Many Jews today feel that, because of historical atrocities committed against
their people by the so-called “Christian” church, all Christians are
Jew-haters. Unfortunately, not only many nominal Christians but even some real
believers harbor anti-Semitic attitudes, and this only confirms the suspicion
in Jewish minds.
But does the New Testament allow Christians to be prejudiced
in this way?
Definitely not.
But Didn’t the Jews Crucify Christ?In the gospels we can see that the Jewish nation indeed had a part in crucifying the Lord. But it was the Romans that legally condemned Him and performed the physical act of nailing Him to the cross. The Jews could not have had Christ crucified had the Roman authorities not capitulated and performed the execution. Both Jews and Gentiles were involved.
But even though this act was very terrible, it was part of God’s plan. The apostle Peter pointed out to the Jews that “This man was handed over to you by God’s set purpose and foreknowledge”. God was the One who sent Christ to be the atoning sacrifice for the sins of the whole world. All of us are guilty of the blood of Christ, for our sin sent Him to the cross.
But Hasn’t God Rejected the Jews?
At this present time most Jews reject Christ as Messiah and
Saviour. This is very sad. But nowhere in Scripture can we find evidence that
God has given up on His chosen people — quite the opposite, in fact. The
apostle Paul makes this very clear: “Did God reject His people? By no means!
... God did not reject His people, whom He foreknew”.
He goes on to explain that “Israel has experienced a hardening in part until
the full number of the Gentiles has come in ...” but that God still loves the Jews and they are part of His great plan. The book
of Revelation tells us that in the end times 144,000 people from all the tribesof Israel will be sealed as servants of God and receive a place of special privilege in Heaven.
If we are just as guilty as the Jews of the blood of Christ, and if God still loves the Jewish people and includes them in His special plan, Christians have no excuse for anti-Semitic behaviour. Those who claim to be believers but speak harshly against God’s chosen people are acting contrary to the word of Scripture.
If we are just as guilty as the Jews of the blood of Christ, and if God still loves the Jewish people and includes them in His special plan, Christians have no excuse for anti-Semitic behaviour. Those who claim to be believers but speak harshly against God’s chosen people are acting contrary to the word of Scripture.
Christians ought to show love and respect to the Jews, and to gladly tell them the good news about Jesus the Messiah.
RJA
Republished by permission
"No man takes my life from me: I have power to lay it down and to take it up again." No man. The words of Messiah should forever close the book on blaming the Jewish People for His death. The sin of every person was the occasion and the necessity of his death; so as you say, the blame is on us all. But ultimately, we never had the power to take that life. What He did, he did voluntarily, to save us from what we deserved. We ought to be humble, and never to point fingers -- nationally or otherwise.
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