"Baseless Hatred" and Forgiveness

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​The first century was a volatile time for the nation of Israel. Rome was hated. Religious institutions had been corrupted. The ordinary people suffered injustices of many kinds. 

Jesus came on the scene c.a. 30 AD with a message of forgiveness. Jesus' message is that the path forward to peace is through forgiveness, not violence or hatred of one another (think Zealots). 

Jesus' message was that "a house divided cannot stand" (Matt. 12:25). One must be able to forgive their brother/sister for any upset that has been caused.

Even more than forgiving your fellow Israelite, you must also choose to forgive your enemy and those who persecute you.

This was a hard message to accept. In fact, they rejected it.  

"The Burnt House" museum in the Jewish Quarter of Jerusalem. 
​This house was burned by the Roman army in 70 AD. 

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​Over the next forty years, the violence towards and hatred of one another increased in Israel.

In 66 AD. Rome put it's boot down, and a war began. By 70 AD, Jerusalem was under siege. Eventually, under the command of Titus, the Roman army destroyed both God's Temple and the city of Jerusalem. 

As the Rabbi's reflected back on this period and how God's house could be destroyed a second time, the answer they arrived at was "baseless hatred."

"Baseless hatred" - they hated each other for no reason. 

Join us in this lesson as we compare Jesus' message of forgiveness with the idea of "Baseless Hatred."  

One can' help but recognize the similarities to the times in which we live today. 

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To help you with your studies see the lesson plan below:

baseless_hatred_lesson_plan.pdf
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Fig Tree Ministries · #13 "Baseless Hatred," Forgiveness, and Leviticus 19:18