One God, One Messiah

In our modern world, religious pluralism and religious relativism are gaining popularity at an incredible rate. Loosely defined, religious pluralism is peaceful relations between various religions. In its most positive form, religious pluralism represents the understanding of and cooperation between various religions. Religious pluralism is often defined as the understanding that one’s own religion is not the sole source of truth and that truth and value can be found in other religions. Religious relativism, a more damaging perspective, is the idea that absolute truth does not exist and one is able to believe whatever he or she desires. I say this viewpoint is damaging because purveyors of religious relativism may state that Jesus is not the son of God and did not die that we may be freed from sin. John 14:6 lets us know that Jesus would have issue with this proposal as Jesus states he is “the way, the truth, and the life.” I have no problem with peace and understanding between individuals unless this means forgetting who I am.
In the time of Jesus, Jewish leaders fought to retain the belief that there is one God. At the same time, the Jews were divided in to sects because of various interpretations of and levels of adherence to Jewish law. In the cultures surrounding first century Israel, people believed in many Gods. These Gods were represented by various images and idols. Jewish tradition was focused on the Sabbath, a day beginning at Friday sundown and continuing to Saturday sundown. This was considered to be a day of rest of worship, honoring God in all actions taken. The Jewish people sought a “Messiah”, a savior who would renew them spiritually and free them from political oppression. People in first century Israel were interested in the supernatural, with many believing in curses and under the influence of superstition. The major religious holiday was the Passover, celebrating the Jewish people’s deliverance from slavery in Egypt. This tradition caused many Jews to be present for Jesus’ arrest, trial, and crucifixion.

Curious Customs

Our world is incredibly diverse when one considers culture and the daily lives of its inhabitants. One can’t possibly travel from one country to another or even one city to another expecting to find the same habits and customs throughout. It seems as though all of us have difficulty understanding this concept at one point in our respective lives. We tend to expect everyone else to fall in to our ways of thinking and acting. We shun the actions of another before making even a slight attempt to reflect on the cultural background of the individual. It’s true that some of us are more aware of and educated in culture than others, but it is to feel uncomfortable when a fellow man exhibits a behavior foreign to us.
There are individuals in the world taking part in curious customs every day. For instance, a man in China has painted the ‘Mona Lisa’ every day for two years. Kenya, already labeling 15 to 30-year-olds as “youth” is considering pushing the maximum age for a “youth” to 50. After the World Cup, many devoted fans found their selves suffering various symptoms of withdrawal including getting physically sick. A couple weeks ago, Doug spoke of a law that allows Scotsmen to be shot if found in the English city of York. A couple is currently seeking to overturn this law.
The village of Nazareth was populated by Jews, Syrians, Greeks, and Romans. The common language of the Roman Empire was Greek but Jesus’ every day language was Aramaic. Houses were 1 to 2 room squares with dirt floors, flat roofs, and wooden doors. Women prepared food daily by baking bread, grinding grain, milking animals, and making cheese. Red meat was severed on special occasions while pork and crustaceans were forbidden. Clothing consisted of an undergarment, called a “tunic”, and an outer garment, called a “mantle”. Husbands were the spiritual and legal heads of their households while women were considered to be second class citizens. Christ came in this time to do what he continues to accomplish today, unite God’s people. We find this in Galatians 3:28 and throughout scripture.

What Does the Lord Require of You?

