The fate of the world literally turns right now on the
battle between those who passionately hate the Jews,
and those who should be just as fiercely loving them.

Why has Martin Luther been called the ƒ_otheologian
of the holocaust?ƒ__

How did the Christian church become a hideout
for those who spew hatred, prejudice, and
persecution into the world?

Imagine the whole history of the human race as a giant tapestry, woven together by millions of multi-colored threads, creating thousands of complex patterns and scenes that tell the stories of nations, families, and individual lives. Then stand backƒ_"as far back as you canƒ_" and try to see the big picture, see how it all comes together to form a surprisingly blended picture of life and humanityƒ_"with one exception.

Woven throughout this tapestry is an extraordinary, unusual thread. It stands out even in a color scheme as varied and complex as the human race, disappearing once in a while in the tangle of other threads frantically weaving together patches of historyƒ_"only to turn up again, more bold, even defiant. A tenacious little segment of humanity, a tiny bright thread that changes the whole picture, upsets the whole pattern, and constantly rearranges the course of human events.

This little thread is the Jewish race, and I see them like that scene in the movie Schindlerƒ_Ts List; that scene is shot entirely in black and white, with one exception: a little girl in a red dress. In the bigness of the whole scene, you almost arenƒ_Tt sure what you are seeing, but you canƒ_Tt really miss her. She changed the whole scene and the meaning of the story.

Sometimes we, mankind, and more specifically those who share a spiritual heritage with the Jews, donƒ_Tt seem to quite know what to do with this wild thread of humanity. Many have tried to make these people go away completely, through persecution, pogroms and holocausts. Many have tried to ignore them, dismissing them as an ancient people that shouldƒ_Tve disappeared long ago. I believe there are some cultures that have literally been driven to a demonic hatred of the Jews, willing to commit horrible atrocities and even suicide just to exterminate what they view as mere ƒ_overmin.ƒ__

What is it that makes this tiny little thread of humanity so important? Why have they been the subject of so much persecution and hatred? Why does the fate of the human race once again appear to hinge on the nation of Israel and its surrounding enemies? And why, of all people, has the Church of Jesus Christ so often forsaken these literal brothers and sisters of Jesus?

Iƒ_Tve actually been pretty shocked to discover how deeply the roots of anti-Semitism invaded the formation of the early church ƒ_" insidious tendrils that grew into evils like the Inquisition, Nazism, and other manifestations of prejudice and hatred specifically directed toward the children of Israel.

The first century church, a very Jewish group of people, wrestled with the question, ƒ_oWhat will we do with the Gentiles?ƒ__ You can see it in the accounts of Acts 14 and 15. After reporting how God ƒ_ohad opened the doors of faith to the Gentiles,ƒ__ the questions began, and these very Jewish first Christians agonized over whether to enforce circumcision, dietary laws and a host of other religious formalities. The church leaders ruled that they would not have to observe the entire Jewish law. That decision, plus the continued missionary efforts of Paul to the Gentiles, caused the ethnic composition of the first century church to change dramatically from a Jewish majority to a Gentile majority. ¹

The Gentiles were now not only accepted and grafted into the faith, they began to change the face of the church. The politics of the day, especially after the destruction of the Temple in 70 AD, created an atmosphere of distrust and alienation between the early church and the Jews who had not converted. Eventually, the Gentile believers began looking at their Jewish brothers and sisters with suspicious eyes, and questions began to form in their hearts and minds. Can the Jews really be saved just by grace, in defiance of their own laws? Do their laws and rituals need to be respected? Did the Jews reject Jesus? Did the Jews kill Jesus?  Has God rejected the Jews? Can we trust them? Do we need to protect the world from...them?

And so the spiritual battle began. No wonder Paul wrote ƒ_oFor our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realmsƒ__ (Ephesians 6: 12 NIV). The fledgling faith of the church was tested right from the beginning. The question changed, as the tide turned, and the church began to ask, ƒ__What will we do with the Jews?

And what the Church did, in many respects, is not a pleasant history to behold.

Iƒ_Tve often wondered, how did the Christian church, whose message has always been one of love, of the saving grace of Jesus, of the Messiah who became the Savior of the worldƒ_"how did this body of believers become a hideout for those who spew hatred, prejudice, and persecution into the world? How do people use Godƒ_Ts Word to justify...the Inquisition...slavery...racial prejudice...Nazism...anti-Semitism?

I think I have a glimmer of understanding now. It all began when the early Church began to deny its Jewish heritage. When that denial turned into persecution, the soul of the Church began to darken and the door was opened for further atrocities.

The history is long and complicated, but here are a few highlights to give you an idea:

ƒ_› One of the earliest (mid-second century, about 160 AD) documented sources for anti-Semitism within the church comes from church father Justin Martyr and his dialogue with Trypho, the Jew. Justin, a Samaritan, expressed his belief that the destruction of Jerusalem and the suffering that followed was a judgment of God for their failure to believe in Jesus as their Messiah. ²

Justinƒ_Ts exact words were: "And therefore all this has happened to you rightly and well. For ye slew the Just One and His prophets before Him, and now ye reject, and, as far as in you lies, dishonour those that set their hope on Him...ƒ__ ³

Justin believed that the Church was the true Israel, but he still acknowledged the Jewish roots of the church, believing that the Gentiles had been grafted in.

