Jesus of Nazareth ... the Christ???

Let's discuss the next step in our discussion on God. Jesus of Nazareth. Who is he, what is he known for, and what were his claims? For starters, what can we agree on?

Jesus is known as a moral teacher -- some would even go so far as to say that he was a GREAT moral teacher. He taught the importance of forgiveness and that we ought to respect all walks of life. He showed the importance of acting justly, treating people as we would like to be treated, and that we ought to love eachother just as he loved us ("Just as he loved us?" what a loonie -- if he is merely a mortal.). Once we look at his theology, we can view more evidence that points to the fact that, if we cannot accept his divinity, he might be just another wacko from Waco.

He claimed to forgive sins -- sins that people did to other people, before he even met them, sins that were really none of his business! He claimed that he would be raised from the dead; he lamented over Jersalem by saying, "I keep on sending you prophets and wise men" -- like, if he were just a mortal, where did he get off saying that? Some other audacious claims of his are that if we don't eat his flesh and drink his blood, we will have no life within us, because, he says, his flesh is true food(?) and his blood is true drink(?)!! He even claimed to have been before Abraham, greater than Abraham, "before Abraham was, I am." On that note, he did the unspeakable. Not only did he say the unutterable name of God, he even claimed ownership over it! The name in question is, "I am." For a Jew, as he was, to claim this name, to claim ownership over this name, God's name, is punishable with death. The divine name was to be said once a year, in the tablernacle, and only by the High Priest -- sometimes, it was so intense for the High Priests to say the unutterable name that some would even die from the intensity of it! Besides, who can claim ownership over a name other than the "owner" of a particular name anyway?? I can only say that I am Kevin. If I were to say that I am Steve, then I would be a liar. Only the Great I Am can claim that He is who is. Even the name "I Am" implies someone who is without begining or end. So, for Jesus to claim "I Am" as his name was either an act of sheer lunacy, that is, a death wish, or it was an act of intentional deciet, or he realy is who he says he is.

Think about it. Lets say that we find all the great spiritual gurus of all time, and ask them of their nature. Let's take Buddha, and ask him if he was "the son of Brahmah," what would he say? He might say something like, "My son, you are still in the vale of illusion"; if we were to ask Socretes if he was Zeus he may reply with roaring laughter. Lets take Confucious and ask him if he were "heaven," to which he may reply, "Remarks which are not in accordance with nature are in bad taste." Lastly, if we were to ask Mohammed if he were Allah, he may tear his clothes and then chop off our heads.

What happened when they asked Jesus if he were greater than Abraham? He simply replied, "Very truly I tell you, before Abraham was, I am." The divine name, picked by God Himself, and Jesus claims ownership over it. Out of all the other religious gurus and moral teachers, Jesus, time, and time again, claimed to be something more that just a man -- he claimed to be God Himself, the Uncaused Cause.

I am going to stop this post here and ask a question (before it gets waaaay too long): when we are confronted by the claims of Jesus the Christ, how do we react? Do we pick and choose between what makes us feel good and what makes us uncomfortable? Certainly, to think of Jesus of Nazareth as God can be a very unsettling thing.


***** Side note: I gleaned some of the above information from an essay written by C.S. Lewis entitled, "What are we to make of Jesus Christ?"