JESUS: PEACE LOVING OR REVOLUTIONARY? OR BOTH.

CLEARLY THERE IS A TENSION BETWEEN THE GOSPEL WRITERS AND THE EARLY CHRISTIAN CHURCH, DEPICTING JESUS AS PEACE-LOVING AND NONVIOLENT, AND SOME OF THE REALITIES OF THE TIME. APOCALYPTIC, REVOLUTIONARY FERVOR WAS LIKELY ON EVERY JEWS MIND IN JUDEA AND THE SURROUNDING AREA. AS JESUS CONTINUED PROCLAIMING THAT A NEW TIME WAS NEAR, IT BECAME INCREASINGLY DIFFICULT FOR THE ROMANS TO SEPARATE OUT HIS APOCALYPTIC VISION FROM IS PERCEIVED REVOLUTIONARY ZEAL. IN THE END, THE REVOLUTIONARY JESUS WAS CRUCIFIED FOR TREASON. CHRISTIANS DOWNPLAY JESUS THE REVOLUTIONARY, PROBABLY FOR THE SAME REASONS THE GOSPEL WRITERS DID. WE WANT TO STIR THINGS UP, BUT DON'T WANT THE KETTLE TO OVERFLOW INTO TERRITORY THAT THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH WOULD HAVE PROBLEMS WITH.