At the time that my ministry began, there was a lot of political unrest and various different groups were active. The Sadducee’s, had a huge following amongst the elite of Jewish society who were members of a social political party, they denied any truth in resurrection.
Jesus with Sadducee’s Thank you bible.art
This in itself was challenging because the Jewish people were taught to believe the opposite and they didn’t doubt resurrection. The Sadducees did not accept the authority of Jewish ancestral law. They were mainly occupied with the smooth running of the temple and were devoutly pious which took precedent over the real meaning of serving God.
Sadducees were aristocrats, a priestly class who were centred in Jerusalem. They accepted only ‘The Torah’ as scripture and no oral tradition which was the ancestral law and had been handed down from Moses. They worked closely with the Romans in order for them to stay in power, hence this meant that the Sadducees were greatly disliked.
They made up a seventy one member Sanhedrin – the ruling council. It was the Supreme Court of the Jews and also included in their numbers, were Pharisees, Hebrews, Jewish Palestinians, Aramaic and Greeks. They were called the assembly or council. Rabbi’s sitting together as a tribunal were in every city in the ancient land of Israel. They had authority and were respectfully feared.
Another controversial Jewish group subject to polemic views, were the Pharisees, these were middle class and they had a negative press, but were experts on the law. Theirs was a sterile legalistic religion. Part of my mission was to correct what they believed, they thought they could earn their place in heaven, by sticking meticulously to their ancestral laws and establishing a reliance on oral tradition. This was instead of trusting God.
The Pharisees claimed an expertise and supreme understanding of the Torah. They were my opponents, believing that they could protect themselves from sin by separating themselves from society. This had encouraged them in feeling superior. They didn’t mix with the common people, believing them to be religiously unclean. It allowed these middle class business men control in the synagogues, in both local worship and education, leaving them free to study and teach the law.
The Pharisees wanted to convert the Gentiles and change Judaism, from a religious sacrifice, to one that kept the commandments. They promoted ‘works’ over sacrifice. Although arrogant they were indeed respected by the masses because of their piety, yes their devotion to God was evident, but their lawful incitement had strayed too far from my Father’s heart.
Jesus before a group of Pharisees Thank you bible.art
The Pharisees placed an unreasonable burden on the peasants and I felt a need to scold them; I compared them to white washed tombs – beautiful on the outside but unclean on the inside. When I spoke out against them, I noticed a murderous glint appearing in their eyes which spread stealthily like a disease and I became aware that my mission was at risk.
From that time I needed to be seriously on my guard. They were hypocrites, portraying righteousness on the outside but their hearts were full of hypocrisy and wickedness. I perceived their hostility with some trepidation, but I drew strength from my Father. He had equipped me with decreeing words in order to challenge them. My disciples and I had full realisation of the dangerous circumstances which were developing. However, I knew that there was still much work to accomplish.
The Sadducees who did not believe in resurrection began questioning me on the subject, using a hypothetical situation in an attempt to catch me out in my response. (Matthew 22: 23-33). Their hostile superiority was easily questioned and I pointed out their error in not knowing the scriptures. This halted their verbal attack on me, but it left the way open for the Pharisees to try in turn to trick me. I was very grateful that God enabled me in my answers.
They tried unsuccessfully to test my interpretation of the law. They asked, “Which is the greatest commandment?” (Matthew 22:34-37) My Father as always was there to help me recall the scriptures. “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and all your soul and with all your mind.” This is the greatest commandment and the second is this, “Love your neighbour as yourself.” I watched with fascination as their expressions changed to ones of fear and hatred.
The Pharisees and Sadducees were usually at odds with each other but on this day they joined forces and started to conspire against me. With trepidation I knew that I had sealed my fate and I must hasten to complete my Father’s work.
Another group in existence during this time were called The Essenes. They believed that God would return during a disastrous event. These people lived pure and strict lives, away from civilisation and they wrote in the caves by the sea. (Note from author – Responsible for the Dead Sea Scrolls).
