Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Progressive Christian
For Jesus So Loved His Jewish Brothers and Sisters

For Jesus So Loved His Jewish Brothers and Sisters

Last updated on: November 21, 2019 at 6:12 pm by Keith Giles

For Jesus So Loved His Jewish Brothers and Sisters 2019-11-21T18:12:28+00:00 Keith Giles

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

When Jesus began his ministry in Jerusalem, the overwhelming tone in the land was unrest. His people were living in occupied territory. The Romans ruled over them. They were desperate for a Messiah to come and liberate them from this oppressive domination and re-establish the Kingdom of God [as they understood it] in Jerusalem.

In the years prior to the coming of Jesus, there were numerous wannabe Messiahs who gathered disciples, armed them and attempted to lead a rebellion against the Roman regime. Each of them failed miserably, and resulted in the brutal deaths of everyone associated with those who supported their insurrection.

So, when Jesus arrived there were plenty who sought to “make him King by force” in hopes that he might be the Messiah who would lead the ultimate and final overthrow of the Roman rule.

But, instead, Jesus shows up and says that they all need to “think differently” [literally “metanoia” in the Greek which is often mistranslated as “repent” in our English Bibles, and has nothing to do with feeling sorry for our sins].

Jesus explains what this change of mind and heart is all about when he suggests that his people stop trying to kill their enemies and resist the evil oppression of the Romans. He says they should instead love their enemies, and bless them and do good to them. Jesus says that they will usher in the Kingdom of God by turning the other cheek, going the extra mile and overcoming violence with kindness, not with more violence.

It was because Jesus loved his people, and the entire Jewish nation of Israel, that he warned them against this continual desire to overthrow Rome by force. He could see what they could not see: That the fruit of this rebellion would always and only be more bloodshed and – ultimately – lead to the destruction of their entire way of life.

Jesus did not warn them about this coming destruction because he hated the Jewish people – his own flesh and blood – but because he loved them deeply.

Jesus did not want this destruction to come. Jesus was doing everything he could to warn them about it and show them a path that would lead them away from this destruction, not towards it.

So, when his own people finally got tired of this anti-rebellion message and turned against him, his response was to model this same love and forgiveness that he was hoping they might show to their Roman oppressors. He went like a lamb to the slaughter without fighting back or resisting their violence. He loved them in spite of their rejection. He forgave them even as he was being put to death.

And when he rose from the dead, he breathed “peace” to them all. He instructed his disciples to continue to travel the countryside and go to every village and town in the region to offer this alternative to armed rebellion which would only lead – he knew – to their own genocide.

Sadly, about 40 years later, the very thing that Jesus tried so desperately to help his people avoid came to pass. The Romans had had enough and they sent their armies to surround the city of Jerusalem [just as he had warned them would happen], and after a long and bloody battle, the city was burned to the ground, millions of his people were slaughtered, and the Jewish temple was totally destroyed [as he had told them it would be].

None of this was what Jesus [or the Father] wanted to happen. None of what Jesus warned them about was said out of any sense of wrath or condemnation. It wasn’t that Jesus rejected them. Not at all. But, sadly, they had turned a deaf ear to the messenger sent by their loving Heavenly Father; a messenger who did everything possible to warn them – over and over again – with bitter tears, to open their eyes and see the path to peace, [laid out for them by the Prince of Peace, whose birth was announced by angels declaring peace].

While all of this is extremely sad and unfortunate, it’s even more sad to me that some take this message of love and mercy spoken by Jesus and twist it into a message that sounds anti-Jewish. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Nothing about Jesus was anti-Jewish. Every bone in his body was pro-Jewish. He gave his life to demonstrate an extravagant, over-the-top expression of love to the Jewish people. His warnings were from a heart of love. His desire was for the Jewish people to turn and walk in the path of life and love, not wrath or rebellion.

So, when I hear people take this message of love from Jesus and use it to condemn Jewish people, it really makes me angry. Because there is absolutely nothing in the message of Jesus that is hateful or wrathful or anti-Jewish.

And there is nothing in the message of Jesus that is merely for Jewish people. His message of love in reaction to oppression is still valid to this very day. If we respond to hate with more hate, it will consume us. If we respond to violence with more violence, we will experience a violent end. That’s not the wrath of God. That’s cause and effect. It’s a simple fact. Those who live by the sword will die by the sword. But those who live in love live in God [because God is love] and if we live in love then God [who is love] lives in us.

Make no mistake. Jesus was not anti-Jewish when he stood on the hillside and warned his own, dearly beloved people that the path they were on was going to lead them to a violent end. He said these things with tears in his eyes. He called out to his people with a broken heart and a burden upon his soul that hoped desperately that they would listen to his warning and turn and follow him in the path of peace and life.

Anyone who takes this warning of love and twists it into a message of hate for the Jewish people, or a rejection of the nation of Israel doesn’t understand what’s actually going on, and they certainly don’t understand the heart of Jesus who wept over his people because “they did not know the things that make for peace.”

Keith’s new book, “Jesus Undefeated: Condemning the False Doctrine of Eternal Torment” is available now on Amazon.

Keith Giles was formerly a licensed and ordained minister who walked away from organized church 11 years ago, to start a home fellowship that gave away 100% of the offering to the poor in the community. Today, He and his wife have returned to El Paso, TX after 25 years, as part of their next adventure. They hope to start a new house church very soon.

Want Keith to come speak at your church or in your home town? Send an invitation HERE

Can’t get enough? Get great bonus content: Patreon page.

Are you an aspiring author? Keith is leading an Author’s Academy starting Nov. 4. Learn how to become a full-time author and crack the code for building your platform and marketing your books online. Details HERE.

Podcast: Heretic Happy Hour Podcast is on iTunes and Podbean.

Dispensationalism

Following Jesus

Gospel of the Kingdom

Prophecy

Previous Post

November 20, 2019

How Jesus Subversively Inverts Psalm 73

Next Post

November 22, 2019 Did Jesus Need To Fail In Order To Save Us?

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Art Biblicism Christian Politics Cosmic Christ Deconstruction Discipleship Dispensationalism Divine Unity Ekklesia End Time Stuff Eschatology Evergreen Following Jesus Gender General Christian Topics Gnostics God's Love Gospel of Judas Gospel of Mary Gospel of Philip Gospel of the Kingdom Gospel of Thomas Gospel of Truth Hell Historical Jesus Inner Circle Investigative Reporting Islam LGBTQ Issues Marriage Mental/Emotional Health Mystery Non-Duality Philosophy Podcast Poetry Politics Poverty Preemptive Love Prophecy Psychology Quantum Theology Racism Reconstruction Satire Sex Technology Theology Uncategorized Universalism

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

The heavens declare God's glory without speech or words. Which psalm proclaims creation's silent testimony?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Psalm 148 Psalm 8 Psalm 104 Psalm 19

Books by This Author Books by Keith Giles

See All Titles »