[BaseballMan]

jesus was a revolutionary... not the kind with banderos of bullets, but the kind with explosive ideas and vision which run counter to the dominant culture. Is "blessed are the poor" ... "woe unto the rich" revolutionary? Not if you spiritualize it to the point of bread in milk; however, what jesus said and who he said it to got him executed, Plus, it was the whole crowd yelling, "Give us Barabbas," not just the Pharisees and Sadduccees.

Of course His ideas were explosive and He had tremendous vision. He even claimed to be God, and to be there in the beginning of creation. He was more than a revolutionary by claim, He was God. He came to teach us how to live and to make us new. It was real, not spiritualized. It was after Him that the Counselor, or Holy Spirit came. This is all biblical, and not "spiritualized to the point of bread in milk".

Also, you are partially right about the reason for Jesus' death. The Pharisees and Sadducces of the day were legalists and traditionalists. They did not even understand the presence of Jesus although the Scriptures spoke of Him. It was they who had him sent before Pilate and who influenced the whole crowd yelling "Give us Barabbas!" However, it was for the sin of every man that He died. The blame for His death is not to be placed solely on a few people, but on every man for that is the reason He came to die. It is written that He died as a sacrifice for our sins.