Does the Bible Blame Jewish People for Jesus’ Death? Matthew 27:25, John, and Antisemitism
Some Christians and critics of Christianity have pointed to Matthew 27:25 — “His blood be on us and on our children” — or to John’s repeated phrase “the Jews” as if the New Testament gives Christians permission to blame Jewish people collectively for Jesus’ death.
It does not.
The New Testament was written largely by Jews, about a Jewish Messiah, rooted in Jewish Scripture, first preached to Jewish audiences, and fulfilled through the God of Israel. Any use of the Bible to justify antisemitism is a betrayal of the Bible’s own story.
Christians must not persecute Jewish people. Christians must not excuse others who persecute Jewish people. And Christians must not “stand aloof” when Jewish neighbors are threatened.
That does not mean Christians must defend every policy of the modern State of Israel. It means Christians must defend Jewish neighbors from hatred, slander, and violence.
Matthew 27:25 does not create a perpetual Jewish curse
Matthew 27:25 says:
“And all the people answered, ‘His blood be on us and on our children!’”
This verse has been horribly abused. Some have treated it as if all Jewish people, for all time, are uniquely cursed or collectively guilty for the death of Jesus. That is not a faithful Christian reading. [1, 8]
The immediate setting is a specific scene: Jesus is before Pilate, religious leaders have stirred up the crowd, Barabbas is released, and Jesus is handed over to be crucified. The text does not say that every Jewish person alive at the time said those words. It certainly does not say that every Jewish person in every generation bears special guilt for Jesus’ death. [1, 8]
That matters because the New Testament itself does not treat Jewish people as permanently rejected or uniquely beyond mercy. In Acts, Peter preaches to Jewish hearers who were connected to Jesus’ rejection, but he calls them to repentance and forgiveness, not despair or racial condemnation. Thousands of Jewish people are then welcomed into the church. [3]
Peter does not preach, “You and your children are permanently cursed.” He preaches mercy.
So whatever Matthew 27:25 means, it cannot mean Christians are allowed to hate Jews. It cannot mean Jewish people are outside the reach of God’s mercy. It cannot mean later generations of Jews should be mistreated for the actions of a first-century crowd.
A Christian cannot say, “Jesus died for my sins,” and then use Jesus’ death to blame an entire people group.
Does the Bible blame all Jewish people for Jesus’ death?
No.
Two issues often get confused in this discussion: Matthew 27:25, where a crowd says, “His blood be on us and on our children,” and John’s Gospel, which uses the phrase “the Jews” in some scenes of conflict around Jesus. John’s Gospel will be handled more fully below, but neither issue supports collective blame against Jewish people. [8, 10]
Matthew 27:25 records words spoken by a particular crowd during Jesus’ trial before Pilate. John’s Gospel uses sharp conflict language in the middle of a first-century Jewish debate about Jesus. Neither passage gives Christians permission to hate Jewish people, blame Jewish people across time, or excuse persecution against them.
The New Testament does not teach that Jewish people today are collectively guilty for Jesus’ death. It teaches that Jesus died because sinners need redemption — including us.
Does “His blood be on us and on our children” mean Jewish people are cursed?
No.
Matthew 27:25 has been terribly abused, but the verse does not create a permanent curse on Jewish people. It records the words of a particular crowd in a particular moment during Jesus’ trial. [1, 8]
Several details matter.
Matthew says the chief priests and elders persuaded the crowd. The statement is not made by every Jewish person alive at the time. It is certainly not made by every Jewish person across history. And in Acts, Jewish hearers are not treated as hopelessly cursed. They are called to repent, receive forgiveness, and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. [1, 3]
Peter does not preach, “You and your children are permanently cursed.” He preaches mercy.
That alone should stop Christians from using Matthew 27:25 as an excuse for hatred.
The death of Jesus cannot be reduced to ethnic blame
The New Testament gives a layered answer to the question of who killed Jesus.
Specific Jewish leaders opposed Jesus and plotted against Him. A particular crowd called for His crucifixion. Judas betrayed Him. Pilate condemned Him. Roman soldiers carried out the execution. Human sin made the cross necessary. And Jesus willingly laid down His life according to the redemptive plan of God. [1, 9]
That is very different from saying, “The Jews killed Jesus.”
The “Christ-killer” accusation has been used for centuries to justify contempt, exclusion, violence, and persecution against Jewish people. Christians should reject that accusation without pretending the passion narratives say nothing about particular Jewish leaders or a particular Jerusalem crowd. [9]
The biblical answer is not ethnic blame. It is theological humility.
