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Jesus make some really difficult claims.
You think about it - you know, we all want to think of him as kind of a great teacher,
a really smart guy, great insights into human nature...
the problem is Jesus also claimed things
like being one with God
and having the authority
of God to forgive sins. Jesus makes audacious claims like
you know, that he is the way, the truth and the life, and no one can come to the
Father, right, except through him, right?
This is, this is scandalous - are you kidding me? A person, this
person who's a carpenter's son? Jesus said that like, you know,
you can't get around his own words in the Gospel of John.
He said "Abraham" - who had died a thousand years ago -
"Abraham rejoiced to see my day.
He saw it and was glad," and those religious folks around him said, "hold on -
you're not even 50 years old,
and you've seen father Abraham?" Jesus responded, "I tell you the truth.
Before Abraham was, I am."
And in saying that, he took that most sacred
Hebrew name of God for himself and the people responded correctly - they picked up
stones and were ready to kill him.
They clearly understood what he was saying. You can't have these kinds of crazy
statements
being said in juxtaposition with all of this good stuff,
without thinking this person's a nut. So we, we then have to
respond to that claim,
and the only response is that I think,
we can
really think of are
one: that he was lying,
that this great moral teacher, philosopher,
was tricking us,
that he was lying to us.
I find that incompatible with
the tenor of his teachings in his life. Two: he was a megalomaniac -
megalomaniacs think they're God,
their character is very different than Jesus' character. Megalomaniacs are
power-hungry.
Jesus laid down his power.
So, if he's not lying, and
he's not crazy, he's gotta be telling the truth.