Who was Jesus?

by | Apr 13, 2020 | Jesus in History base

St. Vitus Cathedral, Prague, Czech Republic

 Popularity and fame are very important to many people today. This is not a new phenomenon. About 2 years into his earthly ministry, it looked like Jesus had already had his “fifteen minutes of fame”. At one time, Jesus always had had throng around Him, particularly when He fed them and healed them. Jesus understood why the people followed him. He knew that many would find other paths if His path became tough. As the seasons changed, Jesus looked around and saw just a few remaining, chiefly the 12 disciples. He asked, “will you leave also?”  Like any good teacher, Jesus challenged his disciples to think it all through. One day, He asked, “Who do people say that I am?” (Mark 8:27)

The question that He posed is interesting for today as well. It is the central question for considering the Christian faith. The disciples reported answers: John the Baptist, Elijah or one of the prophets. The first century Jews knew He was special.  They just were not sure who he was.

What about today? Other major religions recognize his impact. Muslims believe that Jesus was a great prophet, a person sent by God to serve as an example of ideal human behavior and to spread God’s message on Earth. Of course, Jesus was surpassed by Mohammed, their final prophet. Hindus consider Jesus a holy man, a wise teacher, a “god”. Buddhists say Jesus was an Enlightened Man and a wise teacher. The Bahá’í Faith is consistent with how they see all other religions in how they see Jesus. They describe Jesus as a “manifestation” of God and acknowledges that Jesus was sent by God, just like Abraham, Muhammad, the Buddha, Krishna, and Zoroaster.

How does Christianity answer this question? The beginning of the gospel of John states this really clearly. John describes Jesus as the expression of God… the Word.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. John 1:1-5 (ESV)

John is making it very clear that the Christian view is that Jesus is more than a man or a prophet. He wasn’t just a messenger from God. He is God. He existed before being born in Bethlehem and was the agent of creation itself. Paul reported that “At the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Philippians 2:10-11 (ESV)
The Christian claim is kind of “out there”. It is at least far fetched to say that a human being happens also to be the creator of the universe. Yet that is the clear claim. Today, often it seems that to determine truth, we take a poll. Barna Researchers show that the belief that Jesus was God is less prevalent in younger generations. https://www.barna.com/research/what-do-americans-believe-about-jesus-5-popular-beliefs/
If you really want to open up the aperture, go online or read books by skeptics. Here are some popular ideas. BTW, many people choose a blend of various options.
1. Good man
2. Social reformer
3. Faith healer
4. A failed messiah, just one of many Jews claiming to be the messiah

1. There is some truth in at least the first three. Was Jesus a good man? If you asked Him, I can guess what He would say. “And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone.” Mark 10:18 (ESV) Some say Jesus is good as a way of patronizing His followers. They are really not saying much at all. If you were to ask someone who says Jesus was just a good man, “Are you a good person?”, they probably would say that they are. In other words, Jesus might have been a charismatic leader, but in essence, he would be just like them. A number of questions come to mind, based on this proposal. How did someone that was just so good have such an impact on our world? If the Gospels record His words, then He demanded absolute devotion from His followers.
“Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”” Matthew 16:24-25 (ESV)

Indeed, many of His followers did give up their families, their security and ultimately their lives for Jesus. If He were simply a man, then arguably, he was not a very good man.

2. Many people see Jesus as having been some sort of social reformer. My theory is that people see Jesus as having been a reformer that wanted to make society like they think it should be. That means that that the social reforms that Jesus championed have changed over the years. His name has been invoked by tyrants, Nazis, communists, KKK members and that is all within the last century. I think you will find that the idea that Jesus was primarily some sort of revolutionary for social change or to make people love each other never really appeared before the 17th or 18th century. However, it is true that Jesus changed lives. Messages like “love your neighbor as yourself”, “love your enemies”, and the story of the good Samaritan are messages of love that are game changers. Jesus had no patience with hypocrites and challenged the religious leaders of the day. Jesus certainly was concerned about how people lived in this world.

Some make it an either-or choice. Jesus was basically either a leader who wanted to change the way people live here or he was a mystic who worried about the next life. Christians believe that Jesus cares about this life and how His followers live in this life, but He also was very interested in a next life. In fact, He continues to be more interested in eternity.

