“the same Jews who killed the Lord Jesus and the prophets. And they forced us to leave their country. They are not pleasing to God, and they are against everyone else” (1 Thessalonians 2:15 ERV).
1 Thessalonians 2:15 draws our attention to the disturbing topic of anti-Semitism, a term defined by an attitude of hostility, discrimination, or prejudice towards the Jewish people as a religious, ethnic, or racial group. Unfortunately, those who use this passage to promote an anti-Semitic viewpoint reveal their lack of Biblical understanding.
We can begin by observing that no one took Jesus’ life from Him- He voluntarily relinquished it. For instance, Matthew 27:50 and John 19:30 tell us that Jesus “yielded” or “gave up” His life on our behalf. In addition, Jesus also said this…
“The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father” (John 10:17-18 NIV).
We should also recognize the role of the Gentile authorities in facilitating Jesus’ death. John 19:16 serves as a case in point: “Then Pilate handed him over to the soldiers to be crucified. So they took charge of Jesus” (Mounce). So if it is true that the Jews were responsible for Jesus’ death, it is equally true that non-Jews were responsible as well. Therefore, those who assert that the Jewish people were solely responsible for Jesus’ death do not advocate a Biblical view.
The following commentators also share some valuable insights on this topic…
“What the apostle says here about the Judean leaders is historical fact and not personal invective. And we must remember that God moved him to write what he did. Anti-semitism is unchristian and cannot be justified under any circumstances. But it is not anti-semitic to say that the Jewish people are charged by God with the death of His Son (Act_2:23), just as the Gentiles also are held responsible for their part (1Co_2:8).” (1)
“The accusation that Paul was guilty of anti-Semitism (because he accused ‘the Jews’ of killing Jesus) misunderstands the text. Paul—a Jew himself—was not speaking of all Jews but only of that small minority in Judea involved in anti-Christian persecution. Furthermore, logically Paul could not have meant “all Jews,” because many of those who followed Jesus (including himself) were Jews. Paul taught that our sins are the reason Jesus died; we all share responsibility in his death (Rm 4:25; 1 Co 15:3; Gl 1:4; 1 Tm 1:15).” (2)
(1) William Macdonald, Believer’s Bible Commentary (p.2080) Edited by Arthur Farstad Thomas Nelson Publishers
(2) Cabal, T., Brand, C. O., Clendenen, E. R., Copan, P., Moreland, J. P., & Powell, D. (2007). The Apologetics Study Bible: Real Questions, Straight Answers, Stronger Faith (p. 1791). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.