Sensitivities to Consider in Witnessing to Jewish People

By: Sari Sheppird, PhD

Are there special things to keep in mind when presenting Christianity to non-believing Jews? It may be helpful to learn about unique sensitivities for sharing the gospel with people from a Jewish background.

Antisemitism in Christian History

If someone approached you to share about Jesus and in so doing accused your ancestors of being Christ-killers, would that put you on the defensive? This notion is what Jews have encountered since the early days of the Christian church. 

Origen of Alexandria, John Chrysostom, and Saint Augustine wrote about the “evil” of Jews and the generational blame they allegedly hold for killing Jesus.¹ Likewise, Saint Jerome reportedly claimed that all Jews were “Judas,” innately evil beings, and that they betrayed the Lord for financial gain.² 

Throughout church history, notable leaders, including Martin Luther and John Calvin, have propagated antisemitic rhetoric. Decrees from the First Council of Nicaea, the Crusades of the Catholic Church, and the Spanish Inquisition contained doctrine that brought terrible consequences for Jews, from marginalization to social restrictions, forced conversions and the removal of children from Jewish homes, public condemnation, and even torture and death, sometimes resulting in the extermination of entire villages.³ 

Jews have been scapegoated in this way at various times in history, allegedly bearing the blame for everything from economic hardships to the Black Plague.⁴

Modern Antisemitism

Most of us are probably more familiar with antisemitism in modern times. Widespread violence in the form of pogroms have taken place in various parts of the world, including in the Russian Empire, Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa.⁵ Less than a century ago, Hitler would have spread his genocidal killing to all Jews if he had not been stopped from doing so.⁶

In the US, Jews have been excluded from universities, country clubs, and neighborhoods, and they have been subjected to political and cultural denigration.⁷ Cities such as Los Angeles, La Jolla, and Washington, DC had property covenants and implemented deed restrictions barring Jews from owning homes in their cities,⁸ even into the 1960s.

Even today, Jews may find themselves the victims of harsh and bitter stereotypes, exclusion from professional and social circles, harassment, and political pressure. 

Unfortunately, Christian circles have not been exempt from such behavior. Because of this prejudice and hostility, Jews may view Christianity as something to avoid rather than to embrace.

How to Bridge the Gap Caused by Pain and Hurt

Generational pain like that described above is not easy to overlook. Minimizing it is not a successful apologetic strategy. Instead, we do well to balance both compassion and truth. 

One helpful strategy is to separate Christ from atrocities that have been committed in his name. If Christians are accused of hate when presenting the gospel, try simply validating that such historical horrors and injustices should never have occurred. At the same time, point out that Christianity is about Jesus Christ, not about the people who misrepresent him. 

Douglas Pyle of Chosen People Ministries suggests distinguishing between religious Gentiles, who have been guilty of persecuting Jews, from genuine Christians who would not follow such a hateful path.⁹ He also suggests pointing to Scriptures such as Luke 18:31–33 and Acts 4:27, which state that Jesus was handed over to the Gentiles to be killed, clarifying that God does not hold the Jewish people collectively responsible for the death of his Son.¹⁰

We also have a message of hope written throughout the pages of Scripture that has been directly communicated to Jews and about Christ’s salvation for Jews. Most Jewish people will have never read the New Testament or have been given one to read. Passages such as Matthew 10:5–6, Matthew 15:24, Acts 3:25–26, Romans 11:25–29 can be eye-opening to Jewish people who have been taught to think of Christianity as merely a Gentile faith.

Sharing God’s Heart for the Lost

We know that God’s love extends to all people and that when we share his gospel, we should do so with grace. We can, in part, demonstrate the love of God to Jewish people when we come from a place of understanding regarding individual and collective pain, while sharing about the wholeness and the healing offered through the blood of the King of the Jews who brings Jew and Gentile together in unity (see Ephesians 2:14).

Notes

1. Eitan Bar, Why Don’t Jews Believe in Jesus: A Jewish-Christian Unfolds the Great Mystery (Independently Published, 2023), 78. 
2. Bar, Why Don’t Jews Believe in Jesus, 178. 
3. Anne Punton, The World Jesus Knew (Moody Press, 1996), 178. 
4. Bar, Why Don’t Jews Believe in Jesus, 92; Punton, The World Jesus Knew, 178.
5. Bar, Why Don’t Jews Believe in Jesus, 104. 
6. Punton, The World Jesus Knew, 179.
7. Bar, Why Don’t Jews Believe in Jesus, 105. 
8. Eric S. Yellin, “Broken Covenants: Jewish Memory and Racial Restrictive Covenants in Greater Washington,” Modern American History, published online February 10, 2026, https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/modern-american-history/article/broken-covenants-jewish-memory-and-racial-restrictive-covenants-in-greater-washington/0D543558EFC60B8D525153E861D17485.
9. Douglas Pyle, Sharing Jesus in a Jewish Way (Chosen People Productions, 2012), 74. 
10. Pyle, Sharing Jesus in a Jewish Way, 103.