Who Is Jesus?

As I said below, I'm posting the talks that I'm giving each Sunday during Lent, for those who can't join the meetings for whatever reason, or those who want to be able to reference them in the future. I will include time indices for clips from The Passion so that you can cue them up and follow along. A brief summary will accompany the time index in case you can't. Anyway, on with the show...

We live in a pluralistic society, where people say that there are many paths to God, and that all paths to Him are equally true and valid. In fact, just the other day, I was debating this at a friend's blog, where religion or spirituality was compared to a wheel, and we traveled from the circumference into the hub, who is God. The particular religion we use is the radius to the centre, but no one radius is exclusive in that regard. That would be true if all of these paths, or radii, were man-made. However, as I asked the person who presented this idea, what happens if one of the radii makes the claim that it is the only way to the Hub, among all the others. More, what happens if that radii actually claims that it is the Hub? (To which my witty opponent replied that she would have to reexamine the geometry of the wheel--but isn't that what we all need to do? That's why we're examining this subject!) If one way among all others was actually given by God Himself, then we can't really say that it is on the same level as the others.

Both history and God's Word have revealed that one person among all the others was unique. His name was Jesus Christ. The main difference between Him and, say, Buddha, Confucius, or Muhammad, is that they never claimed or showed themselves to be divine. In fact, these three in particular all emphatically denied their own divinity. They knew they were merely men. Through His preaching and miracles, Jesus, on the other hand, showed that He was indeed the Messiah, the eternal Word of God who, at a specific time in human history, became flesh and dwelt among us.

The best known religious figures (such as Buddha, Confucius, and Muhammad) proclaimed the truth in many real--but partial--ways. Some of them, not all, even proclaimed the truth that there is only one God. But it is one thing to talk about God. Many great and good people have done that. Jesus, though, is different. He claimed to be God.

We cannot simply ignore an audacious claim like that. We must deal with it. [Clip 1: 0:07:10-0:07:50] In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus prays to the Father to be delivered from the impending crucifixion because, as a man, He suffered terrible anguish anticipating the torture and death He was about to endure. Satan in this scene capitalises on Jesus' fear and agony, trying to plant seeds of doubt in Jesus' mind, and in so doing asks the key questions we must ponder and decide upon: "Who is Your Father?" and "Who are You?"

Jesus was either:

1. A Legend--He never really existed. The New Testament is really just a fable.
2. A Liar--He didn't mean what He said, but was a con artist trying to pull a fast one on the people for His own gain.
3. A Lunatic--His claims were the ranting of a crazy person.
4. A New Age Guru--He was trying to tell us we are all gods.
5. The Lord--He was who He claimed to be: The Son of God, God incarnate.

Now let's examine the possibilities:

1) Jesus was just a Legend.

The problem with calling Jesus a "legend" is that no reputable historian in the world would ever say Jesus never existed. Various secular sources attest to Jesus' existence and corroborate many events in the Bible (Such as early Jewish and Roman historians such as Josephus, Tacitus and Pliny). The Bible, though, is the primary source for information about Jesus. How do we know it's accurate? The earliest books in the New Testament were only written between 10-20 years after Jesus' death and resurrection. These are St. Paul's letters, and he was writing to churches that already knew about the ministry of Jesus. 20 years is not a long time, and there were still many eyewitnesses around to talk about it. St. Paul refers to one instance where the Risen Christ appeared to more than 500 people at one time, and says that most of them were still alive when he was writing. Not to mention that St. Paul himself had seen the risen Christ.

The Gospels were written just a short time later, in the 60's and 70's. Three were eyewitness reports (Matthew, Mark, and John). A close companion of St. Paul wrote Luke. He wrote like an historian, getting eyewitness reports, testimonies, and interviews.

The Gospels were written not long after Christ. They agree remarkably in all major areas, while differing enough to present the different emphases that one would expect of real eyewitness testimony. Thus, they are highly reliable accounts of Christ's ministry, and the telling thing about not only the authors, but also those people who preserved their writings, is how little interest they seem to have had in "adjusting" history in order to create a legend. The apostles are presented as rather slow to grasp Christ's message--not something the leaders of a religion would want to say about themselves, especially if they were making it all up. But these men are presented as kind of slow, overly ambitious, and cowardly. It's obvious that they weren't trying to puff up the story for personal gain! That is not even to mention that most of the apostles died for their beliefs. Had they really just been making it up, would they really have been willing to be killed for their fairy-tale?

They also accurately record Jesus' words, even those more "embarrassing" ones that at first glance seem to contradict the message of His divinity, like, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" or "Why do you call Me good?...No one is good--except God alone." These quotations aren't starting one off on the right foot when one is trying to invent a god.

So if the people who wrote and preserved the Gospels were not religious maniacs, cultists, liars, or historical revisionists, what were they? How about "honest men"? And these honest men tell us something astonishing: Jesus claimed to be God!

2) Jesus was a Liar.

So maybe the disciples weren't the liars, but isn't it possible that Jesus Himself was deceiving the people? Maybe He was in the whole religion-founding thing to make it big-time? L. Ron Hubbard once remarked that the easiest way to get rich was to start a religion. He notably went on to found the Church of Scientology. Was Jesus one such opportunist?

The thing is, Jesus doesn't do what a deceiver or opportunist would. He flees to the desert when the people try to make Him King. He makes speeches that are guaranteed to offend all but the most die-hard grassroots supporters. He repeatedly conceals His miracles. He hangs out with thieves, drunkards, tax collectors, lepers, and prostitutes. This is not the way to gain political favour or respect. He also goes out of His way to inflame the anger of the religious leaders, and gives them plenty of reason and opportunity to want Him dead. When He was on trial for His life, He twice said the very thing that would ensure His horrible execution. If He was after worldly power and riches, He had a strange way of going about it!

