Sarah Diebel
Comparative Religion
11-2004
Jesus of Nazareth
In today’s world the name ‘Jesus’ inspires great controversy between religious groups as well simply people with differing opinions. So it’s hard to imagine how much worse it was while he was alive. There were two different perspectives in particular that get the most attention; the ‘Disciples’ and followers of Jesus, versus the Pharisees and Sadducees. So lets get an inside perspective:
I am a follower of Jesus, I have been with him for years now... All of which seem to have led us here, to this day, when another prophesy will be fulfilled. But before I get into that, let me tell you why I have followed him to this place. The first time I saw him was when John baptized him. When he saw Jesus coming towards him, he proclaimed that Jesus was the son of God, come to save us. He said he was the messiah. When he baptized Jesus, a dove came from above and a voice echoed, seemingly from the sky, ‘this is my son, whom I love”. I was pretty skeptical about this, and thought I should stay away from the whole thing considering that this guy could be stoned for what he was saying. It didn’t even occur to me that he was truly the Messiah.
The next time I saw him was at a wedding in Galilee. We ran out of wine and Jesus turned six jars full of water into six jars full of wine. It was then that I realized that perhaps he truly was who he claimed to be, and that I wanted to learn more about him. But what caught my attention was what happened just before Passover. He went to the temple in Jerusalem, and seeing a market within the temple court he drove everyone out and cursed them for turning his father’s house into a market. When he was asked what miraculous sign he could show to prove his authority, he said “Destroy this temple and I will raise it again in three days.” The people claimed that was completely ridiculous considering it took forty-six years to build it. But these are not the only things Jesus did. He taught that we should treat each other with respect and love, just as we would like others to treat us. He taught that we are to live our lives in constant service to others and to our God. That earthly possessions mean nothing unless you are using your wealth to help those less fortunate. That through him we would be forgiven our sins and welcomed into heaven. He taught peace rather than war, love rather than hate, selflessness rather than selfishness, and humility rather than arrogance. But what meant the most to me was that he didn’t just say these things, he practiced them in his own life. He came to the untouchables, the outcasts from society, the prostitutes, the tax-collectors, the gentiles and pagans. He came for those of us that were lost and needed a saviour. And it is for these things, along with so many others, that I will follow him and spread his message until the day I leave this earth.
I am a Sadducee. I belong to a group of Rabbis, scribes, and upper-class Jews all of whom seek to restore the Jewish law and sanctity of the Torah. Less and less Jews are following true Judaism nowadays. I believe that the Laws are meant to be followed exactly how they were given to us. God didn’t give us these teachings just to have us follow them occasionally and in whatever manner we choose. Anyway... about Jesus... In the beginning he seemed to be a good Jewish teacher. As a child he came to the temple just to talk with and learn from the Rabbis. But it has become rather disconcerting, people claim that he performs miracles and teaches that we (Jewish leaders) are hypocrites and blasphemers. He claims to be the Son of God, come to fulfill our prophesies about the Messiah. Claiming to be God is blasphemous, speaking ill of us and our teaching is blasphemous. I myself have never seen these ‘miracles’, and I have been around him more than a few times. He claims that it is through him, not God’s law and the scriptures that you will be right with God.
Jesus is poisoning my people and leading them away from God and Judaism. If he truly is more than human, then he has come here to destroy the Jews through heresy and blasphemy. I am afraid for my people. I am afraid that they will be lead astray by this false messiah. I pray each day that my people will return to the one true God.
Jesus of Nazareth is currently being tried by Pilate for his claims to be ‘king of the Jews’. Surely Pilate will put an end to this nonsense before the whole world is taken over by his ‘Disciples’. What re-affirms my opinion of him is that it was one of his own followers that turned him in. Judas was his name, I think. Anyway, we can only hope this will all be over soon, and my people will be back in the synagogues come Saturday.
Well, Jesus was sentenced to die on a cross. Both Sadducees and Jesus’ followers were there to witness the slow execution. He died before the two men hanging beside him, saving himself from having his legs broken and dying by suffocation. According to his followers he rose from the dead three days later and ascended to heaven on the right hand of God. According to everyone else, his body was stolen three days after he was entombed; probably by followers trying to make it look like he was resurrected. What really happened? We may never know. But we do know that since then his small group of followers turned into one of the worlds largest religions.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To Join in the Debate:
No comments:
Post a Comment