God Didn't Kill Jesus!
I'm venturing into waters that will cause a lot of anger, just the opposite of what God and Jesus ae all about. How is it that we can say that GOD IS LOVE and then be so un-loving, mean-spirited, and downright hateful people? Tell me, how does that work, how does that line up with the teaching of Jesus? It lines up in part because many have been taught that God KILLED JESUS!
We finite human beings struggle with this infinite God-Creator concept, as well we should. What we should not do though is throw stons at others for their beliefs, because we think ours is right. Show a little love, tolerance, compassion. Hey, BE a Christian- the Jesus type. That said, here's where I am in regards to the death of Jesus.
I, that would be ME, can't see God demanding the death of Jesus. Anyone! God is LOVE!
Having said that, I am in no way "taking away" any of the historical and theological consequences that immanate from the Cross. What went down 2,000 years ago has the potential to change the world. It's changed and IS still changing MY LIFE. The life that Jesus lived showed me so much about who God IS. I'm so glad that I'm not left with the Old Testament, Jewish view of God. I'm glad I have that reference(s), but that alone would be and is devastating!
Who can have an intimate loving relationship with that paradigm of God?
Not me!
I believe that Jesus choose to go to the Cross. He loved the Father so much and thus trusted Him with his life (even unto death) that Jesus was willing to die IF in so doing He could show the rest of humankind that YES there is life after death.
There are so many translations of the Bible! Which one are we to believe? I grew up on King James and have since come to see it greatly deficient. They all vary, some more than others. So, When I study a verse, I look at half a dozen divergent verses. The one I want to use regarding this topic is the Lamsa Bible. The Lamsa Bible first appeared in 1933. It was derived, both Old and New Testaments. Lamsa claimed Aramaic primacy, against the academic mainstream opinion of the origin of New Testament texts, and thus claimed his translation was superior to texts based on older Greek manuscripts.
Jesus was Aramaic, not Greek, Roman, or Hebrew!
The KJV in Mattew 25:46 reads in part "Eli, eli lama sabachthani, my god, my god why have thou forsaken me". Doesn't that go against Romans 8 where we read that God will never leave nor forsake us? The Lamsa Bible translates that as "My God, my God, my destiny is accomplished". Jesus ran the course and lived a total life or LOVE & SURRENDER. And then He implores us to FOLLOW HIM!
Who really wants to do that? Who really wants to lay down their life for others? We'd rather take the life of others who do not believe as we do. And of course, if God is a KILLER, as the Old Testament states and as the view that God was blood-thirsty, demanding the life of Jesus, then why can't we do the same? And we do!
For me, Jesus is my model. Jesus changed the world. Jesus defeated death, and so on. And, msot importantly,God is LOVE!