Jesus unexpected - part 2 by Steve Maltz

Steve Maltz

It was a bigger mistake than Napoleon invading Russia, or even Hitler invading Russia. It was even bigger than Kate Garroway's decision to put on her dancing shoes! The failure to recognize Jesus as Messiah by the Jewish leadership two thousand years ago was just about the biggest mistake made by anyone in the history of the world.

It was a mistake that was to have historical consequences, starting with the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem in AD 70, tragically witnessed by some of the generation who were alive and possibly witnessed the rejection and crucifixion of Jesus some forty years earlier. This was at the hands of the pagan Romans and Jesus had, in fact, prophesied it.

"Jesus left the temple and was walking away when his disciples came up to him to call his attention to its buildings. 'Do you see all these things' he asked. 'I tell you the truth, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down'." (Matthew 24:1-2).

Then, when the first fires of Christian zeal, righteousness and faithfulness had been squeezed out of the Church by the compromises forced on it by its adoption by what was left of the Roman Empire, a full programme of painful circumstances were inflicted onto the Jewish people. This was at the hands of a vengeful Church acting out of misplaced zeal for a vengeful God, who existed nowhere but in their own vengeful hearts. And this, in fact, was arguably the second biggest mistake ever made, because it wrenched the Church away from its Jewish roots and tainted itself with the pagan worldviews that surrounded it. But that's another story, to be told at another time.

It became clear to the Jewish religious leaders that they had made the right decision to hold on to the "ways of their fathers" and not embrace this new religious system that seemed so full of self-righteous hate. God forbid that we should become like one of them! They retreated inwards into the sureties of their scriptures and the proclamation of their sages, who demonstratedly led holy lives consistent with their calling, a stark contrast to the Popes and Bishops who openly preached hate and vengeance and who mobilized armies to carry out their devilish schemes.

It was no wonder that Jews clung to their beliefs to the point of death and they should not be ridiculed or condemned for it. It was no wonder that so few became followers of Jesus the Messiah, where the only visible witness to him was at the point of a sword or lick of a flame.

So what can we learn from this? Western society has moved on from those fraught times, when one's religious beliefs were truly a matter of life and death, hasn't it? The stark fact is that Christians can be either the best ambassadors or the greatest stumbling block for the faith that they profess. To non-believers, it is not what Christians say or profess that makes a mark, but how they live their lives. It is time our whole lives - at work, rest and play - are played out consistent with our conduct within the four walls of our churches and fellowships.

Let's get real and worship the Lord in spirit and in truth ... 24/7!

(This article is based on material from "Jesus, The Man of Many Names" published by Authentic)