In chapter 15 (The Temptation to Violence) of "Jesus Before Christianity" the main theme is temptation. The Jews of Palestine had been waiting for a Messiah for sometime. They wanted a "king" to come along and take control of the political and military power and to restore the kingdom of Israel. There are two stories in this chapter exemplifying his struggle with resisting temptation. The first is the story of the "loaves and fishes" Jesus could tell that the 4-5,000 men there were like sheep with no Shepard. They wanted to come and make him there Messiah so he escaped, Jesus never rarely if ever referred to himself as the Messiah because he felt that it was a temptation of Satan which needed to be rejected. The second story is when Peter continues to refer to Jesus as the Messiah. The two get into a argument. Peter was mad at Jesus for not taking the chance at seizing power and becoming the Messiah. (Peter was playing the role of Satan aka the tempter). Jesus struggled throughout his life with this temptation of power and kingship. In today's society we are faced with temptations everyday it might not be as dramatic as becoming the Messiah or King but we must act like Jesus and think with a clear mind and resist the temptations.
---RAY O'C
Sunday, March 1, 2009
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