She saw crosses everywhere she looked throughout the church camp. The sight of them made her feel sick to her stomach. During the conference, message after message was focused on the crucifixion. The speakers really made it sound like they think the cross is the beginning and end of the gospel, she told me, and said she could not relate.

My stomach knotted and I thought to myself, “Uh… yeah! What are you saying? The cross is the center and foundation of the Gospel.” But I kept silent and listened, “Maybe there is something I’m missing here.”  

“My grandmother was poked by a lot of kids in school. They’d take their crosses off and see who could draw blood first,” she told me. “My mom was nicknamed ‘Christ-killer’ in school. She was the only Jewish girl.”

“Is this for real?” I felt sick now. I knew already about the long and bitter history between “Christians” and Jews from the Crusades to the Holocaust, and how Nazi soldiers sang Christian hymns as they savagely beat Jewish prisoners in the name of Christ. I had even heard stories like this one before, but I still felt shocked. “This sounds so medieval. How could this happen In the United States? In my parents’ lifetimes? In mine?” I could see real struggle written on her face as she told me that she really tries to understand the cultural symbolism Christians attach to the cross. Despite her sincere appreciation for Jesus’ sacrifice there, she told me she only associates the cross with punishment, shaming and brutality, and the bitter suffering our Messiah endured, not with grace and love and joy. To her, she said, Jesus and His grace are so much more than the cross, and better represented by other symbols, like a dove.

I left the conversation feeling shaken and frustrated. “This person is a Jewish believer! Why can’t she set aside these cultural issues now and recognize the true meaning and place of the cross in Scripture?” Over the next week, I thought about her words and mulled over the issue with God. My heart started to soften and I began to recognize some truth in her points. It is true, Jesus is so much more than the cross. His grace certainly did not end there. And maybe, I would feel the same way if I had not been so protected and sheltered from the anti-Semitism that is still shockingly present in my generation. But more than anything else, I began to recognize that the root of this issue is cultural and historical, rather than theological. My friend does not struggle with the truth of the crucifixion, or lack appreciation for Jesus’ sacrifice, but she grapples with the painful associations that many Jewish people connect with the cross.

As I reflected, heavy hearted, on the deep wounds and division between the Jewish people and the Church, I began to wonder how we got here. And what can be done now to nurture unity and healing between Jewish and Gentile brothers and sisters in the body of Messiah? And who will step up to the task? Will it be me? Will it be you?

“For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall, by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is the Law of commandments contained in ordinances, so that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, thus establishing peace, and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by it having put to death the enmity.”

Ephesians 2:14-16

Prayer Requests

Please be praying as we continue to learn about Jewish and Messianic culture, and as God continues to stretch our understanding of who He is and how He relates to His people. Consider how faithfully and lovingly God has cared for the Jewish people throughout history, and pray about how God might desire to use you in His plan for them in the present.

We thank God for each of you and your faithful prayer, encouragement and financial support for us. We will begin travelling in July to present our ministry and raise funds. If you are interested in hosting a presentation in your home, small group or church, please email us. We would love to meet with you! May God bless you as spring comes to an end and you begin your summer plans.

Love in Yeshua,

BJ and Carissa Kerstetter