Jesus in Contemporary Society
... the Sanhedrin. What would make the Jewish leaders mad enough to kill? Jesus’ gathering of twelve disciples may have been construed as a slap in the face if it was thought Jesus was starting his own twelve tribes and they will be the heirs of God’s kingdom. Something else that may have irritated the elders was Jesus’ use of “Amen.” It was normally used as an affirmation, the best translation I’ve seen and the one that seems to fit the best is, “So be it, truly.” However as was Jesus’ modus operandi he broke tradition and used it in a new and unparalleled way which agitated the Jewish leaders even more. Jesus’ association with the poor also turned heads. The poor were ostracized. They felt abandoned. No one would give them the time of day. Jesus not only preached to them, he ate with them. He paid attention to them, made them feel special. That in itself was perhaps one of Jesus’ greatest miracles, giving them a reason for being, the kingdom of God was theirs! Between Jesus’ riding into Jerusalem on an ass and his ousting of the merchants from the temple, it must have been chaos. For the Jewish leaders who were so concerned with appearances, Jesus’ rebellious ways had gone too far this time, they thought from their skewed perspective. This led to the trial and Jesus being condemned to the barbaric method of execution known as crucifixion. Jesus’ enthusiasm and earnestness were key attributes in his preaching of the “coming” of the kingdom of God. As for the disciples they weren’t exactly the best and the brightest, but they were eager to be a part of the team. Jesus knew who and what he was, he just couldn’t explain it to them for fear of losing them. He felt the mission itself was more important than knowing exactly who or what he was. For example, Sheed believed Jesus was God incarnate, and the only reason Jesus didn’t just come right out and say so, is because they would have just lied there, afraid to get up. Jesus didn’t start his ministry until he was around thirty years old. The reason being if Joseph had died as has been speculated, perhaps that is why Jesus had to wait. Since Mary was a virgin that would make Jesus her firstborn. He would have to become the head of the family, the breadwinner if you will, until one of his younger siblings was able to work. Jesus was baptized by John, during Jesus’ first journey before the Temptation. The baptisms were a metaphor, basically saying that the slate has been wiped clean. You have been given a fresh new start, use it wisely. You have been given the greatest gift of all, God’s love. All you have to do in return is love. When Jesus was preaching he didn’t just come right out and make choices for people, considering most people don’t like to be told what to do. Jesus understood human nature, so instead he would tell a story that mirrors the current situation and try to steer them in the right direction, then left it up to them to make the appropriate choice. It has been speculated that, the “miracles” of Jesus may have been “played up” a little bit, by the gospel writers. This may give someone cause to doubt the validity of the claims that Jesus had powers beyond that of normal human beings. On the contrary, you can find corroboration in the rabbinic texts, these were people who didn’t believe Jesus was the Messiah, yet they confirm that Jesus was able to work wonders, that he was a “sorcerer.” According to Celsius and to the Talmud, Jesus learned magic in Egypt and performed his miracles by means of it; the latter work, in addition, states that he cut the magic formulas into his skin. As for the crucifixion, death was not God’s idea. Even if Jesus had predicted or...