Is the New Testament Antisemitic?
Would it surprise you to hear there are people who think the New Testament is antisemitic? Many of them haven’t read it themselves but are familiar with the history of Christian antisemitism and assume it’s based on New Testament teachings. Others may have arrived at the same conclusion because of passages where the New Testament is perceived as antagonistic toward Jewish people.
It can be tempting to dismiss this erroneous view out of hand, but we need to be aware that antisemitism is (and should be!) deeply concerning to Jewish people. If a Jewish person believes the New Testament is antisemitic, they are less likely to read it. This view can become a barrier to faith, and our Jewish friends might raise it as an objection to the gospel.
So what gives rise to this misconception, and how can you respond to your Jewish friend in a way that points them toward Jesus?
The New Testament Is a Jewish Book
It’s important when discussing this topic with a Jewish friend to draw a clear line between the antisemitism displayed by Christians and the actual teachings of the New Testament. Christians have been responsible for immense Jewish suffering over the centuries, and some have even used Scripture to support their antisemitic position. However, we can’t judge God’s Word by the actions of those who claim to follow it. We must examine the Word itself.
The New Testament itself is not antisemitic! In fact, it’s a very Jewish document. Your Jewish friend might not know that most of the New Testament’s authors were Jewish, and many wrote specifically for a Jewish audience about Jesus – the Jewish Messiah! This is something the gospel of Matthew emphasizes with a genealogy showing that Jesus is the seed of Abraham and the ultimate fulfillment of the Davidic covenant.
The Harshest Rebukes Were Aimed at Specific Individuals
What about the harsh things Jesus said when addressing Jewish audiences? Or the way the Gospel of John sometimes speaks of “the Jews”—even portraying them as urging Pilate to crucify Jesus?
When interpreting these passages, we need to pay careful attention to context and who “the Jews” refers to in each case. In the gospel accounts, the strongest opposition to Jesus comes from the Jewish religious leaders, who envied Him and saw Him as a threat to their authority. If we look back at John 11:45-53, we see that the Jewish religious leaders were the ones who “planned together to kill Him.” So, when the term “the Jews” appears in the book of John, it usually does not refer to Jewish people as a whole, but to the Jewish religious leaders specifically.
Jesus aimed some of His severest rebukes at these leaders. In Matthew 23, for instance, He rebuked the Pharisees and the scribes, calling them “hypocrites” for their corrupt and self-righteous behavior. Jesus also rebuked certain Jewish individuals and groups for their sins. His way of speaking was similar to the prophets in the Hebrew Bible, who issued dire warnings and condemned sin, urging Israel to turn back to God in faith and repentance.
The New Testament Expresses Deep Love for Israel
The New Testament is full of accounts of Jesus loving, healing, fellowshipping with, and caring compassionately for Jewish people. He wept over the spiritual blindness that prevented Israel from recognizing Him as their Messiah (Luke 19:41-42) and His heart broke over their sin: “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).
Likewise, the apostle Paul, who authored much of the New Testament, writes of the “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 countrymen, my kinsmen according to the flesh” (Romans 9:2-3). Paul loved the Jewish people and longed for their salvation so deeply that he would have willingly faced eternal separation from God if it could have secured Israel’s salvation.
Conclusion
Far from being antisemitic, the New Testament is Jewish to its core, telling the story of how God came to dwell among His chosen people, ultimately dying a sacrificial death and being raised to life for the sins of the world. If you have the opportunity, invite your Jewish friend to read the New Testament; pray that instead of hate and condemnation, they will find love and redemption. It is our prayer that more Jewish people will encounter the Messiah through His living Word.
