Martin Luther, one of history’s great men of faith in Christ, took a wrong turn. The results in human history have been devastating. His achievements are many, and they have endured across time. Sadly, so have his flaws. Martin Luther let an age-old evil rise up within him, and it wound up ruling a significant part of his life and legacy. At one point, it practically destroyed his German homeland. The old evil was an unreasoning hatred for Jews.
Luther did not always hold such views. Early in his life, he wrote, “Absurd theologians defend hatred for the Jews.” Later, he grew frustrated at his inability to convince rabbinical leaders of a Christian understanding of the Old Testament. His frustration turned to bitterness and then hatred.
Eventually, he would call for the burning of synagogues and Jewish schools, the razing of Jewish homes, the confiscation of their prayer books, and the silencing of rabbis. He wrote, “I advise that safe-conduct on the highways be abolished completely for the Jews. For they have no business in the countryside… I advise that usury be prohibited to them, and that all cash and treasure of silver and gold be taken from them.”
Luther lived 500 years ago, and he did not invent antisemitism. But right and wrong have not changed, and he allowed that timeworn sin to rise in his soul. His words became the rationale used to justify ongoing hate… eventually helping pave the road to power for Adolf Hitler and the Nazis. They caused a war that would result in over 75 million deaths, split Germany, lead to communist control of Eastern Europe, and spawn a Cold War that still threatens the annihilation of human civilization.
I’m not blaming Luther alone for all that. He had lots and lots of help. The point is that a great Christian gave in to the monster of antisemitism that seems to always lurk deep within humanity. For us, the lessons are clear. Christians make massive blunders when they stray from God’s Word, and their conduct has consequences.
Hatred of Jews waxes and wanes across time but has yet to disappear. It finds fertile ground on every continent and among every people. Where does this hatred come from? It is rooted in humanity’s ongoing rebellion against God, something even those who know and love Him must continue to fight as long as we live in these mortal bodies.
The rebellion comes from the fact that God chose the physical offspring of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob for two monumental and related tasks. Those two things changed everything forever. First, God spoke to mankind through Hebrew prophets, and they preserved those words. Second, through that people, “God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons” (Galatians 4:4-5). God chose Israel for these things. Jealousy or an unreasoning anger at Israel and the Israelites is a manifestation of human rebellion against Him.
The recent spike in hatred for Jews comes from liberals and conservatives, Muslims and a growing number of Christians. In this environment, new Hamans and Hitlers seem ready to rise. Like Luther, they can come from the most unexpected places. If you love your country, pray that it will not succumb to the resurgence of this ancient evil.
