I love all my brothers and sisters in Christ, but I’m wounded when I hear fellow believers dismiss or attack Israel and the Jewish people. The laundry list of excuses for this behavior includes many acrobatic contortions of Scripture that distance Christians from Jewish people:
- “God promised to bless Abraham, not his descendants, so I don’t need to love them.”
- “Israel broke its relationship with God, and the church inherited its blessings as the true Israel.”
- “Because all believers are God’s children, Israel’s distinct relationship with God doesn’t matter anymore.”
- “The Jewish people today aren’t the same as God’s Chosen People in the Bible.”
Antisemitic tropes also play a part in these condemnations. So does misinformation about the Jewish nation, as many Christians understand little of the State of Israel’s history of fighting for its life in defensive wars. They look at the nation’s activity in Gaza and Iran as an unforgivable sin because of the negative optics of military conflict, and they refuse to honor Scripture’s call to bless His Chosen People—even those who have never set foot in Israeli land.
Just before ascending to heaven, Jesus commissioned His Jewish disciples to preach the gospel to all the world, and Christians today share this same mission. But when they build walls to separate themselves further from the Jewish people, they strike God’s heart.
If you’re reading these words, the chances are that you already love the Jewish people. That’s good news! God seeks this heart posture toward His people, and we must look to share this love for Israel with others.
But why exactly do you love the Jewish people? And furthermore, why should you love the Jewish people? It helps to know why God loves the Jewish people, which is simultaneously a patently simple truth and an incomprehensible divine mystery.
We Love Them Because God Loves Them
God did not choose the Jewish people because they were great in number or righteousness (Deuteronomy 7:7; 9:4–6). He chose them by His own sovereign will because of His unconditional love and His covenant with Abraham (7:8). As Moses told the children of Israel, “Because He loved your fathers, therefore He chose their descendants after them; and He brought you out of Egypt with His Presence, with His mighty power” (4:37).
To some, God’s choosing feels like an encroachment on their innate sense of justice. Why should God select one specific group of people for a special relationship and not others? But who are we, the creations and servants of the Creator and God of the universe, to challenge His authority? Just because we struggle to reconcile Israel’s special relationship with God doesn’t mean His plans are wrong. He doesn’t need to conform to our senses of equity and privilege. He made all things, including such human notions of equity and privilege, and He has every right to act as He pleases, regardless of how effectively we think we can rationalize His works.
To be more like Christ, Christians must seek the heart of God the Father. We love what He commands us to love. That list starts with God (Deuteronomy 6:5; Matthew 22:37). It includes virtues: wisdom (Proverbs 4:6), mercy (Micah 6:8), and all that is good (Romans 12:9). It also contains groups of people: our neighbors (Matthew 22:39), other believers (John 13:34), and even our enemies (Matthew 5:44).
But the Jewish people have a place in God’s heart distinct from any other. They are the apple of His eye (Zechariah 2:8), His special treasure (Deuteronomy 7:6), His covenant people. His Word tells us to pray for the peace of their city, Jerusalem (Psalm 122:6), and that blessing Abraham’s descendants will lead to our own blessing (Genesis 12:3). When we truly love God, we are happy to love all that He loves.
How We Can Love Them
Our care for the Jewish people can take many forms. Here are some of the most God-honoring things we can do for them:
Pray. This action trumps the rest because it entails petitioning our almighty God, who can do all things, to do what He already pleases to do—to protect, guide, and provide for His specially Chosen People. We ask Him to remain faithful to His promises to them, just as we seek His faithfulness to His promises to Christians, and we can be sure He will fulfill them all.
Teach. When we share God’s Word with others, we always seek to share the Good News of the gospel message, “for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek” (Romans 1:16). Priority number one must always remain the salvation of souls lost in sin that become reconciled to Christ. But to those who spite the Jewish people, we must boldly share God’s promises for His Chosen People. He promised to reconstitute them in their land (Ezekiel 36:24), preserve them indefinitely (Jeremiah 31:35–36), and save them in their entirety (Romans 11:26). A proper understanding of Israel and the Jewish people in God’s plan blesses them and encourages others to follow suit.
Advocate. Supporting Israel is an increasingly unpopular activity. But this opposition only makes our advocacy all the more important. Fearing rejection or even retaliation for public displays of love for Israel is natural, but showing you are not ashamed of your love for God’s Chosen People goes a long way. Whether you wear clothes or accessories that show your support for Israel or you strike up a conversation about it at the doctor’s office or the grocery store, speaking up for God’s Chosen People honors God.
This week, try to find a way to share your love with the Jewish people. Let your appreciation for them testify that they are not alone—they are loved by God and believers who follow Him.
