I've seen and heard this argument a number of times over the years. That Jesus didn't really know what He was doing or expect to establish a religion, that He hated and opposed formal organized religion, and so forth. What's the thinking behind this?
Even when reading the Bible from a modern vernacular interpretation, that claim doesn't hold up. There are several reasons for this...
- In Matthew 16, Jesus clearly tells Peter "... upon this rock, I will build my church..."
- In Luke 22, during the Last Supper, Jesus says of the bread and the wine "this is my body" and "this is my blood", and then tells the Apostles "do this in memory of me", which I would think carries a pretty clear implication that the action should be repeated and a ritualistic fashion. And of the chalice, He says it is of the "new covenant".
- In Matthew 28, Jesus tells the Apostles to "baptize all nations"; my question then would be into what should they be baptized, if not a new religion established in His Name?
So with these things established, why do some people argue that Jesus not only had no intention to start a new religion, but opposed the very concept of religion itself?
