Who is this Jesus? And what is His “Gospel” message?

1. Who is this Jesus?And what is His “Gospel” message? Bumble@tnsa.net

2. Review • Is there a Creator God (without an appeal that the Bible said so)? What about evidences from science? • Did that Creator God communicate to us? Is that communication in the Bible? How do you know?

3. Who is this Jesus?And what is His “Gospel” message?

4. Who is this Jesus?

5. Who is this Jesus? • Why? • - Find an explanation that fit a worldview (no miracle, no god, ancient people are ignorant, etc.) • - The Biblical Jesus interfere with a preferred lifestyle

6. Who is this Jesus? • John 9 (follow the healing of the blind) • - “He is a prophet” • - “This man is a sinner” • - “If this man were not from God, he could do nothing” Jesus heard that they had cast him out, and having found him he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” He answered, “And who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?” Jesus said to him, “You have seen him, and it is he who is speaking to you.” He said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him. Jesus said, “For judgment I came into this world, that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind.” Some of the Pharisees near him heard these things, and said to him, “Are we also blind?” Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no guilt; but now that you say, ‘We see,’ your guilt remains.” (John 9:35-31)

7. Jesus as Historical Fact • Only two… • …not only • “Who are you?” • …but… • “What are you?”

8. Only two… • …not only • “Who are you?” • …but… • “What are you?”

9. Jesus as Historical Fact People who impacted the human race

10. People who claimed to be God

11. People who impacted the human race People who claimed to be God

12. The magnitude of the claim requires the absolute certainty about that claim!

13. The magnitude of the claim requires the absolute certainty about that claim! • “If Jesus is NOT God, you better know beyond the shadow of the doubt about that fact”

14. Historical Evidence on Jesus • Early Greco-Roman sources • Cornelius Tacitus (55-120), “Annals” • Historian, formerly secretary to emperor • Pliny the Younger (61-113), “Letters” • Governor of Bithynia, writing to emperor Trajan • Mara bar Serapion (73-160), “Letter to Son” • Syrian Stoic philosopher • Early Jewish sources • Josephus, “Antiquities of the Jews” • Participant on both sides of the Jewish War (66-73) • Agapius, “Universal History” (Condensation of Josephus in Arabic, 10th century) • Babylonian Talmud, “Sanhedrin” • References to “Ben Pantera” (A tradition from the period 70-200) • Early Christian sources • New Testament writings • Other early Christians writings

15. Historical data on Jesus of Nazareth • There was a man claimed to be God • The people around Him claimed to see Him do what seems to be miracle • He convinced the people around Him to believe that he is God. • Note that these people are monotheistic Jews (not pantheistic like Eastern, or polytheistic like Western Greco-Romans) • They are the people who were living, eating, sleeping with Him. (People who live with you would be the last one who believe your divinity!) • After he died, scores and hundreds people attested that they saw Him resurrected (cf. 1Cor.15) • The experience changed them so much, they transformed and went everywhere to spread the faith and even died for it!

16. How do you account for the fact? • He is a Legend (we can’t know for sure, his followers weaved tales about him)

17. How do you account for the fact? • He is a Legend (we can’t know for sure, his followers weaved tales about him) • The Bible was not written as legend (nor realistic-prose-fiction)

18. How do you account for the fact? • He is a Legend (we can’t know for sure, his followers weaved tales about him) • The Bible was not written as legend (nor realistic-prose-fiction) • There’s not enough time lapse to fabricate a legend because all the eyewitnesses were still alive.

19. How do you account for the fact? • He is a Legend (we can’t know for sure, his followers weaved tales about him) • The Bible was not written as legend (nor realistic-prose-fiction) • There’s not enough time lapse to fabricate a legend because all the eyewitnesses were still alive. • Would people die for a hoax?

20. Kenneth Scott LatouretteYale Historian • “Why among other cults and philosophies competing in the Greco-Roman world that Christianity succeeded and outstripped all others? Why did it succeed despite getting more severe opposition than any others? Why did succeed though it has no influential backers in high places but consisted of mainly the poor and slave? How did it succeed so completely that it forced the most powerful state in history to come to term with it and then outlive the very empire that sought to up root it? It is clear that at the very beginning of Christianity there must have occurred a vast release of energy – perhaps unequaled in history – without it the future course of Christianity is inexplicable:It simply true!”

21. How do you account for the fact? • He is a Legend (we can’t know for sure, his followers weaved tales about him) • He is a Leader (Teacher, Good Man, Prophet, etc.)

