Title: In His Name
Author: Bob Wickizer
Text: Acts 3:12-19; Psalm 4; 1 John 3:1-7; Luke 24:36-48
Today we must start our reflection with another caveat. This one has to do with anti-Semitism and the historical friction between Christians and Jews. At times, that friction resulted in killing and death. Hopefully, we are better than that today, but out of duty and in consideration of the situation in Gaza, I must warn you.
In the early days of Christianity between the death of Jesus around 36 AD and the expulsion of the Jews from Jerusalem in 70 AD, some Jews believed that Jesus was their messiah. They continued to worship alongside their fellow Jews in synagogues every week. They were seen by the majority of Jews as just another weird splinter group. Around the time Paul was writing his letters in the 60s, some militant Jewish groups began to revolt in Jerusalem against Rome. This led many Jewish communities to tighten their circle by adhering to the beliefs of mainstream Judaism and rejecting groups such as the early Jewish-Christian believers as heretics.
This rejection from Jewish communities from 70 to 90 AD led to some animosity. You can see that in the writings of John. You can see the antagonism almost like brothers duking it out in Luke and Acts. When I read the condemnation of Jews in Acts, it makes me cringe - maybe even ashamed. This is the first step leading to the "blood libel" charge against the Jews as "Christ killers" and the subsequent revenge that became pogroms and holocausts.
So today, I implore you, please take some small part in making the world better. Help stop the killing of people on all sides of these conflicts. Here's what you can do about it:
1. Do not ever repeat, support, or give credence to charges of Jews as Christ-killers. It was politically motivated then. It is politics today. It is wrong and harmful. If we need to point our fingers anywhere, it is at ourselves. We kill Christ every day with our lifestyle cho ...
Author: Bob Wickizer
Text: Acts 3:12-19; Psalm 4; 1 John 3:1-7; Luke 24:36-48
Today we must start our reflection with another caveat. This one has to do with anti-Semitism and the historical friction between Christians and Jews. At times, that friction resulted in killing and death. Hopefully, we are better than that today, but out of duty and in consideration of the situation in Gaza, I must warn you.
In the early days of Christianity between the death of Jesus around 36 AD and the expulsion of the Jews from Jerusalem in 70 AD, some Jews believed that Jesus was their messiah. They continued to worship alongside their fellow Jews in synagogues every week. They were seen by the majority of Jews as just another weird splinter group. Around the time Paul was writing his letters in the 60s, some militant Jewish groups began to revolt in Jerusalem against Rome. This led many Jewish communities to tighten their circle by adhering to the beliefs of mainstream Judaism and rejecting groups such as the early Jewish-Christian believers as heretics.
This rejection from Jewish communities from 70 to 90 AD led to some animosity. You can see that in the writings of John. You can see the antagonism almost like brothers duking it out in Luke and Acts. When I read the condemnation of Jews in Acts, it makes me cringe - maybe even ashamed. This is the first step leading to the "blood libel" charge against the Jews as "Christ killers" and the subsequent revenge that became pogroms and holocausts.
So today, I implore you, please take some small part in making the world better. Help stop the killing of people on all sides of these conflicts. Here's what you can do about it:
1. Do not ever repeat, support, or give credence to charges of Jews as Christ-killers. It was politically motivated then. It is politics today. It is wrong and harmful. If we need to point our fingers anywhere, it is at ourselves. We kill Christ every day with our lifestyle cho ...
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