Observation: After Jesus heals a sick man by the pool of Beth-Zatha, a group of Jesus' fellow Jews begins to persecute him and cause problems for him because he broke the Sabbath. As part of John's narrative, this foreshadows Jesus' death.
Application: I'm just going to lay it out here: Christians need to repent of anti-Semitism in all its forms, of which we and our ancestors have been guilty in the past. It helps to read the Gospels (especially John) with some context: to know that Jesus himself was a faithful Jew for all of his earthly life, as were all his original disciples, and that while his interpretation of Jewish law was different from some others, he taught his followers to be faithful to the law as well. It also helps to know that John's gospel was compiled by a community of Jewish Christians who were nursing some very fresh wounds from being thrown out of the synagogue. The fourth gospel, like many New Testament writings, is written in the context of a family argument, and we all know that family arguments can be terribly ugly.
But with all that said, as history has rolled on, Christians of all stripes (and in particular we of the Lutheran persuasion) have misused the New Testament to teach and perpetrate acts of terrible hatred toward Jews, and this teaching and behavior is anti-Christian. There's no other way to say it. It sets my teeth on edge to read in John's Gospel about "The Jews," my brothers and sisters in faith, as a group persecuting Jesus and his followers. What I take from it is a basic human story: Those who are in power (Jew or Gentile) do not want to share it or give it up with those who are not. It is not all of Jesus' fellow Jews who respond to him in this way. It is the religious leaders of his day. And as a religious leader (of a sort) in my own time, I have to really check my own heart and mind to make sure I am not making the same mistake. Is there anyone I'm going after in an unfair way? Am I misusing my power to make life more difficult for those I disagree with? How am I hurting those different from me through my words and actions?
God, call me out. Put an end to any persecution I may be part of, whether I see it or not. Bless my brothers and sisters who are Jewish. Defend them against any danger or persecution. May they
receive the full promise of your covenant. Amen.
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