Jesus

And the Herods

    When Jesus was born there was a homocidal genocidal infanticidal maniac named King Herod who ruled the region in which he was born, who killed all the males under the age of 2 trying to kill off Jesus. Jesus was born with enemies. What other child do you know comes into the earth with the ruler out to kill him off before he could lift a finger against him?

Another Herod for the pleasure of a dirty dance from the daughter of woman with whom he had an adulterous liason, beheaded Jesus' cousin. He had imprisoned him for speaking against the adultery and for Jesus. Herod killed John the Baptist- the person who heralded Jesus' coming, the person who baptized him.
   There was murder all around Jesus. He was born into it, it oppressively surrounded him, it touched him personally in his family. Did Jesus kill either Herod? Did he plot to assassinate either one or any Roman?
    Sometimes I think we have a view of Jesus as a happy boy scout troop leader surrounded by hugging children and little lambs as if he popped out of a Hallmark card, complete with highlighted hair and blue eyes. We forget the grittiness of his life, and the struggle for existence of his people under Roman rule. It was brutal. It was ugly. It was painful. It was daily terror.
    The first conversion story written in the New Testament is that of a Roman soldier Cornelius. A Roman Soldier whose job it was to keep the order however necessary, even if it meant killing Jews. A Roman oppressor- a soldier, a man of violence trained in war. Jesus converted him. His way is conversion, not killing off the killers. He never killed one soldier while he could have brought mountains of bolders on their heads. He could have spewed volcanos on Herod's palaces.
    
    Who is Jesus?
Who do you say he is?
Why is he so radically insistent about Peace?

Think about it.