The Two-headed Dragon

Bewitched by Israel, Hating Judaism

It is amazing to see so many Christians who identify Judaism as legalism, insultingly calling the legalists in Paul’s letter to the Galatians “Judaizers” – while at the same time they are completely committed to the state of Israel and anything it does, supposing that such unconditional support is what they owe to the Jews. Even Christians who are otherwise concerned with justice tend to be extremely reticent about confronting the state of Israel. Accusations of anti-Semitism, no matter how absurd, cause them to wilt.

Until we understand the theological basis for this condition, we will find no cure. Very simply, exaggerated Christian sympathy for Israel and unhealthy deference to Jews in general is rooted in Christian anti-Judaism. Making nice on Jews and Israel instead of actually loving them and speaking honestly is guilt-driven compensation for the theological hatred that Christians will not repent of. The cure for Christian moral cowardice about Israeli injustice is to confront the religious ignorance and hatred of Christians toward Judaism – a problem that is at least 1700 years old.

The New Testament clearly states that animosity against Moses and the prophets – foolishly disdaining them as not understanding the grace only revealed in the New Testament – leads directly to disbelief in Jesus himself. The only grace in the New Testament is what Jesus and his disciples, being Jews, found in Moses and the prophets, and when Jesus taught about himself, he taught it “from Moses and all the prophets” (Luke 24:25-27). In his parable of Lazarus and the rich man, Jesus summed up by saying, “If they will not believe Moses and the prophets, neither will they believe even if one rises from the dead.” It’s very clear. If Christians are to believe Jesus, who we say rose from the dead, then we must believe Moses and the prophets. To the degree that we do not believe them, neither will we believe Jesus. We may well have some kind of zeal for Jesus, but we won’t actually obey him. We become just a pack of religious rebels, calling Jesus “Lord, Lord,” and not doing what he says.

Paul himself stated that he went around saying nothing except what Moses and the prophets said had to take place. In short, if it contradicts Moses and the prophets, Paul would not have said it. And whatever we think of Paul, we know that if this were not so, he had lots of intelligent and committed opponents to call him on it. Consequently, we have Paul’s assurance that if we understand his words in any way that contradicts Moses and the prophets, we understand them wrong.

Paul’s argument in Galatia was not against Judaism but about what true Judaism is. It was, just as he said, about legalism. Believing that the Law is good is not legalism. Legalism is treating the Law as God, expecting to be rescued by keeping its regulations. Christians often think that that is what Judaism teaches, but that is not so. Judaism teaches that God rescues people who believe in Him by His strong hand, not by the Law, and that by this power they may then keep His Law and prosper. God did not take his people out of Egypt by means of the Law but through their faith in Him which led them to stand up to Pharaoh’s wrath, applying the blood and going forward into the Red Sea as He led them. A year after their deliverance from Egypt, at Sinai, God gave the Law, along with the promise of how they could keep it. ”I am the Lord your God that brought you up out of Egypt, out of the house of slaves,” God said, that they might obey His Ten Words in the same way that they had escaped from bondage in Egypt – by the power of God Himself. This, not legalism, is what Judaism teaches, or so Paul argued in his letter to the Galatians.

Accusations of anti-Semitism in response to criticism of the state of Israel are indeed deceitful guilt-tripping. But that is not all that they are. They work so well against Christians precisely because there is something to it, although not what Zionist accusers have in mind. And such accusations resonate with Jews for the same reason: when Jews feel their Jewish identity rejected by Christians, they’re not hallucinating.

Christians especially, but Jews as well, must fearlessly confront Christian anti-Judaism, because being bad for Jews for obvious reasons, it is disastrous for Christians too, since by ensuring unbelief in Jesus it makes real Christianity impossible, just as Jesus taught. Once Christians actually believe Moses and the prophets, they will be much more confident to approach the state of Israel as the prophets would have done. The proverb rightly says, “The righteous are as bold as a lion.” When the actual guilt of hating the people of Jesus and his theological background is resolved, Christians are no longer vulnerable to false accusations of anti-Semitism – because these accusations are indeed false.

Once guilt is resolved, we can think straight. When the Christian Zionist no longer needs to compensate for his guilt, he may be willing to give up his commitment to injustice in favor of the biblical message to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with his God. I have seen it happen.

Return to Home Page