Why Jesus Was REALLY Killed: Challenging the Money Changers
Washington’s Blog
April 21, 2014
Modern interpretation of Christ driving the money changers from the temple by Anthony Freda/Daniel Zollinger
Why Jesus Was Killed
Preface: If you are an atheist and believe that religion is crazy, please remember that some 85% of the American population identifies itself as Christian and millions more identify themselves as Jewish. Very few Americans are atheists … and the majority don’t trust atheists. Therefore, knowing a few bible verses might be helpful for atheists speaking to people of faith.
Reverend Howard Bess notes:
Jesus did not go to the temple to cleanse. He came to the temple to announce the destruction of a whole way of life. Those who operated the temple had no power to silence Jesus and put him to death. Those powers were held by the Roman retainers.
The charges that were leveled against him can be summed up as insurrection. There were three specific charges: encouraging non-payment of taxes, threatening to destroy property (the temple), and claiming to be a king. It was the temple incident that took Jesus from being an irritating, but harmless country rebel from the rural north to a nuisance in a city that controlled the great tradition. Rome’s retainers killed him on a cross.
In other words, Jesus wasn’t sentenced to death until he challenged the money changers.
What Does it Mean to Do God’s Work?
The head of Goldman Sachs said he’s doing “God’s work” with his banking activities.
The head of Barclays also told his congregation that banking as practiced by his company was not antithetical to Christian principles.
Are they right? Is big banking as practiced by the giant banks in harmony with Christian principles?
Do Justice
Initially, the Bible does not counsel us to ignore the breaking of laws by the the powerful.
In fact, the Bible mentions justice over 200 times — more than just about any other topic. The Bible asks us to do justice and to stand up to ANYONE — including the rich or powerful — who do injustice or oppress the people.
Indeed, one of the first things God asks of us is to do justice:
He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? (Micah 6:8)
While many churches and synagogues have become obsessed with other issues, many have arguably ignored this most important of God’s demands of us. As pointed out by a leading Christian ministry, which rescues underage girls trapped as sex slaves in third world countries:
In Scripture there is a constant call to seek justice. Jesus got upset at the Pharisees because they neglected the weightier matters of the law, which He defined as justice and the love of God . . . Isaiah 58 complains about the fact that while the people of God are praying and praying and praying, they are not doing anything about the injustice.
Should Christians just pray for justice and leave the rest to God?
That’s not what the Bible asks us to do. Instead, Hebrews 11:33 tells us that we are God’s hands for dispensing justice, and God uses us to “administer justice.”
We have to “walk our talk” and put our prayers into action.
God demands that we do everything in our power to act as “God’s hands” in bringing justice. And as Saint Augustine reminds us, “Charity is no substitute for justice withheld.”
Indeed:
The Lord looked and was displeased that there was no justice. He saw that there was no one, He was appalled that there was no one to intervene. (Isaiah 59:15-16)
This is the only place in the Bible where the word “appalled” is used for the way God feels — in other words, the only thing which we know God is appalled by is if people are not doing justice.
There are hundreds of other references to justice in the Bible, including:
- Blessed are they who maintain justice . . . . (Psalm 106:3)
- This is what the LORD says: Maintain justice and do what is right . . . . (Isiah 56:1)
- This is what the LORD says: Do what is just and right. (Jeremiah 22:3,13-17)
- Follow justice and justice alone. (Deuteronomy 16:19, 20)
- For the LORD is righteous, he loves justice . . . . (Job 11:5,7)
- Learn to do right! Seek justice . . . . (Isaiah 1:17)
So if the powerful players in the giant banks broke the laws, they must be held to account.
Fraud and Manipulation of Money
The big banks have engaged in systemic, continuous ongoing criminal fraud.
Allowing the banks to commit crime with impunity is not what Jesus would do. What would Jesus do? Turn over the tables of the money-changers. (economists agree.)
Moreover, the giant banks manipulate currency through the use of schemes such as manipulating interest rates (gaming interest rates in different regions – Libor, Eurobor, etc. – can in turn drive their currencies up or down), high frequency trading and artificially suppressing gold prices (which artificially inflates the value of fiat money) .
As Ron Paul notes, the Bible forbids altering the quality of money (which, at the time and place, was entirely in the form of coins):
Even the Bible is clear that altering the quality of money is an immoral act. We are instructed to follow the rules of “just weights and measures.” “You shall do no injustice in judgment, in measurement of length, weight, or volume. You shall have just balances, just weights, a just ephah, and a just hin” (Leviticus 19:35-36). “Diverse weights are an abomination to the LORD, and a false balance is not good” (Proverbs 20:23). The general principle can be summed as “You shall not steal.”
Proverbs 11:1 also provides:
Dishonest scales are an abomination to the LORD, but a just weight is His delight.
So to the extent that the giant banks have engaged in any dishonest acts or the manipulation of currencies, they are violating scripture.
Oppression of the Poor
The Bible condemns oppression of the poor for the benefit of the affluent:
He that oppresses the poor to increase his riches, and he that gives to the rich, shall surely come to want. (Proverbs 22:16)
To the extent that the giant banks have oppressed the poor to increase their riches, they are violating scripture.
