Martin Luther and Jewish people
Despite (or, perhaps, even because) of Martin Luther's greatness, his faults are extreme and more clearly repulsive than most. Some of his words against German peasants and Jews read more like the ravings of a madman than of a theologian in his right mind.
Yet even in one of his most regrettable and offensive pieces of writing, ‘On the Jews and their lies’, what particularly obsesses his mind and stirs his anger is a desire to defend the truth of Scripture, the divinity of Christ, salvation by grace alone, the corruption of human nature, and the doctrine of the Trinity. It is not recommended reading. But any true assessment of Luther, the great re-discoverer of justification by faith alone, needs to acknowledge that, occasionally, many bad and ugly words and ideas crowded Luther's mind when he was writing.
Without looking to excuse him, it has to be said that Luther did not particularly single out Jewish people for attack. As this passage from Table Talk shows, he was quite capable of seeing that Gentiles were worse!
The Jews crucified Christ with words, but the Gentiles have crucified him with works and deeds. His sufferings were prophetical of our wickedness, for Christ suffers still to this day in our church much more than in the synague of the Jews; far greater blaspheming of God, contempt, and tyranny, is now among us than heretofore among the Jews. (Table Talk, ‘Of Jesus Christ’, CCIV)
Even in his most vitriolic and often repulsive writing, as he moves towards his conclusion of ‘On the Jews and their lies’, we see glimpses of a wider dimension of Luther's understanding. He never once denies that God's blessing comes in and through the Jews. So in the final paragraphs, we find him saying “Thus the dear Son of David, Jesus Christ, is also our King and Messiah, and we glory in being his kingdom and people, just as much as David himself and all children of Israel and Abraham.” [emphasis mine]. And just a few sentences later, he writes:
“If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord”; that is, we will also live after death, as we just heard, and as St. Paul preaches in Romans 14:8. We look for no bloodthirsty Kokhba in him, but the true Messiah who can give life and salvation. That is what is meant by a son of David sitting on his throne eternally. The blind Jews and Turks know nothing at all of this. May God have mercy on them as he has had and will have on us. Amen.
Luther's writing exposed simultaneously both the sinfulness of his own soul and the grace, kindness, gentleness and goodness of God who offers mercy “to the Jew first and also to the Greek” (Rom 1:16)— as well as (we may add) the Turk, the Roman Catholic, the admirer or critic of Luther, and Luther himself.