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Over the past two tidbits, I have attempted to point out where orthodox Jews Dennis Prager and Joseph Telushkin in their book “Why The Jews?” are incorrect in some of their deductions regarding Christian anti-semitism. Why do I say that? Because they base and restrict their conclusions only to “reason” rather than the revelation of scripture.
Simply, it is impossible to explain the oxymoron of ‘Christian anti-semitism’ using only natural reasoning! I repeat, ‘Christian anti-semitism’ can only be explained through the revelation of scripture which categorizes it as demonic. There is absolutely no rational ground upon which a Christian can stand allowing him to hate any person(1Jn3:15) enough to commit murder (Ex 20:13)— especially upon the Jew! Why do I emphasize the Jew? I will say it again, there is only ONE reason no believer in Christ should persecute Jews: Jesus! Very simply….to hate Jews is to hate Jesus—Who is Jewish! The gospels of Matthew and Luke go to great lengths to list the genealogy of Jesus---for the very purpose of establishing His Jewishness. My point is “Christian anti-semitism" is not just irrational---it can only be identified as demonic! Let’s move forward. On page 127, Prager and Telushkin write: “Pierre Leroux, creator of the term “socialism”, identified the Jews with the despised capitalism, and regarded them as the incarnation of mammon, who lived by exploiting others. Leroux, a religious Christian, saw but one solution to the “Jewish Problem”---the conversion of all Jews to Christianity.” On page 139, using different words, they repeat this same sentiment, “Antisemitic Christians believed that Jews could really become Christians…” In my opinion, these statements unveil the greatest deception of “Why the Jews”! Why? Because in these two statements, Prager and Telushkin reveal THE heart of the matter! They believe that the conversion of the Jew to Christianity is itself…antisemitism! ABSOLUTELY…Nothing could be further from the truth! Romans 10:12 declares: “For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him” And, Galatians 3:28 declares: “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.” In these two passages, Paul declares the equality of the Jew and Gentile--in nature. From the beginning, God declared the Image and Likeness of God as His gift to mankind, i.e. descendants of Adam--which we all are--as THE agent making all humans equal!! And I repeat, this is true regardless of whether a person is a Jew or Gentile. However, as every human possesses a different calling from God(2Tim1:9), the calling of God upon the Jew is unique! First, Romans 10:9-10 declares the order God has ordained for His great calling on the Jew: “9.Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile; 10.But glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile” This teaches that God sovereignly declares that the Jew is first---first in judgment for their sin; and first in blessing for their obedience (Is1:19). I repeat, God sovereignly made the Jew first---not because they are better in nature. Deuteronomy 7:6-8 reveals God’s sovereign reason: “6.For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God: the LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth. 7.The LORD did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people: 8.But because the LORD loved you, and because he would keep the oath which he had sworn unto your fathers, hath the LORD brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondmen, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.” The reasons are: 1.God set His love upon them; 2.To keep His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob---the fathers of the Jews. Moses wrote the Deuteronomy 7 passage 500 years after Abraham. And yet another 500 years after Moses, King David not only confirmed the covenant but also established it forever in 2Samuel 7:22-24: 22.Wherefore thou art great, O LORD God: for there is none like thee, neither is there any God beside thee, according to all that we have heard with our ears. 23.And what one nation in the earth is like thy people, even like Israel, whom God went to redeem for a people to himself, and to make him a name, and to do for you great things and terrible, for thy land, before thy people, which thou redeemed to thee from Egypt, from the nations and their gods? 24.For thou hast confirmed to thyself thy people Israel to be a people unto thee forever: and thou, LORD, art become their God. Deuteronomy 26:18-19 further establishes God’s UNIQUE calling upon Israel: “that He will set you high above ‘all nations’ which He has made…” The word “all” means “all”! No exceptions! Therefore, David confirms God’s covenant with Israel is forever; and Moses confirms that covenant means God’s call on Israel is “high above all nations”! Here is my point! Romans 1:16 declares: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek”. The gospel is ĕuaggĕliŏn, i.e.Good News, and is described in its most basic form in 1Corinthians 15:3-4: 1.Christ died for our sins…according to the scripture; 2.He was buried and raised again on the third day…according to the scripture. Romans 1:16 teaches the gospel is to be offered to the Jew…first!!! 