I have to make a confession that might change everyone’s entire view of me. This might come as a shock, so you’d better be sitting down when reading what I am about to reveal. I have not, until recent years, been much of a history enthusiast. As a student, I typically learned what I needed to in order to receive the best grade possible. I never saw much value in studying what my forefathers had accomplished in times of yore. Beyond becoming a champion on Jeopardy or having bragging rights as a master of Trivial Pursuit, I didn’t fully comprehend the purpose of spending my present committed to understanding my past. It is only in recent times that I have begun to discover that a deeper understanding of how to live today comes from knowing how we lived yesterday.
I typically only refer to economics when complaining about the current price of gasoline or when discussing the current economic problems of out fine state. The economy of first century Palestine gives further insight in to the coming and life of Jesus. The economy of first century Israel consisted of three segments: agriculture (olives, figs, dates, grains, and vineyards), trade, and large building projects sponsored by King Herod. Many public works were commissioned. There was a large distinction between the poor and the rich with the upper class being made up of temple priests and priestly aristocracy. The middle class consisted of traders, merchants, artisans, sages, scribes, and teachers. The lower class was laborers and those unemployable due to disability.
The Roman government taxed its people heavily. The Jews were also to give sacrifices to the temple. The temple courtyards had become a marketplace, turning sacrifice in to a profitable industry. Hebrews 8:3-13 tells us that Jesus is a superior sacrifice. Jesus’ sacrifice transcends all economic classes. In return, God does not ask us to simply give up a portion of our money and build monuments. He asks us to “do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly” with Him (Micah 6:6-8).

A Non-Traditional King

Over the next few weeks, I’d like to write about the first century context of Palestine. When considering the life of Jesus, one is often lead to question why he entered the world in this context. Could Jesus have come earlier, having a deeper influence on his people and freeing them from foreign rule? Could Jesus have come later, impacting a modern world with a myriad of types of communication? Some might wonder why Jesus entered the world as part of the oppressed Jewish people. Examining the context of Palestine allows us to have a deeper understand of why God chose to make Jesus part of this world. It also allows us to understand the humble life led by the most powerful and influential human being of all time. We will begin by examining the political setting of Palestine.
The Jewish people were subjected to foreign rule for thousands of years. In the time of Jesus, Romans ruled the Mediterranean area known as Palestine. The Jewish people reported to the local Roman government (King Herod) who in turn reported to Rome (Emperor Ceasar). The Romans practiced syncretism, determining all religious beliefs, philosophical teachings, and government systems were compatible and part of the larger Roman system. However, they maintained strict control on this freedom. In a different context, Jesus might not have been able to present his revolutionary teachings.
The Jewish people did not trust and likely hated the Roman Empire. King Herod, fearing the prophecy of a new king, massacred Jewish boys born at the time. Herod also interfered with the Jewish temple, placing forbidden idols within it. The Jews considered there to be two types of people in the world, Jews and Gentiles. The Jews themselves were divided in to the Pharisees, who continued Jewish tradition, and the Sadducees, who sought to cooperate with the Romans. Jesus transcended these differences, giving hope to the Jews and establishing a rule beyond Earth kingdoms. Despite this, we find in Philippians 2:7 that Jesus “made himself nothing”. He was not a traditional king.

Miracle on Earth

In the 1980 Olympic Winter Games, the United States men’s hockey team entered the competition seeded seventh. The young team was composed of amateurs and young collegiate players. The Soviet Union, a natural rival due to the Cold War, was made up of some of the best players in the world at the time. Soviet teams had a winning record in exhibition against National Hockey League teams and the Soviet national team defeated the NHL all-stars 6 to 0 just a year before. At the time, virtually all of the top players in North America were from Canada. In an exhibition match, the Soviet team defeated the United States 10 to 3. The Russians were expected to win their sixth gold medal in the last seven tournaments. Needless to say, the United States was not favored to win.
In what is considered by Sports Illustrated to be the greatest moment in sports of the 20th century, the United States defeated the Soviet team. They went on to win the gold medal in men’s hockey. It is called the “Miracle on Ice”. These types of “underdog” stories inspire us. My father considers the possibility that this moment is what leads me to be incredibly enthusiastic about hockey. At just a few months old, my father tossed me in the air in an instant of great joy and celebration. He must have loosened something in my brain, because at one point in my life, I thought of nothing more than playing professional hockey. This idea lead me to a great deal of physical injuries.
This is part of why I love the life of Jesus. Jesus entered the world humbly and without much recognition. Jesus fought incredible adversity and seemingly overwhelming odds to conquer Satan and free us from sin. Isaiah 53:7 tells us he came “like a lamb to the slaughter”. We are to mimic His life in that we must continue to struggle in order to save others, serve God, and become the people God intends us to be.