The finger of blame

In the first and second centuries, Christians decided – without biblical backing, it must be said – that God had finished with the Jews. For centuries, Jews were despised, persecuted, herded into ghettos and expelled.

Thousands were massacred during the Crusades. Thousands were persecuted during the Inquisitions. When the Black Death ravaged Europe, the Jews were blamed, tortured and burned to death on bonfires.

 Six million were destroyed during the Holocaust. The United Nations has passed more resolutions against Israel than all other nations put together. Antisemitism is again on the increase.

We owe a great deal to the Jews. The Jews wrote the Bible. They wrote all the Old Testament, and all but two books of the New Testament. (They were written by Luke, who is said to have been a Gentile – but that’s not certain.) The patriarchs were all Jews. The prophets were all Jews. Jesus was a Jew. The New Testament apostles who not only risked their lives but gave their lives to bring the gospel to the Gentiles were all Jews. All the knowledge of God that I have has come to me directly or indirectly through Jews.

Gentiles blamed them for killing Christ. Christ-killers, they called them. True, the leaders of Israel did plot against Him. But He was sentenced to death by Pilate, who knew perfectly well He was innocent. Pilate was a Gentile. He was executed by Roman soldiers. They were Gentiles. And according to the Bible, it was my sin and your sin that sent Him to the cross.

So who can point the finger?