Judaism
It is hard to imagine that a Jew started the first Christian church. It began with the calling of his disciples, an unlikely group of men whom he gathered together and taught about the kingdom of God. Becoming a follower of Christ was costly. Besides leaving their professions, they had to leave behind everything in which they were accustomed.In Jesus' day, Jews were under Roman authority. They despised the Romans and hated their life under them, which resulted in several factions of Judaism forming. One such group was the Pharisees. They were very legalistic, following strictly Jewish law.Another group was the Sadducees who were wealthy aristocrats that enjoyed the sophisticated Greco-Roman culture. The Sadducees controlled the Sanhedrin, the high Jewish council.Another party, the Zealots, chose to show their distaste for the Roman rule through armed resistance. The Zealots got their ideas from the Maccabees and were always
The next day Jesus shared the ritual Passover meal with his disciples. This caused people to desire to see the man who might just be the Messiah. So the two groups formed an alliance in an effort to bring Jesus to trial and sentence him to death. After the meal Jesus spoke of the new covenant and told them that the forgiveness of sins could be enjoyed because of the shedding of his blood. The Jewish authorities took his case to the Roman Governor Pilate, who had to make a tough decision on whether or not to crucify him during the Passover. The Essenes were unlike the other groups in that they weren't interested in revolting against their rulers or getting involved in politics. The soldiers put a sign on the cross above his head saying " Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews". But soon the news got out and large crowds followed him. Jesus never called himself a king to his followers, yet in keeping with Zechariah 9:9, Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey. Instead they were a group of Jews who withdrew into the wilderness and formed a community of believers who lived in isolation, studying the Scriptures. ready to revolt against Roman authority. After a long period of excruciating pain Jesus cried out "it is finished" and yielded his spirit to heaven. His trial was unjust and hastily assembled, they charged him with blasphemy and chose to put him to death. The main theme of Jesus' teaching was the kingdom of God. Regarding Luke 18:11-12, Jesus made it clear that the despised tax collector was more justified in his prayer than that of the Pharisee.
Common topics in this essay:
Romans Sadducees,
John Jesus,
Sanhedrin Jewish,
Governor Pilate,
Jews Roman,
Pharisee Jesus,
,
Scriptures Jesus's,
God Becoming,
Joseph Jesus',
kingdom god,
roman authority,
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Acceptance Essays
