Jesus Part 5. The First Evangelical?

By: George Wallace

The Jews were a particularly troublesome lot at that time 2,000 years ago, as we date time today. They had already had several claimants to the role of Messiah. They wanted a military Messiah. What they wanted was a military leader to step forward and do in the Romans. Naturally, the Romans didn’t much like this idea.

Jesus in His day, was such an obscure unknown that no known written record of Him has survived outside of religious materials. He does not appear in government records: prison rolls, lists of troublemakers executed, tax rolls, census rolls, or land ownership, nor is He mentioned by any contemporary known non religious authors of the time.

This may be a clear illustration of just how fearful both the Jewish and Roman leadership in Judea was about rebellion at the time. Or, possibly it tells us just how unimportant Judea was in the world of the Roman Empire.

The leaders in Judea had to be incredibly sensitive about even the faintest possibility of rebellion. They had to be constantly prepared to act quickly and decisively to quell any hint of civil, or religious disturbances. They employed an extensive spy network. Using crucifixion and slavery to quiet such disturbances was an effective methodology for dealing with rioters.

For me, it is simply much more likely that God searched out a good and Godly man, seized him as He did Paul at a later time. Jesus was tougher than Paul, and able to go to work right away on His ministry. This simple idea explains much: the almost total lack of information about Jesus' life to the beginning of His ministry. The lack of, "I remember when..." stories from members of Jesus' extensive family.

Judea was in A. D. 30, after nearly a century of Roman rule, "ripe", rife with rumors. It was anticipatory, waiting, watchful, looking for the emergence of a leader. They wanted a leader that would step forth, rally the population and reassert the power of God. They wanted to drive out the Romans.

The population of Judea was looking for, was "ripe" for such a charismatic leader. The people desperately wanted out from under the Roman yoke and taxes laid on top of the Temple taxes. The common people were frustrated by continuing Roman rule and religious leaders that were passive. The tax burden on common people could reach two-thirds of their income. The religious leaders were terribly afraid that the common people would rise in religious fervor in political revolution.

The Jewish population was known to be fractious. They were ready to fight at the drop of a hat. They were unwilling to understand and believe the strength of the Roman military. They were zealous and fanatic in their belief that their God’s power would protect them.

The Sanhedrin knew with full certainty that a terrible blood bath would follow. The population would be ground beneath the heel of the Roman military machine. The Roman army was practically unending in size. There were units available from all over the empire. It most certainly was enough to destroy the Hebrew religion.

We cannot know the actual event when Jesus was seized by God. We just know that He began His ministry. We are able to imagine the reaction in His family, and in His village from His parents, brothers and sisters, and neighbors.

A person suddenly choosing to embark on a career in the ministry is not unknown. Strange, possibly, but not unknown. It even happens today. A person suddenly "seeing the light" and embarking on a career of revolution, or reformation, is common. History has shown the human race hundreds of reformers and revolutionaries. They rise up out of the obscurity of the masses of humanity as a suddenly growing wild weed. Every country has its own heroes that started as revolutionaries and reformers. We usually honor them after they are safely dead.

Judea was a country with a theocratic history and background. The people were accustomed to the idea of prophets "crying in the wilderness'. They understood bandits claiming to be revolutionaries. Sometimes it is difficult to tell the difference between bandits and revolutionaries. The final test of revolutionaries is their survival. If they win the hearts and minds of the populace and achieve positions of power.

All the people of Judea were also supremely aware of the problem of blasphemy. They were on the lookout for blasphemy. They were ready to instantly seize upon the nearest stone. Blasphemers were individuals claiming to be God, or a messenger directly from God. These individuals were considered to be inhabited by evil spirits. They were in a state of blasphemy. They were immediately stoned to death.

This constant danger always meant that Jesus had to walk a tightrope every day of His ministry. He could not clearly state that He was God, nor from God, but had to veil Himself in obscure words, dark words. His messages are sometimes unclear, told as parables and stories, with sometimes obscure words. He may have been avoiding the problem of blasphemy. Jesus seems at times at a loss for words, how to make the subject clear and simple enough for His unsophisticated uneducated peasant companions.

The miracles are open to some doubt for the same reasons. All miracles of whatever source, are open to some doubt. Even His followers doubted and they are supposed to have watched the miracles as they happened. Could they not believe their own eyes? Jesus was constantly proving Himself to His own disciples. There is also always the problem of embellishment by later writers.

The story about loaves and fishes was guaranteed to scare the heck out of farmers, millers, bakers, and fishermen. Turning water to wine would worry owners of vineyards, wine makers and wine merchants. Miracles were and are the “coin of the realm”, “the proof of the pudding” for religious leaders. I apparently "see" religious miracles on TV on a regular basis. You must be cautious about miracles. Talk about them could easily disrupt an agrarian economy like that of the first century. Now that would be a very real disturbance and call for immediate and drastic action.

Helping, or healing lepers, the blind, “fallen women”, and raising the dead were commonly expected prerequisites of the day for “proofs” of a connection to God.

Remember how Jesus was tested? The religious test? What is the greatest commandment? He answered, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like onto it. Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” (Matthew 22:36-40).

The civil test? The question was one of payment of taxes. And Jesus answering, said unto them, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s , and to God the things that are God’s.” (Mark 12:15-17). They were testing for religious and civil disobedience.

Or, perhaps is a Jesus at a loss for words the result of unnecessary obfuscation by later Greek writers? Jesus continued this cautious behavior apparently until His appearance before the Sanhedrin in Jerusalem just before Passover.

Article Source: http://www.religionarticlelibrary.com

(c) Copyright 2006: George Wallace completed an MA and taught in the public schools for 28 years. He recently published a book on religion which lashes out at nearly all of the comfortable ideas about God, the trappings of organized religion, the layers of money sucking priesthood, and their departures from the fundamental ideas and messages of Religion. His pithy comments and suggestions for a return to a God-centered personal religion will outrage everyone. www.OhGodIsThatYou.com

Please Rate this Article

Not yet Rated