It is not an either-or. It is both-and. Jesus in the New Testament was very concerned about both eternity and this life. Here are a few examples, though in reality, Jesus concern for eternity is throughout.
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. John 3:16-17 (ESV)
Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last first.” Mark 10:29-31 (ESV)

“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. And you know the way to where I am going.” John 14:1-4 (ESV)
“Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea. And if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than with two hands to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire. And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame than with two feet to be thrown into hell. And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into hell, ‘where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.’ Mark 9:42-48 (ESV)
Jesus’ concern with the consequences of rejecting Him is especially unpopular today, but it is there, like it or not. These verses certainly reflect the early church’s concept of Jesus and His mission. Was His message transformed? I will spend much time on this in coming posts.

3. Was Jesus a charlatan who claimed miraculous powers to heal? It is easy to see where this view comes from. The Bible has many miracles and tells of many miraculous healings performed by Jesus. When we read of miracles in ancient or modern books most of us are skeptical. A person with a naturalistic worldview will automatically discount all miracles. Miracles are not everyday occurrences in anyone’s book and I will discuss them more in later posts. For now, it worth noting that two points:
1) Charlatans and “miracle workers” were well known in the NT world and this is confirmed in the Book of Acts.
2) Jesus reputation as a miracle worker is confirmed by several ancient sources such as the Gospels, the Book of Acts, writings of the Church fathers such as Justin Martyr, and non-Christian sources.

Timelines are great helps in understanding how different people and events relate. Here I will show some of the people that referred to Jesus “special powers” and also a person that some claim was like Jesus. I also have a bar that shows the period of time over which the New Testament was written.

Josephus gave not details but referred to Jesus surprising deeds. Most scholars see this as a reference to Jesus’ miracles. No one claims that Josephus was a Christian so this confirmation not from a believer.
Celsus was definitely not a Christian. He was an opponent.
It is uncertain when the references to Jesus were made and some debate that they refer to Christ. Most see these as Jewish reactions to Jesus and His followers.
Some have said there were other men who were just like Jesus. Some say that Apollonius was an example. They speculate that Jesus followers used him as an example. It is more probable that it went the other way. People used what they knew of Jesus to embellish the story of Apollonius.

The NT claims that miracles were used as testimony to demonstrate Jesus divinity. They had a purpose. I suggest two important questions to consider. 1. Do we have reason to believe that Jesus miracles were real? 2. Can we say the same for any of the other miracle workers?

The first question leads to the resurrection. Many people claim to work miracles but not many came back from the dead. If there are good reasons to accept it., then the other miracles certainly shouldn’t be ruled out.

For the second question, it should be recognized that miracle claims are not rare. Miracle workers and charismatic leaders have often had followers who thought they were wonderful. We see this today. What happens when the miracle worker dies? If the movement even lasts to their death, the movements typically died with them. Why did this one do just the opposite?

4. A popular view among skeptics is that Jesus was just another Jewish failed messiah, one of many. It is true that under Roman rule, there were a number of revolts. Was Jesus like them?
The Jews often tried to escape Roman rule. Here are those that are known. Little is known about some.

Hezekiah, not the King, but a leader
Interesting that some speculate that Simon was referred to in a document that is found that was supposedly from Gabriel and names a prophet to come. Perhaps some thought John the Baptist was this prophet.
Most of the leaders that the skeptics refer to aimed to start military revolts. Is there any evidence that Jesus tried to start such a revolt? Is there any evidence that any of these claimed or were claimed to be the messiah, the one sent from God that the Jews were looking for? It seems that Jesus was very different. He just doesn’t fit the mold. The only way to make Jesus one of these would be to say that Jesus wanted to start a revolt but failed. One would think that given all of the early accounts that we have, somewhere there would be evidence of this if it were true.
Another idea is that Jesus believed that He was the messiah. At some point, it became clear to Him that His preaching was not to do the job and usher in a new age. Jesus then recognized that the authorities would kill him. He then began to promise to come back later as the King the Jews dreamed of. In this view, he is deluded. Deluded messiahs have been common through the years. Again, the question comes down to evidence that His claims were true. The resurrection is key.

As often seems to be the case, a quote from CS Lewis fits the situation.
“I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept his claim to be God. That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic — on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg — or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God, but let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to. … Now it seems to me obvious that He was neither a lunatic nor a fiend: and consequently, however strange or terrifying or unlikely it may seem, I have to accept the view that He was and is God.” “Mere Christianity”

As Craig Blomberg observed in his book, “The Historical Reliability of the Gospels”, the C.S. Lewis’s trilemma requires that the NT gives us an accurate picture of Jesus. If it does, then Jesus there are only so many real options for who Jesus was. I look forward to building the case that that crazy Christian doctrine really is true.

In future posts, I will look at the New Testament reliability, look at the resurrection and many other questions that have an impact on who Jesus is.