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Many people fail to perceive the proof of Baha'u'llah's claims because they are unaware of what constitutes appropriate evidence and/or have the wrong expectations. For example, when Jesus was on the cross, the people watching Him mockingly said, "He saves others: Himself He cannot save. If He is the King of Israel, let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe Him" (mat 27:42). These people awaited a Messiah who they believed would be a king and who would liberate them from the Romans; hence, for them, proof of Jesus' Lordship, that He was indeed King, consisted of whether or not He had the power to free Himself from the cross. Jesus, however, did not provide this proof because the real proof of Jesus' power lay in His ability to free those who accepted Him from real bondage-- not the bondage of Rome, but of sin. Moreover, He willingly died on the cross as evidence of His love for humankind, that it might awaken us to the depth of His relationship to God and the truth of His experience. Through this example and His teachings, He transformed people's lives and established His real Lordship. His sacrifice testified that it was not winning a military battle against Rome, as the Jews expected, that leads to the Kingdom of God, but winning the spiritual battle.
(93:2)
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