The first image which usually comes to mind of the early believers of Jesus are those of an ascetic order, rejecting material things, committed to a simple life dressed in beggars clothes and living a life of self-denial or poverty; much like that of Siddhartha Buddha or St. Francis of Assisi. It would seem that a disciple who listened to the teachings of Jesus Christ the Nazarene would be the epitome of ‘Passive Resistance,’ especially while hearing, “If someone strikes you on the cheek, turn to him the other one also.”
These first converts were identified as “Galileans” (Acts 2: 7), no doubt due to the region where they came from; along with their master and teacher. Next, they are recorded as belonging to “The Way” (‘ha Derekh’), as mentioned in Acts 9: 1-2;
19: 9, 23; 24: 14. The name “Nazarenes” is mentioned in Acts 24: 5. All of the aforementioned names are associated with the Jewish followers that believed in Jesus as the promised ‘Messiah’ that was foretold in their sacred Scriptures. The name that is commonly attached to the Christian Movement was given to the Gentile converts in the city of Antioch, in Syria (Acts 11: 9b, 20-23, 25-26). The name “Christian” was also used by King Agrippa, perhaps derisively, in Acts 26: 28.
The Apostles were thought to be part of a subversive religious/political organization because they disobeyed the edicts of the Jewish religious authorities, and their teaching and miracles might have a profound impact on the psyche of the common people, possibly leading to more civil unrest, rebellion, and rioting among those who were no doubt fed up with the Roman occupation of their homeland. A well respected Jewish Doctor of Laws and teacher named Gamaliel addressed the Jewish Supreme Court (“Sanhedrin”) regarding the proper course of action to take against these men who defied their orders. He reiterated to the Council of the fate which befell earlier ‘Messianic Movements’(??) or uprisings, such as with Theudas and Judas of Galilee; whose followers were defeated or killed, the leaders were also either killed or escaped and their rebellion was crushed (Acts. 5: 34-39).
The Apostle Paul, who later became associated with this same Movement since his conversion to the ‘Faith’ after persecuting these same believers as Saul, was being held in protective custody after an uproar, or more specifically, after accusations of causing a riot in Jerusalem, the commander of the Roman garrison [Ft. Anatolia??] named Lysias Claudius (Acts 23: 26), mistook Paul as the Egyptian leader of the “Assassins” (Acts 21: 38). This idea of a sort of radical, ‘jihadist’ or separatist group was argued by Tertullus, an orator who represented the high priest and elders in their legal complaint and petition against the Apostle Paul before the Roman Governor Felix at Caesarea. Tertullus, with the eloquence of a skillful lawyer tries to make the case against Paul that he is the ringleader of a [religious] ‘sect’ which causes dissent [“sedition”] among the Jews around the world (Acts 24: 5).
Again, this same concern [as far as the new Movement being an unlawful ‘sect’] was expressed by the Jewish leaders in faraway Rome when Paul met with them while under house arrest (Acts 28: 17-22). WEBSTERS defines “sect’ as 1 a: a dissenting or schismatic religious body; esp. one regarded as extreme or heretical. This new religion was not traditional or ancient, with no past historical record or its own sacred text, and it used the Jewish sacred Scriptures but interpreted it in a radically different way that not only bypassed the Jewish Laws and traditions, but became superior to it and equated the later writings (“epistles/letters”) of the Apostles and other followers as inspired; on equal footing with the law of Moses, the Prophets, and other Jewish sacred text.
Interestingly, while Jesus was on trial before Pontius Pilate, He said, “My kingdom is not of this world (John 18: 36), but He also said, “From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.” (Matthew 11: 12; Luke 16: 16), and “Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword” (Matthew 10: 34, 35-39). Indeed, it seems that some of the first disciples of the Lord may not have been ‘peaceniks’ after all, especially when you consider the likes of Simon the Zealot (Luke 6: 15); James, the brother of John, both of whom Jesus referred to as “Sons of Thunder” (Mark 3: 17); which seems appropriate considering the event in Luke 9: 51-56, where they wanted to call down fire from heaven on a Samaritan village.
Later, in the book of Acts, it seems that James might not have met his end peaceably as he was killed with the sword of King Herod (Acts 21: 1-2). According to John's Gospel, the Apostle Peter wielded a sword and cut off the right ear of Malchus, servant of the high priest in the garden of Gethsemane (Cp. 18: 1-10). Even the Apostle Paul wrote, “If it is possible, as much as it depends on you, live peaceably with all men” (Romans 12: 18). Sometimes it is a fine line we walk between being like the Dalai Lama, Mahatma Gandhi, MLK, or instead as a fighting Shaolin monk or one of the royal order of the Knights of Templar.
Robert Randle
776 Commerce St. #B-11
Tacoma, WA 98402
October 21, 2008
pbks@hotmail.com