Jesus was not killed because Jewish people are uniquely evil. Jesus died because sinners need redemption. If Christians believe the cross was necessary because of human sin, then the first place we should look is not at “those people,” but at ourselves.
Who actually killed Jesus?
The New Testament gives a layered answer.
Specific Jewish leaders plotted against Jesus. A particular crowd called for His crucifixion. Judas betrayed Him. Pilate condemned Him. Roman soldiers executed Him. Human sin made the cross necessary. And Jesus willingly laid down His life according to God’s redemptive plan. [1, 9]
So the Christian answer is not, “The Jews killed Jesus.”
The “Christ-killer” accusation has been used to justify hatred, exclusion, and violence against Jewish people. Christians should reject that accusation without erasing the role of particular Jewish leaders and a particular crowd in the passion narratives. [9]
The cross should produce humility, not scapegoating.
A Christian cannot say, “Jesus died for my sins,” and then use Jesus’ death to blame an entire people group.
John’s Gospel should be read carefully, not weaponized
John’s Gospel has also been misused.
Some readers stumble over John’s repeated phrase “the Jews,” especially in passages where Jesus’ opponents are described in severe terms. John 8:44 has an especially painful history of anti-Jewish misuse. [10]
Christians should not dismiss that concern. If a passage has been used to excuse hatred or violence, we should handle it with care.
But careful reading does not support antisemitism.
John’s Gospel is not written as a Gentile attack on Jewish people. Jesus is Jewish. His mother is Jewish. His disciples are Jewish. The feasts in John are Jewish. The Scriptures behind John are Jewish. Jesus even says salvation is “from the Jews.” The entire Gospel only makes sense within the story of Israel. [2]
In many conflict scenes, John’s phrase “the Jews” appears to refer more narrowly to Judean leaders, Jerusalem authorities, or specific opponents of Jesus — not every Jewish person everywhere. First Fruits of Zion notes that translating the Greek term Ioudaioi as “Judeans” does not work in every instance, but often helps explain how John groups Jerusalem’s religious and political authorities under the broad label “the Jews.” [10–11]
Even where John’s language is broad or sharp, Christians have no right to universalize it into racial or religious hatred.
John’s Gospel must be read carefully, not weaponized.
Why does John’s Gospel keep saying “the Jews”?
John’s Gospel often uses the phrase “the Jews” in conflict scenes involving Jesus and His opponents. Because that phrase has been misused against Jewish people, Christians should read it carefully. [10]
In many places, “the Jews” in John does not mean every Jewish person everywhere. First Fruits of Zion notes that David Stern suggested translating the Greek Ioudaioi as “Judeans,” since many of John’s conflicts involve Jerusalem’s religious and political authorities rather than all Jewish people. FFOZ also cautions that this explanation does not work in every instance, so it should be used carefully rather than as a magic solution. [11]
That fits John’s own story. Jesus is Jewish. His mother is Jewish. His disciples are Jewish. The feasts in John are Jewish. The Scriptures behind John are Jewish. Jesus even says salvation is “from the Jews.” [2]
So John’s Gospel cannot be rightly read as a Gentile attack on Jewish people. It is a Gospel about Israel’s Messiah, written within the world of Israel’s Scriptures, describing a first-century dispute over Jesus.
John’s language should be handled carefully, not weaponized.
Christian antisemitism contradicts Christianity
Christian antisemitism is not merely “unfortunate.” It is a contradiction of Christianity itself.
Christians worship a Jewish Messiah. The apostles were Jewish. Paul was Jewish. Mary was Jewish. The Old Testament is Israel’s Scripture. The earliest church was Jewish. The gospel was first preached in Jerusalem. Gentile Christians were grafted into a story they did not create. [2, 4, 12–13]
Paul even warns Gentile believers not to become arrogant toward the Jewish “branches” of the tree into which they have been grafted. [4]
That does not mean Christians and Jews agree about Jesus. We do not. Christians believe Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and the Savior of the world. Most Jewish people do not.
But disagreement is not a license for hatred. Christian evangelism is not a license for contempt. Christian conviction is not a license for violence. The New Testament calls Christians to love their neighbors and even their enemies, not to persecute people who reject Christian claims.
Christians worship a Jewish Messiah. That alone should make antisemitism unthinkable.
How can Christians hate the people of Jesus, Mary, Paul, and the apostles?
Christian antisemitism is self-contradictory.
Christians worship a Jewish Messiah. Mary was Jewish. The apostles were Jewish. Paul was Jewish. The Old Testament is Israel’s Scripture. The gospel was first preached in Jerusalem. Gentile Christians were grafted into a story they did not create. [2, 4, 12–13]
That does not mean Christians and Jews agree about Jesus. Christians believe Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and the Savior of the world. Most Jewish people do not.
