They called themselves the Zealots
because they were zealous for the restoration of Israel’s power. They longed
for the overthrow of Rome, and would do whatever they could to subvert the
oppressor’s domination. Some of them, as happens in any cause, were brutes who
were attracted by the opportunity for violence and personal gain, but many were
men who embraced a noble cause. They remembered the promises to Abraham,
especially the promise of the Land, and they believed that the restoration of
their sovereignty over their own nation (and beyond) was part of that promise.
To that end they were waiting for a Messiah who would give them back their
rightful place in the world.
And now a likely candidate had
appeared. He healed the sick and fed the hungry, he made the lame walk, the
blind see and the deaf hear, it was even rumoured he could raise the dead to
life. Surely he was the one who would accomplish victory over Rome! And now he
had come to Jerusalem at the Passover, the time when all true Israelites were
gathered for the feast, a ready-made army who, divinely empowered, with this
Jesus at their head, would overthrow the might of Rome. It was a time for war
..
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They saw themselves as the
guardians of Israel’s holiness. They knew the Law, and they knew all the other
laws that they had devised for themselves as a hedge of protection around it,
so that it could not be accidentally transgressed. They knew their history,
they knew that violation of the covenant had led to exile from the Land, and
they were determined this should never happen again. So they set about creating
a visible form of religion that would set the faithful apart from the
faithless. They would keep the Law so perfectly that no one could ever accuse
them of failure.
But now somebody was accusing them!
For a long time this miracle worker, this homespun backwoods preacher, had been
disturbing the religious equilibrium, and painting a very different picture of
God to the one they taught. Was he going to be another failed revolutionary who
would bring down the wrath of Rome upon them and disturb the delicate balance
of power? Or would his engaging stories of shepherds and Samaritans alienate
their own following? And now he had come out and openly attacked them. Being
called whitewashed tombs, or a brood of vipers is very hard to forgive. But he
was in Jerusalem, he could be silenced. It was a time for war ..
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His heart was heavy, He knew that
the time had come. Around Him the beloved faces whispered and wondered. How
long would it take them to understand that a greater Passover was about to
unfold? He broke the bread, saying “This is my body ...” He
took up the cup saying , “This is my blood ..” and He felt the full weight of
the sentence about to be passed. Before tomorrow’s sunset, His body would be
tortured to death, His blood would be poured out, and He would be crushed
beneath the weight of humanity’s terror and despair. There was no other way,
and there was no one else who could do it. For this reason He had come into the
world. There was a battle to be fought, and the only way to win it was to be utterly
defeated. The price must be paid, and sin and death and hell must be overcome.
And these, whom He loved, would have to walk through the darkness of grief and
loss and despair until the victory would be revealed.
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