Christianity roots are in Judaism. Jesus and all the apostles, including St. Paul, were all Jewish. As good Jews they would make the yearly pilgrimage to the Jerusalem Temple for the Feast of Passover and would attend the weekly service in the synagogues in Nazareth or Capernaum. After Jesus’ ascension into heaven, they continued to be practicing Jews as we hear in the Acts of the Apostles:
“Every day they devoted themselves to meeting together in the temple area and to breaking bread in their homes. They ate their meals with exultation and sincerity of heart, praising God and enjoying favor with all the people. And every day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.” (Acts 2:46-47).
There were also tensions developing between some Jewish leaders and those professing Jesus as the Messiah. Paul himself tells us that before his call or conversion he “…persecuted the church of God beyond measure and tried to destroy it..” (Galatians 1:13).
Towards the end of the 1st century this tension between official Judaism and Christianity led to a “parting of the ways” or the separation of Christianity from Judaism. This “parting of the ways” is reflected three times in John’s Gospel including today’s Gospel passage.
“His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews, for the Jews had already agreed that if anyone acknowledged Jesus as the Messiah, he would be expelled from the synagogue.” (9:22).
“Nevertheless, many, even among the authorities, believed in Jesus, but because of the Pharisees they did not acknowledge it openly in order not to be expelled from the synagogue.” (12:42)
“They will expel you from the synagogues; in fact, the hour is coming when everyone who kills you will think he is offering worship to God.” (16:2).
Judaism towards the end of the 1st century was reconstituting itself after the disastrous war with the Romans and the destruction of Jerusalem and the Jewish Temple. Now led by the Pharisees they were very suspicious of any messianic movements that might lead them to another war with the Romans. Christians were expelled or no longer welcome in the synagogues. Hence there was a “parting of the ways” between Judaism and Christianity.
At times Jewish persecutions did lead to the condemnation and death of such disciples as Stephen (Acts 7:54-60) and James the apostle (Acts 12:1). Jesus gives warning about these persecutions in today’s Gospel: “the hour is coming when everyone who kills you will think he is offering worship to God.” Sadly, and sinfully, Christians also have killed Jews and Muslims “in the name of God.” Pope Francis and other religious leaders have condemned such violence in the name of God:
“The religious person knows that among the greatest blasphemies is to invoke God as the justification for one’s own sins and crimes… [religious leaders need to] unmask any attempt to manipulate God for ends that have nothing to do with him or his glory.” (Pope Francis)
Image: “Bet El synagogue Casablanca – bima” by dlisbona is licensed under CC BY 2.0.