Jesus and the Police State

"I crossed this floor in spoken friendship, as I would speak to Arrius. But when I go up these stairs I become the hand of Caesar, ready to crush all those who challenge his authority. There are too many small men of envy and ambition who try to disrupt the government of Rome. You have become the victor and hero to these people. They look to you, their one true god as I called you. If you stay here, you will find yourself part of this tragedy."
--Pontius Pilate (Ben-Hur)

Author here observes that Jesus was born into a police state. His teachings subsequently undermined religious and political establishments to the point where He was crucified as a warning to not challenge the status quo.

The author then speculates about how government-imposed restrictions on liberty would have made the biblical acts of Christ more difficult to execute in the contemporary United States.

Perhaps He would have modified his actions. But there seems little doubt that the consequences would been similar. Death awaits those unwilling to compromise in the face of state-imposed threats of compliance.

The spectre of death awaiting those who challenge the modern day police state is a primary reason why it is so difficult to follow in Christ's footsteps today.