The economics that Sunday school skipped
Why did Jesus overturn the money changers' tables? Because they were running a 15% markup to convert Roman denarii into Temple shekels. The poor were paying to pray.
Why did Rome crucify him? Not for theology. For telling people to stop using Roman money. Tax revenue from Galilee dropped to zero because entire villages switched to a gift economy.
The Way is built on historical scholarship about debt, taxation, and economic resistance in 1st century Palestine. The Temple's financial relationship with Rome. The fishing monopoly in Magdala. The Jubilee laws that hadn't been enforced in 300 years. The forced labor laws that let soldiers conscript civilians.
Every system in the game existed. Every economic argument Yeshua makes is grounded in Torah law. The political factions — Zealots, Pharisees, Sadducees, Roman administrators — all had real agendas and real power.