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).
The Jewish apostles and writers of the New Testament shared
the same compassion as their Messiah. Though they rebuked the
religious corruption and hypocrisy of their day, they loved their
people—the Jewish people—and yearned for their salvation in the
Messiah. The apostle Paul wrote, “I have great sorrow and unceasing
grief in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed,
separated from Christ for the sake of my brethren, my kinsmen
according to the flesh, who are Israelites…” (Romans 9:2–4).
Paul’s heart for the Jewish people should be the heart-cry of
every person whose life has been changed by the gospel. The
gospel message, therefore, propels us to oppose antisemitism in
the name of Yeshua. What happened in past centuries cannot be
denied, but the tide has turned. Those who believe in Jesus with
all their heart and live according to the Bible are the best friends
of the Jewish people. A new rapprochement needs to take place
as both Jewish people and authentic Christians have a common
spiritual heritage though the Hebrew Scriptures and share a love
for the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
It is time for both Jews and Christians to join in efforts to oppose
the plague of antisemitism.