The Evil Return of Antisemitism, Part 3

The Evil Return of Antisemitism, Part 3
Friday, April 18, 2025 by Dr. James W. Walraven

Categories: Apologetics / Contemporary issues / Scripture discussion / The church / Thought for Today

Although the New Testament clearly teaches against antisemitism, there are a few verses that can be pulled out of their context to cobble together a supposed case for it. Those verses can be pulled primarily from two locations: the first regarding the accounts of the crucifixion of Jesus, and the second from Jewish resistance to the Gospel, seen in the book of Acts.

As the various biblical accounts of Jesus’s crucifixion declare, the Jewish leaders did seek to kill Jesus. They arranged Jesus’s capture and did turn him over to Pontius Pilate. During Jesus’s trial before Pilate, one finds the “blood libel” verses. In context:

“When Pilate saw that he was accomplishing nothing, but rather that aa riot was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd, saying, ‘I am innocent of this Man’s blood; see to that yourselves.’ And all the people said, ‘His blood shall be on us and on our children!’” (Matthew 27:24–25, NAU)

That passage has been used as an excuse by antisemites to justify their actions ever since. Closely related to it is the claim that it was the Jews who killed Christ. After all, they did turn him over to the Romans, even if technically, the Romans were the ones who crucified him, or so the reasoning goes. In addition, the numerous passages in Acts, where Jews stirred up opposition to the Gospel, are cited. Thus they claim that their antisemitism is justified. The resulting actions against the Jews form an ongoing tragedy.

The Bible teaches something quite different. Jesus was going to be crucified. His purpose for coming was to die on the cross for our sins so that we could be forgiven. Second Corinthians 5:21 sums up what happened, "He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

Biblically speaking who put Christ on the cross? The discomforting answer: all of us. Every one of us. No exceptions. All of us are guilty of sin. Every one of our sins was laid upon Jesus. In short, I put Jesus on the cross; you put Jesus on the cross. The blame does not rest with a supposed handful of Jews, but with all of us. We are all equal in that regard.

Regarding the consequences of sin, Jesus doesn’t point to the crowds. He does state that Pilate is guilty of sin, and that those who handed him over to Pilate are guilty of a greater sin than Pilate (John 19:11). But arguably Judas Iscariot bears the greatest guilt, as Jesus says that it would have been better for him if he hadn’t been born (Matthew 26:24).

As for the crowds that wanted him dead, those that crucified him, and by inference, those who uttered the “blood libel verse,” what did Jesus say? He asked his Father to forgive them, because they didn’t know what they were doing (Luke 23:34). If Jesus forgave them, should not we, as Christians, do the same?

In contrast, what did Jesus say about the cause of his death?

John 10:17–18 (NAU): “For this reason the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life so that I may take it again. No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This commandment I received from My Father.”

Do we understand? No one took Jesus’s life from him. He laid it down on his own initiative. He also had the authority to take it up again. Jesus was in charge, not the crowds, not the Jewish leaders, not Pilate.

Even the Jews’ hardness of heart towards the Gospel at that point was intended so that the Gentiles could be saved (see Romans 11:11). As we see throughout Paul’s missionary journeys in the book of Acts, it is after the Jews reject the gospel, that Paul and his companions focus on the Gentiles. So much for using some of the verses in the book of Acts as a diatribe against the Jews.

Thus, we see that their overall biblical context negates the forced interpretation of a few verses that are used to form the basis for antisemitism within the church.

That only begins to scratch the surface of what Scripture teaches. As we’ll see in the next post, when one examines the New Testament, there is no biblical basis at all for antisemitism within the church.

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