You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. John 4:22 (NIV)
Contrasting Himself with our adversary satan, Jesus explained, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly” (John 10:10 ESV).
This tells us, movements that bring life are of God, while those that bring death and destruction are from satan.
In some parts of our country we are now seeing examples of chaos, threats, and violence against Jews and their supporters.
As explained here, “Antisemitism is defined as hostility toward or prejudice against Jews as a religious or racial group.”
While the term “Antisemitism” originated in the 19th century, it is actually an ancient problem. Dating from the Fifth Century B.C., and as explained in Esther 3:6, “Haman ‘sought to destroy all the Jews . . . throughout the whole kingdom…'”
How are Christians to face this scourge today? Some thoughts to understand:
- Jesus was a Jew, from the Middle Eastern region we now call Israel and/or Palestine.
- As recounted in Luke 2:41-52, the twelve-year-old Jesus was in the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem, questioning and listening to the religious leaders.
- Of the 66 Books of the Bible, all but two, Luke and Acts, were written by Jewish authors. (Luke, who wrote both, was a Gentile.)
- The Jewish Bible is what Christians call “the Old Testament,” and that is about three-fourths (75%) of the entire Christian Bible. The New Testament covers the remaining 25%.
- Since the New Testament was written after the death and resurrection of Jesus, what Christians call The Old Testament was the only Bible Jesus knew and quoted, and as reported here, Jesus is recorded as having quoted at least 20 Old Testament scriptures to His followers.
- Paul, who at first was a Jewish religious leader and later wrote about half the New Testament, compares Judaism to the faith root and believers in Christ as a “grafted branch (Romans 11:17).”
Of course there are very real differences between Christianity and Judaism, and true respect calls us to acknowledge those differences and not try to ignore or paper them over. However, based on the above points and much more, there is no room for Antisemitism.
Go Deeper:
The FAQs: What Christians Should Know About Antisemitism
10 Reasons the Old Testament is Important for Christians
Old Testament Passages Quoted by Jesus
S.D.G./S.G.D.