Did Martin Luther Really Say . . . ? More on Luther and the Jews
by Pastor Walter Snyder

As I noted last week, Luther's record is mixed. He often was brusque and volatile toward anyone
he saw as an enemy of the Gospel. He raged against Catholicism's insistence upon human works
over divine grace and wholeheartedly denounced Islam (the Turks) for its falsehoods. His anger
kindled over Jewish denial of Jesus as the Messiah of Israel. His works show a man who believed
that most Jews of his time were far removed from the Old Testament faith. In this, he parallels a
theological contrast established the Fourth Gospel. Here, the "Jews" are usually portrayed as the
religious leaders who reject the Messiah. However, when Jesus met Nathaniel, He exclaimed,
"Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit! (John 1:47)"

During the Middle Ages, some Jews wrote parodies against Jesus and Christianity. These, too,
aroused Luther's ire. Among them, the ~Toledoth Yeshu~, represented "mild" anti-Christian
writing among European Jews. It called Jesus an illegitimate child: "Joseph Pandera, attractive
and like a warrior in appearance, having gazed lustfully upon Miriam, knocked upon the door of
her room and betrayed her by pretending that he was her betrothed husband, Yohanan." The story
was that Yohanan then left, so Jesus (Yehoshua or Yeshu) was raised by a single mother.

Unlike Luke's Gospel, where the 12 year old Jesus showed reverence to the temple scholars, the
~Toledoth Yeshu~ accused Him of "shameful disrespect" and of sorcerously learning the secret of
God's true name, which He then used to work miracles in order to increase His personal power
and fame. It alleged that Yeshu was killed, his body first hidden, then tied "to the tail of a horse"
and taken to a certain "Queen Helene," who mocked those who followed Yeshu. The ~Toledoth
Yeshu~ concluded with a warped parody of the conversion of Paul the apostle.

In spite of such writings from some Jews and contrary to much of Medieval Christianity, Luther
hoped that the Gospel would touch Jewish hearts. He wrote ~That Christ Was Born a Jew~ both
to reach out to the Jews and to answer those in Christianity who despised them as "Christ-killers."

Learning that a Jew named Bernhard had come to faith in Jesus, Luther sent him a copy of the
book with a brief letter: "Now since the golden light of the Gospel rises and shines, the hope is at
hand that many of the Jews will be honestly and sincerely converted and drawn in earnestness to
Christ, like you and some others have been, who are the remnant of the seed of Abraham, which is
supposed to be saved through grace. For the one who has begun it will also lead it to completion
and not allow his word to return to him empty. It therefore seemed good to me to send this little
book to you for the strengthening and reinforcement of your faith in Christ, whom you recently
learned to know from the Gospel and into whom you now finally also are baptized in the Spirit
and are born from God. I also would wish that through your example and your work, Christ might
also be made known among other Jews, who were predestined, are called, and shall come to their
king David, in order that he might lead and save them, whom our priests and Pharisees in
unbelievable madness reject even though they are ordained for this purpose, so that this judgment
might come upon them. Conduct yourself well in the Lord and pray for me."

Luther, a complex man, continues to defy simple-minded definitions. ~In That Christ Was Born a
Jew~, he assailed church leaders of his day, saying, "If I had been a Jew and had seen such dolts
and blockheads govern and teach the Christian faith, I would sooner have become a hog than a
Christian. They have dealt with the Jews as if they were dogs rather than human beings; they have
done little else than deride them and seize their property."

The book espoused a Godly approach: "I hope that if one deals in a kindly way with the Jews and
instructs them carefully from Holy Scripture, many of them will become genuine Christians and
turn again to the faith of their fathers, the prophets and patriarchs.... If the apostles, who also
were Jews, had dealt with us Gentiles as we Gentiles deal with the Jews, there would never have
been a Christian among the Gentiles."

My wife worked in a Jewish elder care facility in St. Louis. She was warned to not let residents
know she was a Lutheran. They only knew the Luther of ~The Jews and Their Lies~, a man
wrongly blamed for later atrocities. Ignoring Luther's wrongs turns our backs to such Jews who
don't know the Lord. However, Luther was right much more often than not and we shouldn't
ignore the heart of his message: We receive the Gospel for our own forgiveness and as a gift to
give to and live for others.

Luther could be one of the aforementioned "dolts and blockheads"; reminding us that all, even
"heroes" of the faith, need God's forgiveness. Yet he also genuinely yearned with the Lord for
Jews and Gentiles alike "to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. (1 Tim 2:4)" This
is the Luther who knew God's grace, experienced His favor, and whose name I happily bear
under that of Jesus Christ, who remains Luther's Savior, Israel's Savior, your Savior, and mine.

Scripture quotations, unless otherwise noted, are from ~The Holy Bible, English Standard Version~<TM>,
© 2001 by Crossway Bibles.

~That Jesus Christ Was Born a Jew~ from ~Volume 45: Luther's Works~, © 1962 by Fortress Press.

"Letter to Bernhard" from ~The Church Comes from All Nations~, © 2003 by Concordia Publishing House.

"Toledoth Yeshu" at http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/%7Ehumm/Topics/JewishJesus/toledoth.html

Ask the Pastor, © 2004 by Walter P. Snyder. It may be reproduced in totality, including this disclaimer,
by anyone, provided that no profit is generated by said republication and redistribution. Translations
into other languages should similarly note the United States and any appropriate international
copyrights, as well as God's Scriptural injunctions concerning the property of others.

Walter Snyder is the pastor of Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Emma, Missouri and coauthor of the book
~What Do Lutherans Believe.~