“But before all this occurs, they will arrest you and persecute you; they will hand you over to synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought to kings and governors because of my name” (Luke 21:12-13)
Jesus explains this when talking about the destruction of Jerusalem. Through this description, the author of Luke gives the impression that synagogues, which were places of Jewish worship, are where followers of Christ would be brought for believing that he was the Messiah. They were brought to these places because during that time, Jesus was believed to be a blaspheme by non-followers of Christ. The fact that the author uses “synagogues and prisons” as places for punishment creates a negative connotation for synagogues. These were places for Jewish individuals to pray and worship, yet in this text they are being defiled and are displayed as places of punishment and torture. “For you, brothers and sisters, became imitators of the churches of God in Christ Jesus that are in Judea, for you suffered the same things from your own compatriots as they did from the Jews, who killed both the Lord Jesus and the prophets, and drove us out; they displease God and oppose everyone by hindering us from speaking to the Gentiles so that they may be saved” (1 Thessalonians 2:14-16) In this passage, the Jews are blamed for the death of Jesus. This was a common misconception, as Jesus died at the hands of the Romans. However, by referring to the Jews as Jesus’ killers, the author of Thessalonians is creating the idea that all Jewish individuals support the death of Jesus and that these people are devoid of morality. “The Jews were looking for him at the festival and saying, “Where is he?” And there was considerable complaining about him among the crowds. While some were saying, “He is a good man,” others were saying, “No, he is deceiving the crowd.” Yet no one would speak openly about him for fear of the Jews” (John 7:12) Here, followers of Jesus are fearful of the Jews and are scared to express their love for Jesus because of them. This paints the picture that the Jewish community was oppressive and persecuted others for their belief in Christ, which would be extremely unsettling for readers of the Bible. “So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.” Jesus answered, “I have told you, and you do not believe” (John 10:24-25) This interaction between Jesus and the Jews displays their non belief in Christ. Even though Jesus himself is talking to them and has shown them his works, they still do not believe. The description of this interaction highlights the stereotype that the Jewish people were skeptical and devoid of faith. “The Jews took up stones again to stone him. Jesus replied, “I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of these are you going to stone me?” The Jews answered, “It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you, but for blasphemy, because you, though only a human being, are making yourself God” (John 10:31-33) This except emphasizes the lack of faith that the Jews had in Jesus. It also describes their desire to stone him, which could result in extreme bodily harm or even death. Additionally, they accuse him of blasphemy, which was not only a major crime at the time, but was also contradictory, as he was perceived to be the Messiah by Christians. In detailing the interaction in this way, the author is stressing the idea that the Jews lacked ethical values, as well as religious values. |
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