Q: Why do people hate the Jews?

"Many people make racist comments about them, and I do not think they understand why they are doing so. Why has their history been so harsh?"

There are two parts to your question. First, there is the question of racism in general. Historically, the Jews are not the only people who have experienced extreme racism. For instance, a few years ago, I was in London, England and visited an exhibit about the genocide of Nanking (or "The Rape of Nanking"). In December of 1937, hundreds of thousands of Chinese were murdered and raped over the course of six weeks by Japanese soldiers. The exhibit brought about emotions of angry, sadness and moved me to tears. Some, such as author Iris Chang, have called Nanking, "The Forgotten Holocaust" - meaning most people only know of the Jewish Holocaust, but are unaware of this one. Racism affects every ethnic group, in every generation.

Theologically, the reason why racism happens is because it is a sin. It's a form of pride, whereby you think you are better than someone else because of the colour of your skin. Like all other sins, it is an evil act that is contrary to the will of God (See Galatians 3:28, Revelation 7:9-10), who made each human being in his own image (Gen. 1:27). Thus, as Christ-followers, Christians ought to fight against racism. The church should be a living example of racial harmony, characterized by the inclusion of people from all racial backgrounds.

The second part of your question is difficult to answer because racism toward people of Jewish descent goes back many centuries. In fact, historically, Anti-Semitism (i.e. racism toward the Jews) has been known as the "longest hatred." There have been a multitude of books written about the history and impact of Anti-Semitism, so I suggest you go to your local library or visit Amazon.ca to find resources on this matter. HERE is one article that may prove useful. Part of the article reads:

Although anti-Semitism goes back to ancient history, its greatest impetus came as a result of the accusation that the Jews committed deicide, the killing of God by the crucifixion of Christ. It was vehemently asserted that the sole guilt for the death of Jesus Christ must lie with the Jews. Maintaining the guilt of the Jews, the church, primarily composed of Gentiles by this time, sought to "repay" the guilty party, a "repayment" enacted in the name of Christ and for the glory of God. But is it really true that [Jews] bear the sole guilt for the death of Jesus?

It then goes on to argue that Christians should not blame the Jews for the death of Christ:

...without removing human responsibility, it is obvious that God Himself determined that the Messiah must die. Whatever the Romans, the Gentiles, or the peoples of Israel did in the first century, they fulfilled whatever the hand and purpose of God predestined (Acts 4:28). It was divine imperative, the Messiah of Israel must die in order to become the Savior of the world. Isaiah, the prince of our Jewish prophets, predicted such a voluntary death some 700 years before the coming of Jesus the Messiah (Isa.52:13-53:12). It was the Lord who "caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him" (Isa. 53:6). It pleased the Lord "to crush Him, putting Him to grief" (Isa. 53:10). Isaiah prophesied that the Messiah would go to His death willingly, "like a lamb that is led to slaughter, and like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, so he did not open His mouth" (Isa. 53:7).

[Answered by Pastor HM]

Q: Does my orthodox Jewish friends need to believe in Jesus in order to be saved?

"People who came before Jesus only needed to have faith in a coming Messiah and the Jews today still have faith in a coming Messiah. If so, how can I spread the gospel so they would understand?"

This is a very good question. Jewish people today, like their ancestors, reject Jesus because He failed to do what they expected their Messiah to do - namely to destroy evil and their enemies and establish a kingdom where Israel as a victorious, preeminent nation in the world.

Why is this the case? We must remember that Jesus did not deliver them from Roman occupation! Additionally, he was eventually arrested and crucified, at which point many Jews stopped believing in Him as the promised Messiah. Moreover, in the Gospel according to Luke, we actually find that it was the Jews there that demanded his crucifixion (Luke 23: 18-25). From their perspective, Jesus was both undermining orderly Roman rule (e.g. forbidding taxes, claiming to be king, stirring up the people) AND seducing the Jewish people to abandon their religion (e.g. changing the way people thought about keeping the Sabbath, offering sacrifices in the temple, separating themselves from “sinners”).

This is why they rejected him; they could not accept the fact that God had a different plan of redeeming Israel and the rest of the world through the Messiahship of Jesus.

The Apostle Paul talks about the spiritual blindness of Israel in his letter to the Romans (chapters 9-11). For hundreds of years, Israel had been the one nation that looked to God, while other nations rejected Him. Yet when the Messiah came, they were the ones that rejected Him. As Paul explains, this hardening of the hearts of Jewish people lead to the blessing of other nations who would believe in Jesus as Messiah; as Lord and Savior. Summarily, it is clear from the Scriptures that - because Jesus, the prophesied Messiah of the Old Testament, came - it is only through Him that a person is saved (John 14:6, Acts 4:11-12).

That being said, the 2nd part of your question is about evangelizing Jews. Before I continue, I want to point out that I grew up in Thornhill, and most of my friends were Jews, so I can relate to this question well. In general, my Jewish friends would identity themselves as Jews, but would not consider themselves "religious." They would see their Jewish heritage much like how I would see my Asian one. Most of my friends did not identify with any Jewish movement, and much Jewish theology is foreign to them.

Thus, to evangelize Jews, it is important to first understand exactly what they believe, and what their objections are toward faith in Christ. For some, it may be the history of Jewish persecution at the hands of Christians, or the Church. For others, it could be the fact that by accepting Jesus, they would be turning their back on their entire culture. Still, for others, the objection could be they do not feel like they truly need a savior. For your orthodox Jewish friends, I would think they simply reject Jesus because they do not believe He was the true Messiah. So, the first step would be to figure this out. The second would be to talk about Jesus and the gospel in terms that make sense to them. For instance, if your friend rejects Jesus as a false Messiah, you will have to explain how Jesus did in fact come as the prophesied Messiah of the Scriptures. The group, Jews for Jesus, have many resources that may help. Third, remember to bathe your evangelism in prayer (as only God can truly change a heart!) and do it in love, gentleness, sensitivity, compassion and with a listening, non-judging heart.

Hope this helps.

[Answered by Pastor HM, who still keeps in contact with some of his Jewish friends from elementary school]