(An essay written for my New Testament Survey class.)
Every specific
event of world history – the building of the tower of Babel, the assassination of
Julius Caesar, the abolition of slavery in Britain and her colonies – can trace
its accomplishment to at least one of three basic influences: politics, society,
and religion. For example, when slavery was abolished, it was due to
evangelical Christians who believed that the social implications of slavery –
the superior value of some people over others – went against the Bible’s
teaching on the value of all mankind and acted politically on that belief. If
one chooses an event from history and studies the culture in which that event
happened, it is possible to see the part these three influences played in that
event happening. This is what I will attempt in this paper. The purpose of this
paper is to examine the political, social, and religious dynamics of the first
century B.C. and how they combined to result in the crucifixion of Jesus of
Nazareth.
Politics in the area of Judea were rather complicated in Jesus’ day. The
Jewish state had rarely been independent since 597 B.C., and had
been under Roman rule since 37 B.C. Roman rule created tension
between those who supported Rome, the Herodians; and those who
hated Rome, the Zealots. At the time
of Jesus’ ministry, Pontius Pilate was procurator of Judea and
Herod Antipas was the tetrarch of Galilee. The political Sanhedrin,
presided over by the High Priest, was also in power; however, its power was
limited by the Roman government, and in John 18:31 it is made clear
that at the time of Jesus’ death they did not have the power to execute a death
sentence.
Jewish society
and religion were closely linked in Jesus’ time, and were not altogether
separate from politics, as the religious and political Sanhedrins were
comprised of the wealthy religious leaders, and Judaism went beyond
ordinary religions in that it was also the center of their education system.
The Jewish
state into which Jesus was born was a social and political hotbed of longing
for their Messiah. They had been given a taste of freedom under the Hasmoneans after
the Maccabean Revolt. The second Hasmonean leader had even taken on the titles
of both high priest and king, a distinction reserved for the Messiah.
Ultimately, however, none of the Hasmonean dynasty fulfilled the Messianic
prophesies written in the Jewish Torah.
Into this scene
stepped Jesus, the true Messiah. And while there were many diverse ideas of who the messiah would be, no one
was expecting a messiah like Jesus. While most Jewish expectation did revolve
around some form of restoration, nearly every person’s expectancy involved
restoring Israel and making her a free nation once again. That is why in John
11, the chief priests and Pharasees said, “If we let Him go on like this,
everyone will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our
place and our nation.” If enough Jews believed Jesus was the Messiah, His
attempts at preventing the people from making Him king would not be enough to
prevent a revolt against Rome. Then Rome would come in and, as was customary,
remove all current leadership and set up new leaders who would be loyal to the
State. Thus, the Sanhedrin’s only hope for maintaining its power
was to have Jesus killed. Because they did not have the power to carry out a
death sentence, they brought Him to Pontius Pilate.
A proconsul was
appointed by the emperor and would remain in his office until as long as the
emperor wanted him there. Because Pilate’s job security was based
on keeping the emperor happy, Jesus’ accusers told Pilate that Jesus was
forbidding tribute to Caesar and claiming to be a king. Pilate
ultimately chose to sentence Jesus to crucifixion rather than risk his position
because of the conflict.
While Jesus’
death on the cross was God’s sovereign plan for the redemption of man, God
worked within natural human dynamics to complete it. He used the desires of
both the Jewish and Roman leadership in Judea – desires to maintain their
social standing and political power – and allowed man to kill the Word made
flesh. This was a display of ultimate sovereignty and humility, and that is why it is not only possible, but
also logical, to say that Jesus’ death was influence by society, politics, and
religion.
Bibliography
Clough, Samuel. “Session 3: Setting the Scene – The Jewish Community” Class lecture for New Testament Survey, International House of Prayer University, Kansas City, MO, on October 21, 2014
Compelling Truth. “Who were the Herodians in the New Testament?” Last
modification unknown. Accessed November 10, 2014. http://www.compellingtruth.org/Herodians.html
Compelling Truth. “Who were the Zealots in the New Testament?” Last
modification unknown. Accessed November 10, 2014. http://www.compellingtruth.org/Zealots.html
JewishEncyclopedia.com. “Sanhedrin.” Last modification unknown. Accessed November
10, 2014. http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/13178-sanhedrin
Luke. The Holy Bible: New
International Version. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Bible Publishers, 2002.
Miller, Glen. “Messianic
Expectations in 1st Century Judaism.” Last modified August 6, 1996.
Accessed November 11, 2014. http://christianthinktank.com/messiah.html
Tenney, Merrill C. New Testament
Survey. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1985.
Whiston, William. The Works of
Josephus. Hendrickson Publishers,
Inc., 1987.
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