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.