Holy shit no but really I think this is a TOTALLY VALID reading of the New Testament that understands and considers the historical context in which Jesus (if he existed) lived!
I have Opinions about this because I'm a Jew who has worked as a church musician for years and I've basically sat through services every Sunday morning for like seven years now.
To understand anything, you have to understand that Jesus was a Jewish man in Judea directing his teachings to other Jews. This is a Jewish guy talking to Jews. And being extremely polemical.
The Levant at 0 CE was an extremely volatile place and time. Occupying Roman forces. Jews who were being forced to capitulate to their oppressors on pain of death. Jews also in various factions and stuff and not always agreeing with each other (a surprise to no one except Jews).
The question at the time was, super oversimplified, do Jews try to fight off the most powerful empire in their world at that time? Or do they try to save themselves and make do to the extent they can?
Note, since this is the second temple period, Jews already have generational memory of their homeland being taken by a powerful army and the temple destroyed. So they did what we all won't admit we would do in the same situation: they shut the fuck up and tried to survive.
Jews were being conscripted to be tax collectors for the Roman Empire. The Pharisees were forced to enforce Roman law. People are restless and the situation is volatile. Many Jews just want to shut the fuck up and survive. Many Jews want to overthrow the yoke of Roman oppression. It's a powder keg.
When you read the Gospels through a Jewish lens, understanding that Jesus was a Jew talking to other Jews and not preaching a universalized religion, you realize something:
Jesus was just a Jew engaging other Jews about how to be a Jew. As Jews have done since their beginning.
Specifically, when he yells at the Pharisees, heals people on the Sabbath, flips tables at the Temple, and other stuff, he is saying one thing very specifically: you guys, the Pharisees who are capitulating to the Roman empire and who are more concerned with the letter of the law than the spirit, are shitty at being Jewish.
Jesus went out of his way to start shit.
One of my favorite stories to explain this is when Jesus healed a man on the Sabbath. Jesus could have healed the guy whenever he felt like it. But Jesus chose the Sabbath to make a point. When the Pharisees got pissed off that Jesus "worked" on the Sabbath, Jesus said, "no, you're being shitty Jews, you should help someone when you can!" Basically, pikauch nefesh.
The point isn't "oh evil Pharisees, good Jesus!" Jesus was a Jew engaging with Judaism and making arguments to Jews, telling them he thought they were doing Judaism wrong, as Jews do.
Jesus develops a big following based on the fact that he picks fights with the Pharisees and says you don't have to follow their rules. You should follow Jesus's. He goes around making trouble. People start calling Jesus the King of the Jews.
So yeah. When the Pharisees saw that Jesus developed a following by telling people they don't have to follow the rulesâthe rules the Pharisees are using to try and stop outright war with the Romansâthey got freaked out and pissed. They didn't want Judea to lose what little autonomy it had. That's why they wanted Jesus gone.
Forty years after the crucifixion in 33 CE, the powder keg explodes in the first Jewish revolt in 70 CE and the Second Temple is destroyed. It could be argued that this revolt and Jesus are related. Jesus literally stirred the pot.
I'm foaming at the mouth going insane because I am CONVINCED that the best way to interact with Jesus and his teachings is through a Jewish lens and instead Christians completely ignore the fact that Jesus was fucking Jewish!!!!!
tangentwithtanner
prguitarman
