As Jews were all under law and the Temple played a vital role for the priesthood and the sacrifices offered there, (all according to God's command) why do you say that?
The Temple, its rules, its fees, the system, these provided the Levite Priests with income as well as controlling the people. It was leadership, taxation and rule, all layed down by their God.
Christianity didn't exist until after the death of Jesus; Jesus didn't even know that word, never used it, he spoke Eastern Aramaic which was a different dialect to the Southerners.
At one time Jesus was observing contributions to the Temple and noticed a poor widow who dropped two small coins of very little value into the treasury, he knew how poor she was and that these two coins were all she had.....he said that she had given more than all the others who were giving out of their surplus....she was giving all she had in the world.
I've read about that. You see? Those huge bell-mouthed offering receptacles and the Levite Guards standing around exerted great pressure on all to give offerings above the standard 1/2 shekel per man per annum. Even old ladies put in their money, which she certainly would not have done without extyreme pressure imo.
I see nothing in scripture that indicated Jesus' wanting to halt the flow of people to the Temple...he wanted to put a stop to the commercial enterprises that he saw right in the Temple itself.....greedy men extorting money from their own brothers by selling sacrificial animals at inflated prices.....it made him very angry. He turfed them out twice.
He wanted to stop the sacrife rip-offs... if a peasant brought his own bird or animal the priests could condemn it as imperfect..... they had to buy their sacrifices there at rip-off fees.
He wanted to stop the rip-off skekel exchange rates, a nice little earner for the priests.
He wanted to stop the sacrificial fees.
He wanted to stop peoplre needing to go there.
You can't see the scripture? His actions spoke louder than mere words.
It was Antipas’ adulterous relationship with Herodias (his brother's wife) that brought reproof from John B. John could properly correct Antipas on this matter, because Antipas was nominally a Jew, and professedly under the Law. Antipas put John into prison, desiring to kill him, but was afraid of the people, who believed John was a prophet. At a celebration of Antipas’ birthday, ..............
Yes... yes..... but Antipas didn't go out and arrest John for the above. John never had held such conversations until AFTER he was arrested and brought back to Perea. Once detained Antipas used to talk with him, liked him, and it was then that John spoke about the unlawful union.
People got executed and stoned all the time in the other provinces, and Antipas could deliver his justice how he wanted in his provinces.
The Prefect would never interfere in Perea!
It was during the rulership of Herod Antipas that Jesus warned his followers: “Keep your eyes open, look out for the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.” (Mark 8:15) Both of these sects, the Pharisees and the Herodians, or party followers of Herod, opposed Jesus Christ and his teachings, and though they were at enmity with each other, both saw Christ as a common enemy and were united against him. That was indeed political.
Wowup! Three Herods were rulers in Palestine at that time. Exactly where is Antipas picked out in that verse? And this constant referral to Pharisees is strange...... Are you saying that the Priresthood, Saducees and all were excluded from Jesus's warning? The whole lot were a corrupt bunch of leaders...... all political, as you admit.
Jesus was a political person.
I guess you could say that, but Jesus fought only on a spiritual level within his own nation and its religious leadership. The Jewish leaders though chafing under Roman domination, were somewhat content with their lot.
MNo he didn't. He fought on physical levels with physical actions. He demonstrated physically. His % of the baptisms, his healings, his warring words, his violence....
The disciples were a very tough crowd..... not the weak humbled prayerful folks that are so often depicted. Their very nick-names showed that.
After Jesus raised Lazarus form the dead...."Therefore the chief priests and the Pharisees convened a council, and were saying, “What are we doing? For this man is performing many signs. 48 If we let Him go on like this, all men will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.”
We can see what their agenda was.
It's a pity that Mark didn't know anything about any raisings, showed a totally different last week of activity to John, and on the first day of their visit they all just went on a tour of the Temple. No mention of any Lazarus. Mark 11:11
Can I ask where you get this idea? Whilst Jesus was alive, the old covenant was in force, as was the Law.....the Temple would be destroyed, but not until 70CE.....37 years after Jesus' death. It was never rebuilt because God had finalized his dealings with the natural Jews and "abandoned" them as his people. (Matthew 23:37-39)
Ah..... Old covenants and new.......... I'm not a Christian, I see Jesus as an astonishing man who followed on after the Baptist's mission and who finally demonstrated, even rioted (possibly) in the Temple, and was tried for that.
Jesus Son of the Father was so loved by the people that Pilate felt obliged to pardon and release him........ Bar = Son of Abba = Father, and early bibles showed that this man was called Jesus. Maybe you should add 'Jesus' before Barabbas in your bibles?
They could never accuse their God of a lack of patience, since their behavior all through their history, at times made him want to "annihilate" them. (Exodus 32:9-10; 33:1-5) But he kept them in existence to fulfill his promise to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
I'm a Deist, so I cannot comment about interested, involved or participating Gods.