1Corinthians 15:1-4 clearly defines “WHAT” that gospel is to be offered to the Jew first! And what is that? Christ our Passover also has been sacrificed (1Cor5:7); was buried, and raised again, for the sin of the world…beginning with the Jew! Moreover, the Tanach, i.e.the Old Testament CLEARLY teaches that Jesus is the JEWISH Messiah (Is53:1-12; Dan9:24-27; Dan7:13,14)! And the New Testament CLEARLY teaches that Jesus is the JEWISH Messiah (Mat1:16-17)! And Jesus CLEARLY taught He was the JEWISH Messiah (Jn4:25,26)!! Therefore, not one Bible verse--especially the New Testament--in any way, shape, or form suggests that a Jew who acknowledges Jesus as the JEWISH Messiah…is anti-semitic!!! On the contrary, Jesus loves the Jews! In deep lamentation, Jesus expresses His great passion for His people Israel, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!” -Matt23:37 In addition, Jesus reveals His calling, i.e. the reason for His birth into the earth: “I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel!” –Matt15:24 Furthermore, Jesus appeared to the Jewish Paul, who wrote 2/3 of the New Testament, to inform him that he would suffer much to bear His name (Jesus)…to the children of Israel (Acts 9:15). As a matter of fact, Paul’s encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus, leading to his recognition of Jesus as the Jewish Messiah created in him such a love for the Jews that he was willing to be accursed, i.e.sent to hell…for their salvation!!!! (Rom9:3). Therefore, no anti-semitism existed in Jesus nor His apostles---who were all Jewish. Remember, for the first 10 years of the church--EVERY—believer in the Jewish Messiah…was Jewish! In conclusion, for a Jew to recognize Jesus as the Jewish Messiah, or as Prager and Telushkin write, “Antisemitic Christians believed that Jews could really become Christians…” --is NOT anti-semitism!!! On the contrary, 1Corinthians 1:18 and 23 reflect their faulty sentiments: “18.For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness…” “23.But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock…” Finally, Acts 4:12 declares “…for there is no other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved”; which teaches no one--neither Jew nor Gentile--can be saved apart from the Name of Jesus, the Jewish Messiah! Therefore, the ‘natural reasoning’ employed by Prager and Telushkin to conclude that Jews cannot accept Jesus as the Jewish Messiah without committing anti-semitism--must itself be condemned as anti-semitic, and therefore a scheme of Satan! Why? Their view denies Jews the very salvation that Jesus, the Jewish Messiah purchased as the Lamb of God (Jn1:29), Who came to take away the sin of the world! Quotebit “No civilization has survived that did not have a strong code informed by religious truth.” -Will Durant, Historian
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In their work ‘Why the Jews’ Dennis Prager and Joseph Telushkin do an excellent job of identifying anti-semitism whenever and wherever it rears its’ ugly head. And as I tried to lay out over my last several tidbits--as much as it hurts--they also expose the oxymoron ‘Christian anti-semitism’. Although no excuse can ever be made for Christians who have historically participated in acts of anti-semitism, I believe Prager and Telushkin make several fundamental mistakes which we will explore in this and later tidbits. First, they sincerely, but incorrectly limit their explanations for anti-semitism to man’s ‘reason’--which in my opinion—is the very core of their error. While it is possible to understand a ‘measure’ of truth through ‘reason’ it is my belief that anti-semitism can only be explained through the work of Satan, who comes to kill, steal, and destroy (Jn10:10)---which can only be explained through revelation…not reason!
On the other hand, I do believe we can all agree that ‘reason’ (logic) (Is1:18) is a vital part to the development of any human, culture, or nation---which is why the Bible demands humanity to be educated*—yet…reason is by-no-means a ‘cure-all’. Why? In short, ‘reason’ originates in the human mind which has been tainted by man’s sin nature**. The problem with ‘only’ depending on man’s capacity to reason, is that our sin nature** is active in corrupting the mind(Rom8:7;1Pet2:11), and hinders our ability to understand God(Ps36:9)---Whom is omniscient (Is44:8); possesses all understanding(Ps147:5); possesses all wisdom (1Tim1:17), and embodies all truth in the person of Christ, Jesus(Jn14:6)! Over an undesignated period of time, the sin nature has the ability to darken man’s reason (Lu11:35) increasingly reducing our ability to comprehend good and evil. I repeat, overtime, human history has overwhelmingly proven that reason--without God--will ultimately end with calling good evil and evil good (Is5:20, Gen6:5,11-13)! While I do not believe Prager and Telushkin are anywhere near the level of calling good evil, and evil good, I do believe it is clear that the Bible indicts Satan (Jn10:10) as ultimately responsible for the evil of anti-semitism. This does not mean that those who participated in anti-semitism--including Christians—bear no responsibility for the evil of Jew-hatred; Jewish persecution; and even murdering Jews, it means that when fighting