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These religious premises did not fit well with the social conditions that had unfolded in the thousand years of historical complications since the era of the founding of the monarchy. Nor were these early layers of religion meeting the spiritual needs of a people in crisis. Ancient Biblical Judaism had been formulated during the generation of Moses and the exodus. The religious system had then assimilated the responses that arose to meet the challenges of forging an identity and a loyalty within an emerging political and social entity. By the first century of the new era, the ancient religion had been stretched to a breaking
point.
The message that Jesus was proclaiming showed the people that God is everywhere, in everyone, and is the life of everyone. The revolutionary core of his teaching claimed that a true worshipper could worship God within himself. The Kingdom of Heaven is in the core of every heart. This worship would be worship of the Truth. Further, Jesus proclaimed that all good people are able to attain God—even sinners, prostitutes, and people who were not even Jewish. He openly taught and associate with the people from all walks of life—higher and lower; rich and poor.
These subversive ideas were intolerable to the orthodox Jewish leadership. In their legalistic adherence to the ancient commands
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