Living austere lives they avoided luxuries, shared communal meals and completed acts of individual purification, i.e. sitting on the top of a tree for decades or taking a vow of silence, others were celebrate. The Essenes were philosophic and apocalyptic. Living a life that segregated them from society made them believe they were pure and righteous and would be individually prepared when God returned.
Judas Iscariot, who betrayed me, was a Zealot. I was here to teach the opposite of a Zealots beliefs. They didn’t accept that a change to the world would ever be achieved from inner purification. They were political and they were intent on a revolution, convinced that violence was the only way to overthrow the Romans.
It was obvious that they weren’t interested in God’s way of showing love and not hate to their enemies. Peace certainly wasn’t their goal and they reacted to this radical idea by whipping the people up into a frenzy and trying to cause mass hysteria.
Judas didn’t contemplate his actions or what they might lead to when he betrayed me. He didn’t anticipate that it would end in my crucifixion, he aimed only to force my hand against the Romans, thinking that if he could instigate an uprising the people would follow me.
There was also a group of extreme Zealots called Sicarri, this name means ‘assassin’. They sought Jewish independence and really hated the Roman occupation. The Romans used torture and increased taxes promoting the idea that the Roman leader was a god. They made repeated efforts to try and gain political independence.
Judaism accounted for the majority of Jews who followed The Torah. During the Rabbi’s teaching he would state, “Thus says The Torah.” They found my message radical. I showed my independence by standing above the Torah and speaking out with God’s authority. I dared to base my teachings on, “I say to you.” This was in direct conflict to contemporary Judaism. I emphasised that, “The Kingdom of God is within you.” (Luke 17:21)
I told them to follow their instinct about love and find the truth that was within their hearts – this is where salvation lies. This effectively split those who listened to this teaching, they were either devoted to me or condemned me as a heretic. I knew in advance that this would happen, my commitment was to God as opposed to the fears that were developing in me. I continually called on my Father for His anointing. I knew that I had to display a certain amount of caution if I was going to complete my mission.
The Priests were traditionally born into the priesthood. This meant that the scriptures to some extent were open to their own interpretation. They decided the meaning according to Jewish theological thought, which meant there were no absolute boundaries. They used their office to increase their influence, power and self-importance, to their own advantage. They managed to make themselves wealthy at the expense of the community.
High Priest next to the Ark of the Covenant Thank you bible.art
The Essenes wouldn’t go to the Temple because they felt that the Priest didn’t obey the purity laws by not performing the sacrifices correctly or observing the right calendar. They believed that their marriages were somehow illicit and improper and the Priests were insufficiently reverent.
The Jewish beliefs needed reformation, there were too many inflexible political institutions. All that the world needed was to learn to love one another with forgiveness. Some people thought that I was an indiscriminate faultfinder, but those who truly loved God were open to His new teaching. The Hebrews talked about the new covenant being a temporary solution, until the coming of the long expected Messiah. They failed to see that ‘The Christ’ was already in their midst, very few were able to recognise me.
The Jews were waiting for a revolutionary Saviour, one who would charge into battle the way King David had done. Their closed hearts refused to see the benefits of love between people, regardless of race, creed or position. My Father had viewed the world with a heavy heart and He wanted to rescue it from sin. I came to free the world, to plunge sin into the pit of Hades. The only way would be through love and forgiveness.
The political groups that were around were using slogans which injured all that my followers and I stood for:- ‘We must destroy the Roman Empire.’ “We must destroy Jews who cooperate with the Romans.’ ‘We will kill all collaborators, no King but God.’
These slogans were designed to aggravate the unrest which was already volatile and they were aimed at massaging hatred and dissent. I was growing very weary of these people and their ideologies. My tolerance had lost its freshness, the longer I was with mankind, the more my endurance was tested.
Carole Crosley
Chapter One – Jesus Leaves Home
Chapter Two – The Temptations of Jesus
Chapter Three – Jesus Looks for his Disciples
Chapter Four – Jesus’ Ministry
Chapter Five – The Miracles of Jesus
Chapter Six – Legion, Love and Lazarus
Chapter Seven – The Plot to Kill Jesus
Chapter Eight – Jesus the Man
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