The relationship between Christians and Jews has been fraught with tension, misunderstanding, and tragedy for nearly two millennia. The Holocaust proved that enlightenment, theological reform, and whatever other societal ‘progress,’ did not preclude modern Christianity from the virus of antisemitism. So the question remains, how do we overcome and completely eradicate the hatred of Jews by those who call themselves followers of the Messiah?
Though this topic is broad and there are, no doubt, many plausible answers, in this article, I will make a case for one particular answer that I believe to be critical.
That is the relationally healing and trust-building effect of shoulder-to-shoulder acts of service by Christians towards the Jewish people. Christian acts of service performed for the Jewish people are critically significant to the eradication of Christian Jew-hatred, a key to gaining relational fidelity with the Jewish people, and a critical component of God’s master plan for global redemption.
After creation, the fall, and the flood, humanity was in need of redemption. God launched His plan of redemption through Father Abraham. It is clear in the first few verses of Genesis 12, what Abraham’s mission is. He must become a great nation, receive God’s blessing, and bring blessing to all the families of the earth.
Abraham, however, is not the only one to receive a redemptive directive in these verses. Those outside the nation of Israel also receive instruction. God says, “I will bless those who bless you (Abraham), and he who dishonours you I will curse.” To receive God’s blessing, non-Jews must bless the Jewish people. Certainly, ‘blessing’ includes acts of service.
The Ammonites and Moabites give us insight into what blessing Israel and being cursed for dishonouring Israel entails. After the children of Israel became a nation in Egypt and were delivered from slavery and on their way to the Promised Land, they passed by Ammon and Moab. Deuteronomy 23 tells us that because they did not bring bread and water out to Israel, and because they hired Balaam to curse Israel, the Ammonites and Moabites were not allowed to enter into the assembly of God until the tenth generation, and Israel should not “seek their peace or their prosperity all your days forever.” Blessing Israel consisted of a very simple act of service—bringing bread and water out to Israel. The curse for dishonouring was severe—no entry to God’s presence, no peace, and no prosperity.
Even Balaam, though he spoke words of blessing towards Israel, advised the Moabites to commit evil and ruthless actions against Israel, and ended up losing his life because of it. Ruth, the Moabitess, chooses to bless Israel by serving her mother-in-law and becomes a matriarch in the line of King David and Yeshua Messiah. Acts of service matter!
We also have New Testament examples of non-Jews blessing Israel and being blessed. The centurion in Luke 7 is said to have loved the Jewish nation and even built a synagogue for them. When Yeshua hears of this service, he goes and brings healing to the centurion’s servant.
Also, Cornelius was said to be an “upright and God-fearing man, who is well spoken of by the whole Jewish nation,” who “gave alms generously to the people.”
Twice in the chapter, it is written that Cornelius’s alms had been seen by the Lord. Because his prayer was heard and his alms were seen, he was visited by an angel, Peter came to his house, and his whole household was saved and baptised in the Holy Spirit.
The Apostle Paul gives a very straightforward instruction in Romans 15:27: “Non-Jews have received much spiritual blessing from the Jewish people; therefore, non-Jews should be ‘of service to them in material blessings.’”
Yeshua himself declared that if the nations did loving acts of service to the “least of these my brethren” (which can certainly be interpreted as referring specifically to the Jewish people), that they had done it to Him and could enter into His kingdom and eternal life.
The timeless adage, ‘actions speak louder than words,’ is true. Often, that phrase is used to say that your actions are not aligned with your words, and we believe your actions. However, it is also applicable in that words are sometimes insufficient. It could be because of a previous wrongdoing, but usually, because of some level of distrust, there can be a real need to prove your point with actions.
Psychologist, Dr Henry Cloud, describes what it takes to build trust. He says that having empathy and understanding what people need are the first steps. The next step is to take empathetic actions to meet that need. This builds trust. This is a very basic scriptural principle. “Love your neighbour as yourself.” Carl Braaten notes with stinging accuracy, “When we Christians do not walk together with Jews, we are in danger of regressing to the paganism from which we emerged.”
The Jewish people’s identity as God’s chosen has been robbed, they have been lied about, cheated, tortured, and murdered by people who professed Christianity. If we want to rebuild trust, we cannot rely on words alone. We must take serious, sacrificial action. Action that proves that we know who they are, understand their struggles, and will stand with them. Lack of service will lead to closed, self-protecting hearts who feel unsafe and will communicate in ways that only exacerbate misunderstandings.
Our heroes took action! Corrie Ten-Boom, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and Irena Sendler blessed the Jewish people by putting their faith into action. They did not just quote scripture or simply pray for the best; they sacrificially gave their lives.
Throughout this article, I have argued that it is vital for Christians to perform acts of service for the Jewish people. This begs the practical question: is it possible for every Christian to physically bless the Jewish people on a regular basis?
I believe Matthew 25 gives us a good list to start with. “I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me,
(36) I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.”
Our challenge is to find Jewish people who live closest to us and get to know them well enough to determine whether they have any of those needs. If we truly understood that when we serve them, we are serving Yeshua, we would not hesitate.
There are a plethora of other options, including volunteering in Israel, at your local Jewish Community Centre, or Synagogue. Yes, you will get strange looks. But we must change that for heaven’s sake. We must turn from the error of our ways and, instead of taking the historical approach that “God will use us to punish the Jews,” take up a banner that reads “God will use us to serve, bless, and comfort the Jewish People.” For too long, Christians have sided with the Hamans, Hitlers, and Hamas’s of this world. It is time to side with God and follow His designated path to Redemption–bless His people.
Misunderstanding of Scripture by Christians led to relational distancing from the Jewish people. Relational distance led to immorality–justification of inhumane treatment. Immorality led to dehumanisation. And dehumanisation led to genocide—the Holocaust.
Thankfully, today we are seeing a shift in the interpretation of scripture, and that has led to unprecedented relational breakthroughs.
Trust is best built with empathetic actions. The way forward is to find ways to invite, encourage, and set up opportunities for Christians to serve Jewish people. It is the Biblical way, it is proven through history and psychology, and its simplicity enables its attainability. Indeed, Christian acts of service performed for the Jewish people are significant to the eradication of Christian Jew-hatred, a key to gaining relational fidelity with the Jewish people, and a critical component of God’s master plan for global redemption.
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