A few months ago, I was invited to an evening lecture. Everything was perfect. The people were courteous and friendly – and completely closed off. It was as if I were talking to a brick wall.
By Dr. Tobias Krämer
The visitors were established Christians. That's why I was so surprised that my Bible teachings were hardly received. One could consider whether the surroundings played a role. There are parts of Germany where no genuine spiritual reckoning has ever taken place and anti-Semitism is strong. But that didn't seem to be the case there.
I went home with the thought that—please don't misunderstand—Jesus was the problem. Jesus, or rather, what people thought about him. If you have a Christology (a doctrine about Christ) in which Jesus is opposed to Israel—and this was taught for centuries—then Israel causes problems. Then siding with Israel can even be perceived as a betrayal of Jesus, and then Jesus becomes a problem for Israel. This kind of Christology has long since been officially corrected, but its effects still linger.
Christ must be at the center, of course, but in the right way. Good Christocentrism is one in which Jesus is indeed the focus, but is embedded in the larger context of the Bible or salvation history, in which Israel plays a crucial role. In poor Christocentrism, Jesus is so narrowly focused that much is overlooked, and one stares only at Jesus – a blinkered approach.
A false Christocentrism lies in placing Jesus against Israel or Judaism. Jesus was not against the Jews, but against certain aspects of Judaism. Above all, human traditions that went beyond the word of God could enrage him. This is why he frequently clashed with the Pharisees. Jesus was repelled by their traditionalist stance. Just as Israel is repelled today—by Christian traditionalism. It is the same narrow-minded spirit.
Let us open our hearts to the full breadth of the Bible. Then Jesus will be at the center, and Israel will still have its firm place. In this way, our faith will be complete.
Chazak u'varuch – be strong and blessed!
This article first appeared in our newspaper "Israelaktuell," issue 145. You can order the newspaper here . We would also be happy to send you several copies for distribution.
