Antisemitism

If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first. (John 15:18. NLT).

How does one account for the presence of antisemitism in the world today? In the light of recent world events, the question begs to be answered. Without question, this is one of the greatest conundrums in human history. While we may have a measure of understanding for the animosity that exists between Protestants and Catholics in Ireland, blacks and whites in the U.S., and Tutsis and Hutus in Rwanda, antisemitism seems to be in another category.

For one thing, malevolence toward Jews is one of the most ancient forms of hatred in the world. For over three thousand years, they have been singled out for ridicule, persecution, and, at times, genocide. Often the Jewish people have been the scapegoats, blamed for all manner of evils, from the Black Death in the Middle Ages to the unrest in the Middle East today.  

Unlike other forms of hatred, antisemitism is not confined to a certain region. It seems that hatred for Jews is an almost universal phenomenon! Throughout history Jews have been persecuted by Egyptians, Babylonians, Persians, Greeks, Romans, Muslims, Christians, Russians, Germans, and many more.  

It is hard to explain why the world has such hatred for Jews. There is almost no evidence of obvious wrong-doing. Those who pretend that antisemitism exists because of the Jewish claim to the land of Israel need to remember that the Jews were hated long before the state of Israel was created in 1948.  

And the conundrum of antisemitism is deepened when we realize that skin color seems to have nothing to do with it.       

Many have tried to “explain” antisemitism by referencing a wide variety of suggested causes. Some say Jews are too passive. Others say they are too aggressive. Some say Jews are too liberal. Others that they are too conservative. Some claim that Jews are too secular. Others that they are too religious. Some say they are too greedy and selfish. Others say they are too charitable and kind.

  Yes, antisemitism is profoundly difficult to account for. However, my study of Scripture and my understanding of history, lead me to suggest two primary reasons to “explain” the world’s hatred toward the Jewish people:

The Jews are indeed God’s chosen people.

A playful couplet coined by British journalist William Norman Ewer (1885-1976) expresses the conundrum well.

How odd of God to choose the Jews.

The Jewish claim to be God’s chosen people is not some arrogant boast of Hebrew supremacy. It is not some ethnocentric assertion to be better than other people. No! The Jewish people’s insistence that they are God’s chosen people, shocking as it may be, is the humble confession of a fact of history! They claim to be God’s chosen people because that is fact who they are.  

Read the book of Genesis and you will discover how God, from among all the possible options, chose one solitary Semite living in Ur of the Chaldees:  Abraham. Then when Abraham began to have children, God chose Isaac (not Ishmael), and then Jacob (not Esau). And take note of what God said to Abraham’s descendants huddled together at Mount Sinai after he had liberated them from slavery in Egypt: “You will be my own special treasure from among all the peoples on earth” (Ex. 19:5 NLT).  

Such an awareness of being chosen is not unique to Israel. Christians are also keenly aware of their identity as God’s chosen people. Jesus explained it this way to his first disciples: “You did not choose me, but I chose you” (Jn. 15:16). God’s people know that this divine choice does not imply favoritism and privilege, but rather a solemn and heavy responsibility.  

It is both ignorance and wounded pride that causes the world to persecute those who have the audacity to pretend to be God’s chosen people. They hate God’s people not so much for something they have done, but because of who they claim to be! Tragically, the world fails to realize that God’s choice includes them too; if only they would repent and believe.      

God’s people don’t assimilate.

Although the Jews lived in Egypt for 400 years, they never became Egyptian (see the book of Exodus)! And when they were exiled to Babylon for 70 years, they never assimilated. They kept their distinctive Jewish identity. Indeed, throughout almost two thousand years of living in exile without a land to call their own, the Jews maintained their culture, their language, and their religion even as they lived in the midst of other nations.  This is truly remarkable! God told his people to love their pagan neighbors and to work for the well-being of the cities where they lived in exile. But they were not to assimilate! They were to maintain their own distinct traditions and beliefs.  

The same is true for Christians. Jesus tells his followers to be in the world, but not of it. Their ultimate allegiance is to the Kingdom of God, not the kingdom of man. Jesus is Lord; not Caesar! Love your neighbor but do not imitate his pagan lifestyle! Jesus put it this way:

If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first. The world would love you as one of its own if you belonged to it, but you are no longer part of the world. I chose you to come out of the world, so it hates you. (Jn. 15:18-19 NLT).

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