“The Presence of the Christ’s Passion”
...ed it would bring them closer to God and they wanted to cleanse themselves of their sins. However, there were the non-believers who thought that Jesus was a liar proclaiming to be the Son of God, like many other false prophets did in those days. As many may know, Jesus was crucified for his convictions and beliefs. Most also believe that Jesus was crucified for sedition . Anyone who declares their position to the Jewish throne received the same punishment. During those times it was illegal to be a false Prophet, in which many thought Jesus was. This is also stated in John 19:12 as: "every one who makes himself a king sets himself against Caesar." This is the only charge the Pharisees , some Jews, and all non-believers could find that He was responsible for, and found him guilty. According to Matthew, Mark, and John, the Roman soldiers poked fun at Jesus for claiming to be King of the Jews. They dressed Him in a red robe, placed a crown of thorns on His head, and put a reed in His hand while beating him viciously and striking him. He was even forced to carry His own cross to the place of the Crucifixion. The soldiers nailed Jesus to the cross outside the city, on a hill called Golgotha (Calvary). On the cross they wrote the charge against Jesus, "The King of the Jews." According to Luke, Jesus said as He hung on the cross, "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do" (Luke 23:34). This great sacrifice was made on behalf of every single person alive and those yet to be born until the end of time for our sins to be forgiven. Jesus’ prophecy was fulfilled exactly the way he said it [even more weird and wonderful was that he predicted the future for us all]. Christ’s existence and passion is ever more present today. Throughout history, the influence Jesus has had a strong impact on many lives of people all around the world by inspiring so many positive changes in the lives of his followers. He has never been outdone by any other religious leader. People who encounter the risen Christ are totally changed and their view of things is never the same. Since the opening of The Passion of the Christ, many sites and articles have been dedicated to exclaiming the impact of this passion and Christ’s life. Many examples are given with first century Christians proclaiming the impact Christ has had on many. As given by the article Passion of the Christ, a website dedicated to the movie, this one Man has changed the lives of many and their train of though. One example of a non-believer was Jesus’ own younger brother James. He didn’t think Jesus was anybody special. But after his seeing his brother raised from the dead, James not only believed Jesus was Lord but became the leader of the Jerusalem church and died a willing victim in 62 AD. Saul of Tarsus, another model of a skeptic, was the chief oppressor of early Christians and put many people in prison. He had a dramatic encounter with the risen Christ and he changed from “Saul, the enemy of Christianity, to Paul, the main propagator of its message”. He became a traveling missionary. Modern day Christianity also remains affected by Christ’s passion and his sacrifice for all. Lew Wallace, a famous general and literary genius, was a known atheist . He continuously searched for ways that he could overtake Christianity and get people to realize their ignorance. While putting together his arguments for his accusations, he suddenly burst into tears and prayed to the Christ. Later, Lew Wallace wrote the book Ben Hur, an account of Christ’s life. Very similar to Wallace was the late C.S. Lewis, professor at Oxford University in England, who continuously denied the existence of Christ. However, he as well gave himself to Jesus as his God and Savior after studying the overwhelming evidence for his divinity (The Passion). All of these Christian men and women have found completion and happiness in following the teachings of Jesus. They changed when they met Christ and surrendered their lives to him. Each of them made a positive impact on the world just as Christ is doing and has done. Christianity is still relevant to the needs of today. “If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as it loves its own. But I have chosen you out of the world, so you do not belong to it. That is why the world hates you” (John 15.18.19). This is a memorable quote from Christ that is proving to be true everyday. Hatred is the extreme feeling of dislike, anger, hostility, or animosity towards anything. Hate leads to crimes and violence against one another in which we get into hate crimes. Christ’s crime committed upon him and his punishment is a product of a hate crime because many disliked him for his belief and what he stood for. As defined by the American Psychologist Association, “Hate crimes are violent acts against people, property, or organizations because of the group to which they belong or identify with- are a tragic part of American history” (APA). With hate crimes on the rise today, Christ’s prophecy is not only being fulfilled again, but bringing out the negative side of a sinful nation, whom He once saved. There is so much going on in the world today and we do not need to escalate it any further. What's going on in a world filled with so much pain and where is the love for which most of us pray? We are all politically blind and can't see the signs of endangered times. I'd rather be dead than turn my head away from these things. Many people think that hate crimes are only committed by people who are crazed or others associated with prejudice organizations. However, most hate crimes are carried out by law-abiding citizens, young in nature, and see little wrong or no wrong with their actions and crimes they are committing. “Alcohol and drugs can sometimes help to enforce these actions; nevertheless, the main cause behind these heinous crimes appears to be personal prejudice, a situation that colors people's judgment, and lessens the thoughts of what they are doing while they are doing it” (APA). “One expression of this prejudice is the perception that society endorses on the attacks of these certain groups”. Hate crimes are most often committed usually based on what an individual believes in or what he/she represents. In June 1998 in Jasper, Texas, Three men offered a ride to a crippled black man. After beating the victim to death, they dragged him behind their truck until his body was torn limb from limb. “On October 6, 1998, 21-year-old college student Matthew Shepard was tied to a fence in Laramie, Wyoming, pistol-whipped, then left for dead in the freezing night. He died six days later” (APA). Note: Jesus Christ was first mocked, brutally beaten for several hours, and then Crucified because of what He was and what He knew was right. These are just an example of a few of the horrific hate crimes that have been reported in the past years. Neglecting...