Jesus Teachings Contradict Roman Empire
Jesus was born in 4 B.C. in Bethlehem, in Roman territory, where the Roman emperor had complete control. The Roman emperor controlled the census, religion, public welfare, and politics; and Jesus abided by the Roman Law. Jesus appealed for a spiritual purity. Within his teachings Jesus believed in one god, his father, in loving thy enemies, in following God's law, that he is the Messiah / Savior of the people, and he tells his followers he will die and rise to heaven to save all man's sins. The Roman emperor believed himself to be the divine bridge between the people and the gods, and that a person's social duty to Rome was to worship the ancestors, give tributes to gods, and to be patriotic; in other words, not to stir up conflict like Jesus does. Jesus' teachings contradicted the moral foundation of the Roman Empire concerning true religion and one's social duties and for that, the Roman People viewed him as a tyrant.
Jesus teaches that in order to be a part of his group the person must fully commit to him, and serve only him. Jesus says "ye cannot serve God and mammon"(reader 234, 2-3) claiming that a man cannot serve two masters because he will hate one and love the other, and that is the reason for the monotheistic belief. Jesus says he is the Christ, and that he has come to save men from their sins. The men that follow him must join in feasts together also called agape feasts which is the partaking of Jesus' body and Jesus' blood. This act is done to show the oneness with Jesus. Jesus is not selective about who follows him, he gives acceptance to everyone, and he appeals to people of all social levels rich, or poor. His most important requirement is to be spiritually pure. That means that if a man is rich he must sell everything and follow god. Because material wealth does not bring spiritual wealth. There must be evidence of a transformation that takes place. There must be an internal struggle to live a life like Jesus. Physical sacrifices such...
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