Due to their looting, inequality is now worse in American than in Egypt, Tunisia, Yemen, most Latin American banana republics … and ancient Rome.
Waging War
Bankers are often the driving force behind war. “Blessed are the peacemakers” (Matthew 5:9), and Jesus would not have taken kindly to waging wars for profit based upon false pretenses.
Resurrection: Christ’s Ministry
Christ – and his ministry – lives to the extent that we act as God’s hands to confront the big banks which are warping our economy and our world.
Postscript: Not all bankers are bad people. For example, many bankers at smaller banks and credit unions are good people who are trying to help their communities. Each must be judged by his own acts.
Replies
The Pharisees were making up their own laws and rules, as well as ignoring the Torah or keeping it in such a way as to let someone die rather then help them on the Sabbath. Just because exceptions exist doesn't mean rules are bad.
I suggest you watch a documentary called "The Hebrew Yeshua vs the Greek Jesus" it dives into the original newly discovered Hebrew version of the Gospels and clears up a lot of misconceptions.
Jesus was coming against the Saturn Cult (Rome / Pharisee Jews) Adam was Saturn. The Serpent was God (Lemuria)
or rather the Logos, word of God, Ouroboros of creation. This culminates in Jesus as the serpent, the crucified serpent, Moses said lift up the serpent and lift up the messiah.
......there is something else wrong with this article, even if it works with whooping some DC politicians ; ....back in the old day of Judea, at the time of Herod and Pontious Pilate, money changers were , actually , selling live animals to be sacrified / murdered at the altar of God. This information is very supressed from main stream history. I can see why any prophet ( all of them very vegetarian ) could loose his cool when seing mass , bloody mass murder for gods forgiveness and mercy. It sure was a bloody god............mass animal sacrifice was moved from churches and into mass slaughterhouses............in a way, humanity was much brutal and sadistic then ........................those points aside, I highly doubt that peacefull, loving, kind and compassionate individual whould actually harm others while not controlling his/her anger...........in vegetarian world, I have never met aggressive vegetarian or vegan.
Jesus was a human being AND a prophet. He also had common sense on how to deal with monsters.
When a murderer broke into the house of Beatle George Harrison and started stabbing him with a knife, he responded with chanting Hare Krishna rounds while being stabbed. His wife responded by hiting the attacker with a lamp.
If the response of George Harrison is your idea of what defines a prophet, then it's wise to live in Chicago since you are not allowed to own a gun there, and can easily respond like George Harrison if you get violently attacked.
..........all wrong Malcolm........chicago people are allowed to own guns, not sure were you get your information....and what is wrong with chanting while attacked ?
Ah, you are correct. Rahm Emmanual's ban on Chicago firearms was recently changed to registration with the Illinois State Police. And note that 90% of gun registrations have led to gun confiscations, according to the N.R.A.
When peaceful people let evil people get away with violations against society or with violations against themselves, they are not doing society or themselves a favor by "chanting rounds" while such violations manifest. They are just as indirectly evil and selfish as the violator is, because they are ignoring justice in the name of peace and non-violence practiced by themselves with a disregard for future actions of the violator against the rest of society.
Thanks so much for the wonderful article, and I love the picture too; it should be hung in the White House.
one major flaw with this post is that, this famous healer, the one who walked the land and healed sick and maimed ( commonly known as Essene Teacher of Rightiousness ) was not sentenced to the cross, it was another Yashua, leader of murderous gang of Zealots who commited hainous crimes against Romans and his own jewish people.
And your source?
plenty of refrences from reading essene gospels of peace and the rest of their manuscripts, few refrences in a book called The Other Bible made out of manuscript translations , writtings of Edmound Bourdox Szekely ; one of the original scholars at the break of 20th century ; one of hand full young scholar admitted to Vaticans Secret Archives in, I think year of 1912. His life experience studying ancient cultures is documented in his books available at International Biogenic Society based in Canada. ( I think , maybe mailing adress is in Washington State )................there are refrences of such idea in writtings of Franscis Bacon, Leo Tolstoy, Leonardo daVinci, St. Francis of Assisi, Gospel of Isa found in Tibetan Monastery in early 1940's , and french novelist Romain Rolland who was supporter of Zoroaster believes. And speaking of Zoroaster , who did precide Jesus by 4,000 yrs wrote in his codex's or laws , pretty same idea of what Jesus thought. Also , in same sentence who would explain deception of scrificial "lamb" that masses need in order to believe in "prime creator" or "god"..........................there is a manuscript in Vatican explaining / documenting a Council of Nicea at the time of Constinopol's reign, which clearly explains discrepencies of official Christian bible. It talks about a large number of Bishops( all clad in white garments~ clear refrence to essene bishops ) who walked out of final vote in protest over official version of those events 280 yrs earlier..........................
The gravesite of Jesus is reportedly Rozabul, India, near Kashmir. His feet were placed in quality cement before he was buried. The stone imprints of his feet show incision marks.
HE WAS PLACED ON THE CROSS.
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