The plot against Jesus
All who love Jesus should let him talk:
"The most important one," answered Jesus, "is this: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’"
A great answer to a great question: accept the Lord our God is One, love Him, and worship Him to the best of your ability.
According to the gospel accounts, Jewish authorities in Roman Judea charged Jesus and sought his execution, but lacked the authority to have Jesus put to death (John 18:31), so they took Jesus to Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor of the province, (John 19:16).
In response to the claim that Jesus' divinity is proven because the Jews would not have killed Him otherwise, I would like to offer the following points for your consideration:
Hostility to Jesus had been mounting from the beginning of his ministry. The on-going conflict with the religious leaders leads to this point.
Jesus’ enemies, the chief priests and the elders, met in secret in the house of Caiaphas, the high priest, to make plans to kill Jesus.
Then the whole assembly rose and led him off to Pilate. 2 And they began to accuse him, saying, “We have found this man subverting our nation. He opposes payment of taxes to Caesar and claims to be Messiah, a king.”
So Pilate asked Jesus, “Are you the king of the Jews?”
Luke 23:1 - 3
Anxiety increased, and the chief priests, scribes, Pharisees, and Sadducees became restless, and felt the ground sinking beneath their feet, until, in a stirring meeting of the Sanhedrin,
The highest legal body in the country, High Priest named Caiaphas , made the decision . "Jesus should be killed "
Jesus did not die for our sins , Rather, it is because of the greed of the religious establishment that is capable of eliminating anyone who interferes in its interests.
49 Then one of them, named Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, spoke up, “You know nothing at all! 50 You do not realize that it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish.”
John 11:49-50
47 Every day he was teaching at the temple. But the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the leaders among the people were trying to kill him.
Luke 19:47
Christ was not killed for claiming divinity, nor did he die to atone for sins.
Nowhere in the four Gospels does Jesus explicitly state that He would die to save humanity from sin.
No surprise, then, that so many consider the crucifixion incompatible with God’s mercy .
Muslims, for example, believe Jesus was saved from crucifixion, in accordance with the following:
157 ."And [for] their saying, "Indeed, we have killed the Messiah, Jesus, the son of Mary, the messenger of Allah." And they did not kill him, nor did they crucify him; but [another] was made to resemble him to them. And indeed, those who differ over it are in doubt about it. They have no knowledge of it except the following of assumption. And they did not kill him, for certain.
189. Rather, Allah raised him to Himself. And ever is Allah Exalted in Might and Wise. ”
( The Holy Quran 4:157–158 )
1. *Clarification of Prophethood in Islam*:
- In Islam, Jesus (peace be upon him) is revered as a prophet and a messenger sent by God to guide the children of Israel. It is not necessary for a prophet to claim divinity to be rejected or persecuted by his people.
2. *Focus on Islamic Beliefs*:
- The Quran clearly states that Jesus never claimed divinity. Allah says in the Quran: "They have certainly disbelieved who say, 'Allah is the Messiah, the son of Mary'" (Quran 5:17).
3. *Historical and Religious Context*:
- Many prophets throughout history faced persecution and rejection from their people, such as Moses and Joseph (peace be upon them), without claiming divinity. Persecution does not necessarily imply a claim to divinity.
4. *Understanding Persecution of Prophets*:
- Prophets often face challenges and persecution due to their mission to reform and promote monotheism, which can provoke resistance from established powers.
5. *Rational Evidence*:
- Using rational and logical arguments, one can explain that divinity requires certain attributes that no human, including Jesus, ever claimed to possess.
In summary, the persecution of Jesus does not serve as evidence of his divinity but rather as a common aspect of the challenges faced by prophets in their mission to guide and reform their societies.
Consequently, the reality of the prophets, their uniform message, and the way of life which they followed, can only be found preserved in the religion of Islam, the only religion prescribed by God for man. Furthermore, only Muslims today actually follow Jesus and his true teachings. Their way of life is much more in tune with the way of life Jesus practiced than any of the modern day “Christians.” Love and respect of Jesus Christ is an article of faith in Islam, and God stressed the importance of belief in Jesus in numerous places in the Quran.