22. How do you account for the fact? • He is a Legend (we can’t know for sure, his followers weaved tales about him) • He is a Leader (Teacher, Good Man, Prophet, etc.) • Have you read His teaching? • “I and God are one, you see me you seen Him” • “No one come to God but by me!” • “He who loves me hates his father and mother” • “Lose your life for my sake” • “All authority have been given to me”

23. How do you account for the fact? • He is a Legend (we can’t know for sure, his followers weaved tales about him) • He is a Leader (Teacher, Good Man, Prophet, etc.) • He is a Liar • He is a Lunatic, (or worse)

24. How do you account for the fact? • He is a Legend (we can’t know for sure, his followers weaved tales about him) • He is a Leader (Teacher, Good Man, Prophet, etc.) • He is a Liar • He is a Lunatic, (or worse) • Have you read His teaching?

25. How do you account for the fact? • He is a Legend (we can’t know for sure, his followers weaved tales about him) • He is a Leader (Teacher, Good Man, Prophet, etc.) • He is a Liar • He is a Lunatic, (or worse) • Have you read His teaching?

26. How do you account for the fact? • He is a Legend (we can’t know for sure, his followers weaved tales about him) • He is a Leader (Teacher, Good Man, Prophet, etc.) • He is a Liar • He is a Lunatic, (or worse) • He is who He says He is: the Lord God

27. Is your Jesus real? Or was he a figment of your imagination?

28. Who is this Jesus?And what is His “Gospel” message?

29. What is His message? • Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” • (Mark 1:14-15)

30. What is His message?(A sample from Luke 15) • 1Now the tax collectors and “sinners” were all gathering around to hear him. 2But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” 3Then Jesus told them this parable… • 11“There was a man who had two sons. 12The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them. 13“Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living… • 28“The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him…

31. What is His message?(A sample from Luke 15) • Jesus redefined God • Jesus redefined Sin • Jesus redefined Salvation

32. Jesus redefined God

33. Jesus redefined Sin

34. Jesus redefined Sin • Lost in the badness

35. Jesus redefined Sin • Lost in the badness • Lost in the goodness 28“The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. 29But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. 30But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’ 31“ ‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. 32But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ ”

36. Jesus redefined Salvation • We need the initiation love of the Father • We need to repent in where we are • We need to see the cost that God took to bring us home. Trust in Jesus.

37. …the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. – (John 3:14-18)

38. Appendix (This is from Dr. Newman)

39. Search for the Historical Jesus Robert C. Newman Biblical Theological Seminary

40. Some Recent Examples • The Last Temptation of Christ • Jesus Christ Superstar • The Passover Plot • The Sacred Mushroom & the Cross • Jesus the Magician • The DaVinci Code

41. The Last Temptation of Christ • Novel (1955) - Nikos Kazantzakas • Film (1988) - Martin Scorsese • Plot: • Makes crosses for Romans • Gathers followers as prophet • Love or hate Romans? • Gets Judas to betray him • Fantasies on cross re/ sex & marriage • Rejects temptation, dies

42. Jesus Christ Superstar • Rock opera (1971) & film (73) by Andrew Lloyd-Weber & Tim Rice • Plot: • Jesus a superstar religious guru, his fame goes to his head • Begins believing what others say about him, leading to cross • Blames God, but dies anyway • Judas speaks from grave, also blaming God • No resurrection

43. The Passover Plot • Book (1966) – Schonfield • Here Jesus has (almost) everything under control: • Learns to interpret prophecy • Decides he is Messiah • Sets out to fulfill prophecy • Stages triumphal entry • Blows Judas’ mind • Times events so only on cross briefly • But speared by soldier • Revived in tomb, sends message, dies

44. Sacred Mushroom & the Cross • Book (1970) by John M. Allegro • A super plot theory! • Jesus never existed. • Neither did Christianity! • Or Judaism! • All are code-words or covers for a super-secret sex-drug cult. • When all in on secret die, movements continue as Christianity & Judaism.

45. Jesus the Magician • Book (1978) by Morton Smith • Jesus a gnostic magician • Possessed by a spirit • Claimed to be deity • Develops self-hypnosis • Claimed to fly & teach flying • Visited heaven, saw God • Freed by God from Law

46. The DaVinci Code • A murder mystery (2003), set in the present • Yet the plot turns on the idea that Jesus was merely human, that he had children, and that the Holy Grail is Jesus’ royal blood-line.

47. Why all this variety? • Are the Gospels really this unclear? • No. • But if you haven’t read them, you’re a sucker for every charlatan that comes along. • But why all this variety?

48. Why all this variety? • Many don’t like the biblical Jesus. • He interferes with their preferred lifestyle. • Many won’t admit the occurrence of miracles. • Hume – would you believe a miracle report? • Harnack – ancient people ignorant of nature • Bultmann – universe a closed system • So they reconstruct Jesus from hypothetical sources.

49. Historical Evidence on Jesus • Early pagan sources • Early Jewish sources • Early Christian sources

50. Early Pagan Sources • Cornelius Tacitus (55-120), Annals • Historian, formerly secretary to emperor • Pliny the Younger (61-113), Letters • Governor of Bithynia, writing to emperor Trajan • Mara bar Serapion (73-160), Letter to Son • Syrian Stoic philosopher