You may think you know the Jesus story. No doubt you’ve heard many parts of it, from many different sources. I’m not talking here about what you’ve heard in church, about any Christ-figure, any half-God, but the story of the real person who was, without a doubt, the most pivotal man in history. And probably, the most misunderstood.
He was a peasant living in the old Jewish ‘Kingdom-of-God’, then ruled under the repressive Romans. In his Jewish tradition, Jesus assumed that the Creating God was ‘of Love’, and that the ‘Golden Rule’, as we call it, was the lowest of the eight levels of Love. Treating others as yourself was just common sense. Doing otherwise always led to trouble. What he said wasn’t much different than prophets who had come before. He shook the world by doing his words. He enacted and invited people to live in the highest level of Love, ‘God’s Kingdom’, as he called it. It was where people choose to be ruled by one question, ‘How can I best grow in Love?’ In following Jesus, this was the only question that counted.
His Way-of-God was different. The other ‘holy’ paths were ones of seclusion and escape, assuming that it was best to be isolated from the evils of the world. The Jewish doctrine of ‘cleanliness’ was based on this. Jesus’ path was the opposite. He took the Jewish understanding of the holiness of the universe, to its logical limit. He believed and showed that one could best grow in love when they were fully involved with others and the world. There was nothing to escape from. Emerging oneself totally in life was his Way. In fact, only in not separating from others, by sharing completely with others, in giving away everything to others, even power and control, only then could we really grow in self and love. To him, there was no force and control in Love. It was to be a free choice.
His group was relatively small. He had no illusion of it becoming a major movement. But it would change all around it, like Salt, Yeast, a light on a hill. He made it clear just how much of a change and challenge it would be for people to enter this ‘Kingdom’. He didn’t urge others to join, making the price of the choice clear. Those who stayed outside were still affected, not ‘lost’ or ‘doomed’ in any way. They were simply choosing to live in a less loving Way, not getting the most out of what life had to offer.
Jesus’ group shared everything, lived together, pooling their finances and resources, their futures. Their pasts, gender or beliefs didn’t matter. All were welcomed. Old enemies broke common bread. Their families and past traditions were secondary. The collective was the new family, the only priority.
The foundational assumption was that there was no violence, no control and coercion in God’s Love. The trouble was, their’s was a time of violence and control, the systemic violence and control of Rome and the wealthy who supported Rome. There had been Roman soldiers in the streets since about the time of Jesus’ birth, the ultimate insult and challenge for Jews whose basic tenant was that there was to be no other god than Yahweh. (Every Roman coin had the inscription, ‘Caesar is God’, right on it.) The first uprising against Rome had happened when Jesus was very young, when Judas-of-Galilee claimed the role of a messiah (a righteous Jewish king) but failed in the attempt. In that short-lived event, the underground Jewish resistance was born, the Zealot Movement, which grew every year, making it necessary in Jesus’ times for Roman tax-collectors to be accompanied by armed guards when they were out in public.
In the midst of all this inner turmoil, here comes Jesus, teaching and preaching about The Kingdom-of-God being here, at hand! The same kind of language the Zealots used. And encouraging the people to not pay the hated Roman tax! Of course, the Zealots assumed Jesus would take the mantel of the messiah and lead them in revolt, uniting the people! It was obvious. So, they supported his movement. At least four of this inner group were Zealots. (Judas’ second name was Iscariot, a take-off of sicarii, a short-sword favoured by Zealot assassins. (Think of Mack-the-knife.)
None of Jesus’ followers doubted that he would eventually lead them in revolt. When they were arguing among themselves who would be at his right hand in God’s kingdom, it certainly wasn’t any heaven that was on their minds. Again and again, he was asked if he would lead them in revolt, if he was ‘The Chosen’, or the messiah. Again and again he refused, knowing that the Way of a messiah was one of violence and force, not love, not God’s Way.
Finally he gave up trying to explain. They simply couldn’t understand. They assumed that the only faithful Way was that of violence. As a last attempt, he chose to show them, since words had failed. He chose to accept the mantel of force and violence, the role of the messiah, and then he would give it up. Maybe, in doing this, he would lead them to a new understanding.
So, he did. He let it be known that he would lead them in revolt, journeyed to the capital, was accepted and annointed as the Messiah, and entered Jerusalem as the conquering King-of-the-Jews. It was Passover, the time when the population of the City mushroomed from the usual 30,000 to more than 200,000 because of the many Jews who had gathered there from all over the eastern Mediterranean for the festival. Most were, as was Jesus’ group, camping out in the surrounding hills.
There were, at most, one thousand Roman soldiers in the Holy City. They, of course, would be no match for the many thousands of Zealots, so they made no resistance. Everybody knew everything. Jesus’ entrance wasn’t a surprise. The city was already in Zealot control. The Romans were hiding in the Fortress Antonia which was part of the outside and fortified wall, situated between the main gates and the Temple Grounds. When Jesus entered in triumph, the crowd went directly beneath the walls of the fortress, in plain sight of the Romans, and into the Temple Grounds, also within eye-sight. In the so-called ‘cleansing’ of the Temple, Jesus was really shutting it down, claiming control of the whole city.
It was all in his hands. Everyone waited. The wealthy, those who supported Rome, waited in fear, cowering in their palaces. The Romans waited, preparing for the inevitable assault by overwhelming odds. The Zealots waited for Jesus to give them the order to attack.
What did Jesus do? He had a symbolic and traditional meal with his closest followers and left the city. He purposely abandoned his role as messiah with its control and force-of-arms, placing himself at risk by going back out to the hills where he was vulnerable, knowing well what would happen.
This was all done publicly. The Romans acted swiftly, sending out a commando team to capture and bringing him back into the city. He was formally identified, even that night. A mock trial was held early the next morning. He was sentenced and was on-the-cross by mid-morning and soon dead. The usual and legally proscribed three or four-day Roman process was condensed into a few hours. (Our legal proceedings today are based upon the Roman law that there must be a day between the main legal proceedings of arrest, trial, sentencing and punishment. Pontius Pilate knew he hadn’t time to spare before the Zealots could react to the new situation. And there was to be no long-suffering on the cross, as was designed. Jesus was tortured sufficiently that he soon died.
Did Jesus’ followers finally comprehend what he was trying to tell and show them, that violence was not God’s Way? Nope! When they experienced his presence a few days later, they simply doubled-down on their old assumptions, coming to believe that although Jesus obviously hadn’t been a messiah the first time around, he would, if they were faithful, ‘come again’ and do it right the next time.
From then until now, few have had the courage and wisdom to challenge that assumption, the blight of God-approved violence that has been a curse to the world ever since. Let us grieve with Jesus and the world as we remember his words as he was dying. “They don’t understand.”
Anthony, saddened to my core in the writing of this.
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Anthony Gifford
118 Ford Street Kingston, ON K7K4Z6
Judy’s phone number 613 985 1029
House phone number 613 344 2322
anthonygifford42@gmail.com