But disagreement is not permission for hatred. Evangelism is not permission for contempt. Doctrinal conviction is not permission for violence.
Paul even warns Gentile believers not to become arrogant toward the Jewish “branches” of the tree into which they have been grafted. [4]
Christians worship a Jewish Messiah. That alone should make antisemitism unthinkable.
The prophets condemn standing aloof
It is not enough for Christians to say, “I personally do not hate Jewish people.”
Scripture does not only condemn direct violence. It also condemns callous indifference.
The prophet Obadiah condemned Edom for “standing aloof” while Jerusalem was attacked. Edom was not treated as innocent simply because others were doing the invading. By standing aside, rejoicing, and failing to help in Judah’s distress, Edom became morally implicated. [5]
Amos makes a similar point in a different setting. He condemns those who enjoyed luxury — eating lambs from the flock, drinking wine by the bowlful, and using the finest oils — but were “not grieved over the ruin of Joseph.” [6, 19]
These passages are not about modern antisemitism directly, and they are not predictions of modern antisemitism. This is an application of a biblical moral pattern: detached indifference toward suffering is not morally neutral.
That matters here.
The opposite of persecution is not passive indifference. It is love of neighbor.
Christians should not persecute Jewish people. But we should also refuse to stand aloof when Jewish people are threatened, harassed, slandered, or attacked.
Why Christians must not “stand aloof” when Jewish people are threatened
It is not enough for Christians to say, “I personally do not hate Jewish people.”
The prophets do not only condemn direct violence. Obadiah condemns Edom for “standing aloof” while Jerusalem was attacked, and Amos condemns the comfortable who enjoyed luxury but “are not grieved over the ruin of Joseph.” These passages are not about modern antisemitism directly, and they are not predictions of modern antisemitism. This is an application of a biblical moral pattern: detached indifference toward suffering is not morally neutral. [5–6, 19]
That matters here.
Christians should not persecute Jewish people. But Christians should also refuse to stand aloof when Jewish people are threatened, harassed, slandered, or attacked.
The opposite of persecution is not passive indifference. It is love of neighbor.
Video: A Christian Response to Antisemitism
For readers who want a deeper Christian discussion, this conversation explores how Christians should respond to antisemitism with biblical seriousness, moral clarity, and love of neighbor.
What this article is not saying
This article is not saying Jewish people are above criticism. It is not saying the modern State of Israel is above criticism. It is not saying Christians and Jews agree about Jesus. It is not saying Christians should minimize Palestinian suffering.
It is saying Matthew 27:25 and John’s Gospel do not justify antisemitism, and Christians must not persecute or stand aloof while Jewish people are persecuted.
This article is also not saying every criticism of Israel is antisemitic. Governments can be criticized, including Israel’s government. But criticism becomes morally corrupt when it excuses terrorism against Jewish civilians, uses Jewish conspiracy tropes, denies Jewish people ordinary rights to safety and self-determination, or treats Jews around the world as collectively guilty for the actions of a state. [7, 20]
Does protecting Jewish people mean defending everything Israel does?
No.
Protecting Jewish people from antisemitism does not require Christians to defend everything the modern State of Israel does. Governments can be criticized, including Israel’s government. [7, 20]
Christians should also be honest that Jewish civilians in Israel have faced extraordinary and repeated terrorism, and that criticism of Israel becomes morally corrupt when it excuses such terrorism, denies Jewish people ordinary rights to safety and self-determination, or treats Jews around the world as collectively guilty for the actions of a state.
Criticism of Israeli policy is not automatically antisemitic. But criticism of Israel can become antisemitic when it uses Jewish conspiracy tropes, celebrates violence against Jewish civilians, denies Jewish people the protections we would want for any other people, or makes random Jewish people answer for the actions of a government. [7, 20]
Christians should be morally consistent.
Concern for Jewish people must not become permission to mistreat Palestinians. Concern for Palestinians must not become permission to hate Jews. Love of neighbor does not let us choose one group’s humanity against another’s.
But what about persecution of Christians in Israel?
Christians should care about the persecution, mistreatment, or intimidation of Christians anywhere, including in Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza. If Palestinian Christians are harassed, restricted, displaced, attacked, or treated unjustly, Christians should not ignore that because Israel is involved. Love of neighbor does not stop at ethnic, national, or political boundaries.
