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 WHY DID JESUS MAKE SO MANY ENEMIES? First there were the Roman occupying forces in Judea. They wanted the population to keep quiet and pay its taxes. Not only were new religious movements likely to cause political disturbances, but most were nationalistic and violently opposed to the rule of pagans. The coming Messiah was expected (by Jews) to cast out the Romans and make the nation great and glorious again. Naturally Rome would come down hard on any such goings on. Then there was the Jewish royal government. They were puppets appointed by Rome, and so opposed anyone whom Rome opposed. The Jewish religious establishment was in the hands of a group called the Sadducees, who had a great deal of power and wealth, and therefore their interest was in maintaining the status quo. It is not surprising that all these interests opposed what they thought Jesus stood for – and it's also not surprising that Jesus had little respect for or interest in them. More surprising is that Jesus clashed with the Pharisees, because, like them, Jesus was interested in the working people. The Pharisees led an extremely popular and influential movement among ordinary Jews, their focus being on strict observance of the religious law. Many of them were also inclined to military risings against Rome. Where Jesus agreed with them was in their passion for living God's way in everyday life, and their commitment to the masses. He disagreed with the political agenda of some of them, but much more profoundly with their approach to religious purity. Jesus brought a message of acceptance and forgiveness to those whom others considered untouchable, and he spend a lot of time with them. The Pharisees were appalled at this, as they were at his generally lax attitude to religious rules. He in turn repeatedly berated them in public for being legalistic and hypocritical, and for getting their priorities wrong. More questions about Jesus' life |
Picture: the Isenheim Altarpiece, by Matthias Grünewald, painted in the 16th century. |
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