Where Does Antisemitism Come From?
Antisemitism, called “the oldest hatred,” has been around for thousands of years. Social commentators, both Jewish and Gentile, have developed numerous theories concerning why antisemitism persists. But
they leave out the most critical reason of all: antisemitism is the devil’s invention.
When God called Abram to be the father of His chosen people (Genesis 12:1–3), Satan made the Jewish people the target of his fury. The evil one has tried to annihilate the Jewish people in every age and in endless ways to prevent God from using us as His instruments of redemption through the Jewish Messiah.
Sadly, one of his ugliest tactics has been to use the Church to promote the hatred of Jewish people. It is tempting to look back and view those who persecuted our ancestors as true representatives of the Christian faith. A recent podcast by Orthodox Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe represented this sentiment: “Jew-hatred is a fundamental, theological principle of the
Christian faith.” (The Jewish History Podcast by Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe, Episode 25: A History of Christian Anti-Semitism Part 1. Starting circa 11:20. https://rabbiwolbe.com/history-christian-antisemitism-part-one.)
Rabbi Wolbe is right about the dark past of Judeo-Christian relations, yet mistaken about the true nature of the gospel and the person of Jesus. Yeshua (Jesus) was Jewish, as were His followers!
So, immediately we understand that there must be a difference between those who claimed to follow Yeshua and yet persecuted Jewish people and the true message of Messiah.
Let us examine what the New Testament teaches and how the true message of Yeshua is antithetical to antisemitism.
Is the New Testament Antisemitic?
First, it is important to point out that the New Testament is a Jewish book, written by Jewish people, about the life and teachings of the Jewish Messiah. Yeshua is Jewish. His disciples and most of His early followers were Jewish, as were the writers of the New Testament, with the possible exception of Luke. They observed the Torah, worshipped in the Temple and synagogues, and celebrated the Jewish holidays. Nevertheless, some passages in the New Testament have been misconstrued to encourage antisemitism.
Also, it is important to remember that the Jewish people did not kill the Messiah. In John 10:18, Yeshua told His followers, “No one has taken [my life] away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative.” He freely gave up His life because of His love for the world, and especially for His Jewish brethren.
The New Testament Opposes Antisemitism
An accurate reading of the New Testament reveals a very Jewish Messiah with a deep love for His own people and the nation of Israel. When approached by a Gentile woman during His ministry, Yeshua responded, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Matthew 15:24).
During a moment of intense rejection by the Jewish leaders, Yeshua
demonstrated compassion and a broken heart for His people, saying,
“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling” (Matthew 23:37). And while He was being crucified between two thieves, he prayed for mercy upon the religious leaders and those in the Jewish community who supported His death: “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34).