The Creator of this planet chose out a man about 4,000 years ago, and named him Abraham (father of many), and made a covenant with him to give him the land known as Canaan, even from the river Euphrates to the river of Egypt, the Nile.
Then God confirmed this real estate contract with Abraham's son, Isaac, and finally reconfirmed it with Isaac's son, Jacob, and to his seed after him for an everlasting possession; promising that as long as the ordinances of the sun, the moon, and the stars, remained before Him, even so the Jews shall remain a people before Him.
And thus it has pleased God to be known as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and God's Son is called the Holy One of Israel, and the King of the Jews. Ever since the Babylonian captivity, God's ancient covenant people have been the champions of Monotheism among the nations of the world.
Unto the Hebrew Prophets were committed the oracles of God. The Holy Scriptures, containing the Ten Commandments, were painstakingly copied by faithful scribes and preserved through the ages---so the Word of God has come forth unto the whole world through their hands.
Finally, Jesus of Nazareth, according to the flesh was a Jew, and so were the 12 Apostles and all His early followers. The Jewish Temple and Synagogue were the first preaching centers of the religion of Jesus; so that what later became known as Christianity had its birthplace in the land of the Jews.
Paul, the Apostle, who wrote half of the New Testament, was a Jew, and so were all of the other New Testament writers, with the possible exception of Luke.
It's true that Jesus sharply rebuked the Jewish cities for their sins and unbelief, but no more so than Isaiah, Jeremiah, and other Old Testament Prophets. Jesus was the hero of the poor. Actually, Jesus was so popular with the common people, that it was the very thing that aroused the ire and envy of the corrupt religious establishment of the day. It was for fear of the multitude that the hypocritical religious leaders were obliged to hold their councils against Him in secret. The jealous politicians even had to form a coalition with idol worshipping gentiles to carry out their murderous plans at night.
Yes, it was the Jewish Sanhedrin, with the exception of Joseph of Aramethia and Nocodemus who wanted Jesus put to death, but it was the pagan gentile ruler, Pontius Pilate, who passed sentence upon Him and the Roman soldiers who enjoyed beating Him up and did all the dirty work.
Yes, the official Jewish establishment rejected their own Messiah, but the masses of Gentile nations have not accepted Him either, except occasionally and that mostly nominally.
Considering the origin, it seems we Gentiles are the outsiders, and have embraced a foreign religion. If Christianity has a nationality it is plainly Jewish. It would be easier to debate that God is Jewish than to argue that He is Gentile.
But of course, God is universal and had made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on the face of the earth. The Bible is not about race, but about good and evil, sin or holiness, and heaven or hell. God is no respecter of persons and cares about Jews and Gentiles alike. The Gospel message is that "God so loved the world, the He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16)
Just as there is a natural Israel, so there is a spiritual Israel, the Church. As there are natural Jews, so there are spiritual Jews, Christians. There is not a Jewish church and a Gentile church, there is just one true Church---made up of both Jewish and Gentile believers worldwide. (See Romans 3:29)
God, in His anger, scattered the Jews in 70 A.D. But in His mercy, He has remembered His ancient covenant with their father and regathered them back to their homeland. Their independence and recognition by the United Nations in 1948 was a miraculous Act of God. History is replete with stories about the rise and fall of empires. But the fall and rise of a nation is absolutely unique. Divine prophecy said it would happen, and 2,600 years later it came to pass by Divine providence. And His work with the Jews is not finished yet.
True believers in Christ are to love everyone and to hate no one. Jesus taught us to love our enemies. Therefore no true Christian can be anti-Semitic. It's a contradiction in terms. And anti-Semitic is actually anti-God, anti-Christ, anti-Word of God, anti-Church, and anti-Christian---whether he realizes it or not.
But because the Apostate Church has historically persecuted Jews in the name of Christianity, many Jews think that the New Testament promotes anti-Semitism, and therefore won't read it. But whenever one does, he is extremely surprised. And Messianic Jews are increasing!
In conclusion, do we Gentiles owe a great debt to the Jews for handing us both the Old Testament and New Testament? Do we need to understand and appreciate them more? Yes, we should love them, we ought to pray for them and we need to introduce them to their Jewish Messiah. God expects it, and promises to bless it:
"Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee." (Psalm 122:6)
