At this point a few important remarks about anti-Semitism must be made. John is not anti-Semitic; nor is he anti-Jewish. After all, Jesus was a Jew! Mary was a Jew! In fact, John tells us that “[m]any of the Jews … believed in Him” (Jn. 11:45). Even though some of the Jewish leaders persecuted the early Church, others were tolerant of the first Christians. Paul’s teacher, the great Rabbi Gamaliel, urged the people to leave the Christians alone (Acts 5:33–40). Anti-Semitism is despicable