AMEN

from your previous post "neither Jesus nor Paul nor any of the apostles said much about the Roman government, much less Caesar in particular."

But Jesus' actions were VERY political. Here is an excerpt pertaining to this:

Religious lecturer describes political Jesus
By James Baetke - The Daily Iowan
Published: Thursday, April 3, 2003
Article Tools: Page 1 of 1

The gospels of the New Testament portray a "political Jesus," not just the person Christians believe was the Messiah, said Dr. N.T. Wright in a lecture Wednesday night.

The lecture, "Politics and the Cross: Meanings of the 21st Century," centered on Wright's notion that the journey of Jesus to the cross was not only in the name of sacrifice but was also a political statement. He told the 150-member audience in Buchanan Auditorium that Jesus died for political reasons, not just for sinners.

Wright, an internationally known Biblical scholar and lecturer, is a Canon Theologian at Westminister Abbey in Oxford, England.

"In the gospels as a whole, we find a story of political intrigue," said Wright, insisting that many of the stories told in the gospels are politically based and that from there one can obtain "nuggets of theology."

Politics concerning Jesus are evident throughout all the gospels, Wright said. For example, he believes the Last Supper had large political meaning, as well as the fact that Jesus initially kept his leadership and appointment as the Messiah concealed. The moment Jesus was crucified, Wright said, was also the moment in which religion and politics came to an intersection.

Wright also argues that Jesus died first for the nation of Israel, then for the "children of God across the world."

Wright said the Christian cross was once a symbol of death, explaining that the cross was first a symbol used by the Romans. Roman slaves and political leaders were left to die upon the cross to serve as an example, he said.

Jesus died on the cross in Roman tradition as a fallen political leader, he said.

"The cross has been so sanitized within the church, but people forget how shameful it is," he said.

"The cross becomes the new temple - a place where Israel and the world are invited to meet their strange creator of the world," Wright said.

He has published many religious books, many on the redefinition of the historical Jesus.

His full-scale work, Jesus and the Victory of God, addresses the historical Jesus and the political and social setting of the first century. Jesus has been described as the Jewish apocalyptic prophet in Wright's book.



And I agree with Ami Jo! Tweet