At the same time, Christians should be careful with proportion. Open Doors’ 2026 World Watch List describes itself as an annual ranking of the 50 countries where Christians face the most extreme persecution. Its methodology measures both violence against Christians and pressure in private life, family life, community life, national life, and church life.
Israel is not in Open Doors’ main Top 50 list. It also is not in the broader Top 75 table many readers are more likely to see. But that does not mean Open Doors treats Israel as problem-free. In Open Doors’ fuller 2026 table of countries scoring 41 points or more, Israel appears at rank 81, with a score of 42. The Palestinian Territories appear higher, at rank 63, with a score of 59.
That distinction matters. I originally wondered whether Israel’s absence from the more visible Open Doors lists might simply reflect pro-Israel bias. But the fuller data is more nuanced than that. Israel is not ranked among the worst places in the world to be a Christian, but it is also not treated as if there are no concerns.
Christians should also remember Jesus’ command to “turn the other cheek.” That command should kill revenge, ethnic hatred, and the desire to make whole populations pay for the sins of some. But it should not be twisted into moral silence. Turning the other cheek does not mean Christians must ignore antisemitism, excuse terrorism against Jewish civilians, dismiss mistreatment of Palestinian Christians, or pretend injustice is righteousness. Jesus forbids vengeance; He does not forbid truth.
So the right Christian response is neither denial nor exaggeration. We should not deny real mistreatment of Palestinian Christians or other Christians affected by Israeli policy, settler violence, war, security restrictions, or social hostility. But we also should not inflate those concerns into the claim that Israel is one of the world’s worst persecutors of Christians. And we should be especially careful not to use concern for Christians in Israel or the Palestinian Territories as a selective weapon against Jews while ignoring more severe persecution of Christians elsewhere.
The honest position is simple: tell the truth, defend persecuted Christians, grieve Palestinian suffering, oppose antisemitism, reject revenge, and refuse to choose one people’s humanity against another’s.
Conclusion
Matthew 27:25 does not justify antisemitism.
John’s Gospel does not justify antisemitism.
The death of Jesus does not justify persecuting Jews.
The cross does not give Christians permission to hate the people through whom God gave the world the Messiah.
It calls us to the opposite.
Christians should reject antisemitism not as public relations, but as faithfulness to Jesus.
Recommended Resources for Deeper Study
For readers who want to go deeper, these resources are especially helpful:
- GotQuestions — “Are the Jews cursed because they killed Christ and asked for ‘His blood to be on us,’ according to Matthew 27:25?”
- Stand to Reason — “Who Killed Jesus?”
- The Gospel Coalition / Themelios — “Is John’s Gospel Anti-Semitic?”
- First Fruits of Zion — “Is the Gospel of John Anti-Semitic?”
- Russell Moore — “If You Hate Jews, You Hate Jesus”
- Biola Center for Christian Thought — “The Failure of Christian Love in the Holocaust”
- C.S. Lewis Institute — “A Christian Response to Anti-Semitism”
AI Disclosure
This article was written with assistance from AI tools for research organization, drafting, editing, source comparison, and publication workflow.
The theological claims, editorial judgments, source selections, final wording, and decision to publish remain my responsibility. AI was used as a tool to help examine arguments, organize sources, test wording, and improve clarity; it was not treated as a substitute for Scripture, prayer, Christian discernment, or human accountability.
Because this article addresses a serious subject with a painful history, I have tried to distinguish between biblical claims, historical claims, source-supported conclusions, and pastoral application. Readers are encouraged to check the cited sources directly.
For more, see: How YGod Uses AI.
Source Approach
This article uses four kinds of sources. Each source listed below names the specific article, page, passage, or document used rather than only naming the broader website or organization.
Primary sources are the biblical passages and official definitions being interpreted directly.
Secondary sources directly used are scholars, ministries, and institutions tied to specific claims in the article.
Secondary sources used for background and framing helped shape the article’s framing, background understanding, or wording choices, even where they are not tied to one specific sentence above.
Tertiary / reference sources are tools or summaries used mainly to check wording, locate passages, or provide quick background. They are useful, but they are not the main basis for the argument.
Primary Sources Used
[1] Matthew 27:20–25
Read passage: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+27%3A20-25&version=NIV
Used for: the trial scene before Pilate, including “His blood be on us and on our children.”
[2] John’s Gospel
Read passage: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John&version=NIV
Used for: John’s repeated use of “the Jews,” the Jewish context of Jesus’ ministry, and John 4:22, where Jesus says salvation is “from the Jews.”