ƒ_›Then there was Eusebius, whose Ecclesiastical History of Eusebius Pamphilus is the acknowledged history of the Church from the end of the book of Acts to the Council of Nicea. Eusebius firmly believed, in the fourth century, that the Church was the "new Israel," replacing the Jews.  He firmly believed that there was no distinct future for the Jews in the plan of God. ⁴  His views became accepted into Church thinking, and the continually turning tide swelled into anti-semitism of tsunami proportions.

ƒ_› Fast forward hundreds of years to Martin Luther, who Sherwood Wirt calls ƒ_othe most important European of the past thousand years.ƒ__⁵ In spite of the hero he is to believers around the world, in spite of his numerous accomplishments, the trail he blazed for freedom and the stand he made for grace, to some he carries another unfortunate title: Theologian of the Holocaust.⁶

While Luther held some sympathy for the Jewish people in his early years, after his fiery stand against the Catholic Church, he believed the Jews of his day would easily convert to Christianity. When they didnƒ_Tt he grew resentful and bitter and began a campaign against the Jews, writing things that were later used by Hitler and his followers to justify the holocaust.

Lutherƒ_Ts Commentary on Romans is considered one of the most influential books of all time. It formed a major part of the foundation on which the Reformation was built. Yet, in it and other portions of Lutherƒ_Ts works, are some very disturbing comments.

In his anger over their failure to convert, Luther commented: "The Jews arrogantly assumed that they were God's people, simply because the heathen were not His people."⁷

Though Jesus, all the apostles, and all the early believers were Jewish, Luther had his own analysis: "A Jewish heart is so stock stone devil ironhard, that in no wise can it be moved; they are young devils; damned to hell; to convert these devil's brats is impossible." ⁸ Luther adamantly maintained that, "The promises made to Abraham do not refer literally to Abrahamƒ_Ts blood and seed, nor is the biblical prophecy of salvation addressed to the Jews as Jews: Christians may 'despair of the Jews with a clear conscience.' "⁹

Luther very mistakenly tried to justify his own venomous attacks by claiming to speak for the Lord: "Everything concurs with Christ's judgment that the Jews are venomous, bitter, vengeful, slimy snakes, assassins and devilƒ_Ts children, who steal and wreak havoc on the sly because they cannot afford to do in the open. A Christian has, next to the devil, no more venomous, bitter enemy than the Jew...(The Jews ought to convert,) but if they refuse, we should neither tolerate nor suffer their presence in our midst" ¹⁰

I found all this pretty amazing and shocking, and it is not my intent to be sensational, but rather to attempt to cause believers in Jesus the Messiah to examine our own attitudes toward Jews ƒ_" what they really are and what they ought to be. I encourage you to research the issue on your own. An excellent book is Daniel Gruberƒ_Ts The Church and the Jews, and the other references cited below in the footnotes.

I bring all this up, because I feel like Iƒ_Tve had somewhat of a revelation. God chose a particular race to be His chosen people. He never wavered from that choice; He has not changed His mind. In Romans 2:10 Paul wrote, ƒ_oglory, honor, and peace to everyone who works what is good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.ƒ__ Salvation came to the Jews first, God honored them first ƒ_" and I donƒ_Tt believe that order has changed. Itƒ_Ts like a domino affect ƒ_" and the first domino is the Jewish race.

To my mind, the Jews represent humanity at its best and worst. They have been a faithful people, a rebellious people. They are the prodigal son of history, falling into every sin humanly possible, setting an example for all the rest of us of the battle between the flesh and the spirit, of Godƒ_Ts faithfulness in spite of their unfaithfulness, and of Godƒ_Ts grace in bringing through the Jewish people, the salvation of the world in the person of Jesus the Messiah.

The treatment by the church ƒ_" and mankindƒ_"toward Godƒ_Ts chosen peopleƒ_" is what opened the doors for the centuries of hatred, prejudice and persecution. When the Church began to turn its heart away from the very people who gave it birth, itƒ_Ts as if the demons from hell were given a crack into the universe to seed more and more hatred and prejudice.

So what do we do with the Jews? We love them. And we follow God's command: ƒ_oComfort, yes, comfort My people!" says your God.ƒ__ (Isaiah 40:1)

Our fascination with the Jews has been for the most part emotionally detached ƒ_" unless it is accompanied by hatred. Now, I believe God is holding them up as a mirror into our own hearts. What will we do with the Jews? 

If Christians around the world truly held a heartfelt concern, compassion, and love, and if they are willing to make an emotional investment in these people God has chosen to love unconditionally, then I believe we would see God do a mighty work through His church in the hearts of the Jewish people. I have already seen individual examples of just that.

I described the Jews earlier as an ƒ_oextraordinary threadƒ__ in the tapestry of the world. I see that thread as a beautiful crimson, the color of blood. For it is through this thread that salvation comes to us, through the blood of the Jewish Messiah who we know as Jesus.

It is my passion and my prayer that one day my brothers and sisters in the church will fall in love with the Jewish people as I and many other believers have, knowing that as we look into the faces of the children of Israel, we see the face our own beloved Savior. And, I pray that one day my dear brothers and sisters of the Jewish faith will experience the love of Jesus through His Body here on earth ƒ_" the Christian church.

The fate of the world literally turns right now on the battle between those who so passionately hate the Jews, and those who I believe should be just as fiercely loving them.

What will we do with the Jews? That is the question of the day.

Your comments here: media@maranathachapel.org

10. www.elijahnet.net/theologian.html, quoted from Oberman, Heiko, The Roots of Anti-Semitism in the Age of Renaissance and Reformation, Fortress Press, Phila., 1983, p. 113.