Kacie MarksI plan to combat supersessionism and antisemitism in my local Church by learning alongside other believers about the Jewish context of the Bible and of Jesus, our Savior. Romans 11 is such an important passage to point towards. Paul says, “Now if some of the branches were broken off, and you, though a wild olive branch, were grafted in among them and have come to share in the rich root of the cultivated olive tree, do not boast that you are better than those branches. But if you do boast—you do not sustain the root, but the root sustains you” (Romans 11:17-18). We have been grafted into the olive tree of God’s people. How can we understand what that means if we don’t understand and see our place in the story of God’s people? Christianity is born from Judaism and we worship the Jewish Messiah. Understanding Jewish culture helps us to better under the origins of our faith and come to know Jesus more deeply. Additionally, we are able to point to scripture beginning with Genesis that shows God plans to bless the world through Israel. I think that in modern America, the historical roots of the Bible can feel distant and almost mythological in many Christian circles. Combatting antisemitism begins with knowing that God is a God of both the particular and the universal from start to finish. Jesus cares about more than our philosophical or religious ideas. He actually walked this Earth and slept under the same sky as us and participated in Jewish culture, and cares most about developing personal relationship with all who would call on his name in faith. I think many people in America have few interactions with Jewish people and antisemitism can be combatted by opening the door to relationships between Jews and Christians in my community. I hope to grow in this in 2023!