anti-semitism…we must understand where and how to begin to fight back! Let’s turn our attention now to some more mistakes Prager and Telushkin make by relying only on their reason and logic--instead of the revelation of God’s word---to determine the purposes for anti-semitism. On page 13, of ‘Why the Jews’, they write, “Judaism consists of four components: God, Torah (laws and teachings), Israel (Jewish nationhood), and Chosenness. Throughout Jewish history, the Jews’ affirmation of one or more of these components has challenged, even threatened, the gods, laws, and cultures of non-Jews among whom Jews have lived.” I could not disagree with this statement more! Why? Two reasons: a.Authentic Christians are not in any way threatened by any of the four things mentioned by Prager and Telushkin. b.Because this statement does not take into account the obvious Satanic motive behind anti-semitism--it is false. 1.God. First, Christians worship the same God as the Jew! How can Christians hate Jews for loving the same God?!? And, most importantly, Jesus is Jewish!!! For a Christian to hate Jews, he/she must hate the one who saved him! 2.Torah. Second, the Torah is the Christian’s Genesis through Malachi(Old Testament), and is the EXACT same text! Christians do not believe the New Testament is separate from the Old Testament in inspiration or doctrine(2Tim3:16). One of the great pieces of evidence supporting this truth is the incredible number of times the NT quotes the OT. If Christians reject either the inspiration or the doctrine of the OT—in any way--it would immediately invalidate the NT---BECAUSE the OT is so often quoted by Jesus and the apostles in the NT!!! Remember, Jesus was a Jewish Rabbi who taught the Torah! There was no NT for Him to teach! 3.Israel. Third, there currently exists what’s called ‘Replacement Theology’ among a minority of Christians. From the doctrine of ‘Replacement Theology’, there theoretically exists a ‘minute’ possibility for Jew-hatred. For example, ‘tainted reason’ could possibly argue the following: 1.at Pentecost, the birth of the Church, we have been made spiritual Israel; 2.the Jew is old or natural Israel, and no longer necessary; 3.Therefore, I as a Christian can hate, persecute, and even murder Jews! I argue that no ‘authentic’ Christian could ever hold to this kind of reason and logic—without completely departing from the Word of God! Yet, for a Christian to commit anti-semitism…this kind of absurd reasoning is necessary! First, even if we considered Israel or the Jew to be our enemy, Jesus, the highest example for our behavior said: “…Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you”(Mat5:44). Is it possible to squeeze, ‘hating’, ‘persecuting’, and ‘murdering Jews’ into this passage? Second, Jesus inspired 1John 3:15: “Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.” Can a Christian who by thought or deed murders a Jew, still go to heaven? This passage screams, NO! Third, Matthew 28:18-20 records Jesus--Who is the author of our salvation—giving the Great Commission mandate to the church! Romans 1:16 instructs us to do the Great Commission---to the Jew first…and then the Gentile!!! Could Jesus have meant for the Christian to hate, persecute, and even murder the Jew…and then subsequently do the Great Commission with them??!! Or maybe we Christians are to do the Great Commission first, and then hate, persecute and murder Jews??!! Of course not!! The word ‘gospel’ is the Greek word euaggelion and means: GOOD NEWS! Is it possible that a Jew who is experiencing hatred, persecution, and even murder of him or his family would think that he is experiencing the “GOOD NEWS of the Great Commission?!!!!??? ABSOLUTELY NOT! Finally, 4.Chosenness. The Bible clearly teaches God has chosen Israel: -Deut7:6: “For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God: the LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth” -Ps105:6: “O ye seed of Abraham his servant, ye children of Jacob his chosen.” -2Sam7:23-24: “And who is like Your people, like Israel, the one nation on the earth whom God went to redeem for Himself as a people, to make for Himself a name—and to do for Yourself great and awesome deeds for Your land—before Your people whom You redeemed for Yourself from Egypt, the nations, and their gods? 24.For You have made Your people Israel Your very own people forever; and You, Lord, have become their God” Finally, the Chosenness of Israel, and the land of Israel—are part of a “FOREVER” covenant! (Gen13:15; 2Sam7:22-24; Ps105:6-8) In conclusion, as any person can easily understand anti-semitism is completely irrational---especially for a Christian---which is a sign of the work of Satan! Satan hates God, hates what God loves, and hates God’s callings! Prager and Telushkin miss these truths because they limit their understanding to reason and reject the revelation of God’s word, the Bible! *Pro1:7; Pro8:10; Pro9;10; Pro10:14; Pro11:9; Pro12:1; Pro13:16; Pro14:6; Pro14:18; Pro15:7,14; Pro18:15; Pro19:2,25; Deut6:4, etc, etc., etc. Nearly the entire book of Proverbs encourages us to acquire knowledge, understanding and wisdom. **Rom7:16-23; Rom8:5-8 |
Derrick JacksonPastor, Author Archives
July 2024
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