Two thousand years ago, in Roman-occupied Israel, the people insisted that a popular prophet and reformer become their Messiah and lead them in revolt. Jesus died trying to show them that their way of violence was not the way of God. Soon after, the Greeks made him into a god—someone to worship, rather than someone to follow. Ever since, the whole world—and especially the Jews—has paid dearly for these choices. This story is about those events. It is also why I am no longer a Christian, even though I was once a pastor.