3) Jesus was a lunatic.

Consider the Sermon on the Mount, which psychologists have said is the soundest way to live a mentally and emotionally stable life. Does that sound like the ravings of a lunatic? Or what about the times He deftly answered those who would try to catch Him off guard? Note the brilliance and subtlety of His answer to those who wanted to stone the woman caught in adultery. This kind of savvy is hardly evidence of madness. No wonder He reduced so many of His critics to silence. His lucidity, sense of perspective, irony, and humour do not indicate madness but great sanity. Even His iron resolve to meet His death doesn't look like madness. He doesn't want to die, but knows He is commanded by God the Father to overcome death by giving His life "as a ransom for many" (Matt 20:28, 1 Tim 2:6).

4) Jesus was some sort of New Age Guru.

Jesus really meant that He was God in a way like the eastern religions or the New Age gurus tell us that we are all gods. He was merely asserting His "god-consciousness" in an attempt to awaken the same consciousness in us.

Jesus' teachings actually contradict this notion. He asserts God's Lordship over creation, and that He is completely other than human, "transcendent". He plainly tells people they are sinners in need of forgiveness and salvation--not that they are somehow gods or part of God. He says apart from faith in God, they are unable to save themselves. He reminds us that we are evil but He is perfect; we are from below, but He is from above. He drives home the fact that the way to life is not by discovering our own divinity, but by placing our faith in His.

Logically, then, if these four opinions don't adequately answer the question of who is Jesus, then there is only one answer left:

5) Jesus is The Lord.

There is only one answer that truly satisfies when all the evidence is considered--Jesus is who He says He is. He is God incarnate, the eternal Son of God, the Messiah, sent to save the world from its sins!

As we go through the movie, we see Mel Gibson presenting this fact by reproducing key scenes from the Gospels that provide evidence for Jesus' divinity as well as presenting it in various symbols. Yet, Gibson is very careful to illustrate the humanity of Jesus as well.

[Clip 2: 0:19:40-0:21:45] In the first flashback sequence, we see Jesus as a carpenter making a table like we would eat at. His Mother, Mary, asks if He is hungry, and then they discuss the style of table, which is quite different from that of Jewish culture at the time. While this scene is one created by Gibson, it demonstrates Jesus' divine knowledge in building a table alien to Jewish culture. But it also shows His humanity in His interactions with His Mother and His being hungry. It's one of my favourite scenes because it says so much, so well.

[Clip 3: 0:23:10-0:28:05] This long scene depicts the trial of Jesus by the Sanhedrin, the Jewish court. Various charges are brought against Him, and at the end, they ask whether He is the Messiah, the Son of the Living God, to which He replies, "I AM, and you will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of Heaven." At this, the High Priest tears his robe and yells "Blasphemy!" and the court sentences Him to death. Because Jesus claimed to be God, He was accused of blasphemy. He even applies the Divine Name, "I AM," which God revealed to Moses at the Burning Bush, to Himself. This scene is right out of Scripture, and should silence all who say "Jesus never claimed to be God!" Of course, the charge of blasphemy would be true, if Jesus isn't who He says He is!

[Clip 4: 0:41:30-0:42:55] When Pilate questions Jesus, Mel Gibson has Him respond by speaking Latin, rather than Aramaic. As a poor, backwater carpenter, there would be no way for Him to have learned Latin, which is why this produces the shocked looks of Pilate, Abenader, and the servant. It is another subtle indication of His divinity. The scene also makes us ponder with Pilate, "What is Truth?" It is an important question because, as we'll see later, Jesus calls Himself the Truth.

[Clip 5: 0:55:00-0:56:00] Jesus shows His divine strength and resolve during His scourging when, after the first volley of blows, He rises back to His feet, inviting more. This divine strength gets Him all the way to the Hill of Calvary when many prisoners treated like He was would have died on the way.

[Clip 6: 0:57:31-0:57:59] Here we see Mary, Jesus' Mother, asking herself when Jesus will choose to end His suffering. This thoughtful question further emphasises that it really was a choice for Jesus to go through with His crucifixion. The Bible says that He could have called 10,000 angels at any moment to defend Him--but that wasn't why He came.

[Clip 7: 1:17:00-1:18:55] This beautiful scene portrays Mary running to Jesus on His way to Calvary. When she runs to Jesus carrying His Cross, He rises up, saying, "See, I make all things new." This line, which is actually from John's Revelation, shows us how His divine suffering will save and renew the world.

[Clip 8: 1:36:55-1:37:20] During this flashback to the Last Supper, Jesus tells His disciples that He is "The Way, the Truth, and the Life." Moreover, He makes the staggering claim that no one can get to God without Him (John 14:6). If this is true, then it critically distinguishes Christianity from all other religions!

[Clip 9: 1:57:10-1:58:35] The Resurrection, which this final scene depicts, is one of the most important Dogmas of the Catholic Faith. St. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 15:14, "If Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain." It is only in His resurrection that Jesus conquers the power of death and gives us the hope that our own bodies will be raised. Our hope in eternal life depends on our belief in the resurrection of Christ.

Ultimately, it is Jesus' resurrection that proves His divinity once and for all.

If anyone is interested in reading more evidence for Christ and His divinity, I would recommend picking up a copy of either The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel, or More than a Carpenter by Josh McDowell.

Ultimately, the question remains, If Jesus is who He says He is--The Lord--what does that mean for you? Something to think about.

God bless.

Just a note: Much of the information contained in these talks come from A Guide to the Passion: 100 Questions About The Passion of the Christ, by the editors of Catholic Exchange.