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.