[3] Acts 2–3
Read passage: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts+2-3&version=NIV
Used for: Peter’s preaching to Jewish hearers after the resurrection, where the call is repentance, forgiveness, and restoration rather than a permanent curse.
[4] Romans 11
Read passage: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+11&version=NIV
Used for: Paul’s warning that Gentile believers should not become arrogant toward the Jewish “branches.”
[5] Obadiah 10–14
Read passage: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Obadiah+1%3A10-14&version=NIV
Used for: Edom being condemned for violence, gloating, and “standing aloof” while Jerusalem was attacked.
[6] Amos 6:4–7
Read passage: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Amos+6%3A4-7&version=NIV
Used for: the complacent being condemned for enjoying luxury while not grieving over the ruin of Joseph.
[7] International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance — “Working Definition of Antisemitism”
Read source: https://holocaustremembrance.com/resources/working-definition-antisemitism
Used for: the modern distinction between criticism of Israel and antisemitism.
Secondary Sources Directly Used
[8] GotQuestions — “Are the Jews cursed because they killed Christ and asked for ‘His blood to be on us,’ according to Matthew 27:25?”
Read source: https://www.gotquestions.org/His-blood-be-on-us.html
Used for: a direct evangelical answer on Matthew 27:25 and whether Jewish people are under a continuing curse.
[9] Stand to Reason / Greg Koukl — “Who Killed Jesus?”
Read source: https://www.str.org/w/who-killed-jesus-
Used for: layered responsibility for Jesus’ death and why the “Christ-killer” accusation should not become collective Jewish blame.
[10] The Gospel Coalition / Themelios — “Is John’s Gospel Anti-Semitic?”
Read source: https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/themelios/article/is-johns-gospel-anti-semitic/
Used for: John’s Gospel, “the Jews,” John 8:44, and the history of antisemitic misuse.
[11] First Fruits of Zion — “Is the Gospel of John Anti-Semitic?”
Read source: https://ffoz.org/torahportions/commentary/is-the-gospel-of-john-anti-sem
Used for: the explanation that John’s phrase “the Jews” often refers to Judean or Jerusalem religious/political authorities rather than Jewish people in general, while also noting FFOZ’s caution that this explanation does not work in every instance.
[12] The Gospel Coalition — “What Christians Should Know About Antisemitism”
Read source: https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/the-faqs-what-christians-should-know-about-antisemitism/
Used for: why Christian antisemitism contradicts Christianity.
[13] Russell Moore — “If You Hate Jews, You Hate Jesus”
Read source: https://www.russellmoore.com/2018/10/28/if-you-hate-jews-you-hate-jesus/
Used for: the direct theological point that hatred of Jewish people is incompatible with Christian faith.
[14] Biola Center for Christian Thought — “The Failure of Christian Love in the Holocaust”
Read source: https://cct.biola.edu/failure-christian-love-holocaust/
Used for: historical Christian failure during the Holocaust and the need for honest repentance.
[15] C.S. Lewis Institute — “A Christian Response to Anti-Semitism”
Read source: https://www.cslewisinstitute.org/resources/a-christian-response-to-anti-semitism-2/
Used for: the positive Christian duty to respond faithfully to antisemitism.
Secondary Sources Used for Background and Framing
These sources helped shape the article’s framing, background understanding, or wording choices, even where they are not tied to one specific sentence above.
[16] Premier / Unbelievable? — “Is the Gospel of John anti-Jewish?”
Read source: https://www.premierunbelievable.com/articles/is-the-gospel-of-john-anti-jewish/17510.article
Used for: background on John’s Gospel, anti-Judaism, and the broader Christian discussion around John’s language.
[17] Christian Research Institute — “Is the New Testament anti-Semitic?”
Read source: https://www.equip.org/bible_answers/is-the-new-testament-anti-semitic/
Used for: background apologetics support on whether the New Testament itself is antisemitic.
[18] U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum — “Christian Persecution of Jews over the Centuries”
Read source: https://www.ushmm.org/research/about-the-mandel-center/initiatives/religion-holocaust/resources/christian-persecution-of-jews-over-the-centuries
Used for: historical background on Christian persecution of Jews.
Tertiary / Reference Sources Used
[19] BibleHub — “Amos 6:6”
Read source: https://biblehub.com/amos/6-6.htm
Used for: quick translation comparison and reference notes on “not grieved over the ruin of Joseph.”
[20] ADL — “About the IHRA Working Definition of Antisemitism”
Read source: https://www.adl.org/resources/backgrounder/about-ihra-working-definition-antisemitism
Used for: an accessible explainer on the IHRA definition and the distinction between criticism of Israel and antisemitism.