Jesus is NOT GOD!
Being one of the largest (3rd by numbers) religion’s in the world today, it seemed an obvious choice.
Obvious, simply because, despite 500 years of counter evidence, ranging from scientific to literarily, there is still a large proportion that has clung to this illogical faith.
The Reformation and Scientific Revolutions has certainly done its damage to what was an overpowering monolithic and at most times, brutal and violent ecclesiastical regime.
Most Christians in Europe and the Americas are simply cultural Christians. Major religious events such as Easter and Christmas, have simply been integrated into commercial events, set around holiday periods, since the industrial revolution.
There is however a small yet very vocal Christian minority which have grown these 150 years, set around apocalyptic theology. Preaching the return of their god, Jesus Christ.
A second coming to restore the faithful to their rightful place.
It sounds all impressive, yet lacks serious depth.
Of the many verses which indicate Jesus as NOT being GOD, not a single verse has been put forward to claim that he is.
Yet people profess to believe the opposite and ignore the obvious?
I suppose the saying, “ignorance is bless” applies.
“believing” that your eternal soul is safe from the fires of hell, is certainly a comforting thought.
The reality however is far from what they believe!
I have only ever encountered two kinds of mindset when it comes to Christian theology.
1: a lifetime of indoctrination, leaving one unable to understand anything beyond what you’ve been “taught”.
2: understanding, yet unwilling to give up the fools paradise created around you.
I ask for ONLY one verse!
I present these verses however, where he clearly claims, NOT to be GOD.
John 10:22-39
King James Version (KJV)
22And it was at Jerusalem the feast of the dedication, and it was winter.
23And Jesus walked in the temple in Solomon’s porch.
24Then came the Jews round about him, and said unto him, How long dost thou make us to doubt? If
thou be the Christ, tell us plainly.
25Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believed not: the works that I do in my Father’s name, they bear witness of me.
26But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you.
27My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
28And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
29My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand.
30I and my Father are one.
31Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him.
32Jesus answered them, Many good works have I shewed you from my Father; for which of those works do ye stone me?
33The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God.
34Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods?
35If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken;
36Say ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the Son of God?
37If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not.
38But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works: that ye may know, and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in him.
39Therefore they sought again to take him: but he escaped out of their hand.
For what charge was Jesus executed?
This is a paradoxical question. On the one hand you have the bulk of Christians who are under the impression that Jesus is god and on the other, the Sanhedrin falsely accusing him with the worst crime in Jewish law, claiming to be GOD!
Those who have read their bibles might be familiar with the trend of the Sanhedrin to “trap” Jesus into certain situations… the stoning of the prostitute… the paying of tribute or tax… the idea was to discredit him in both a secular and theological stance.
When all these attempts failed however, they concocted the worst possible crime they could think of, a man claiming to be GOD!
Judaism, or at least the form of Judaism practiced 2000 years ago was mostly monotheistic. The belief that GOD becomes a man (incarnation) or has children or partners were concepts that prevailed for thousands of years prior to Jesus.
The Egyptians and Hindus with their trinities were already known 3000 years before Jesus showed up. The Greeks and Romans with their gods and gods who become men and have children was the dominant theology of the entire region.
In other words, there was nothing new about this concept and yet, a handful of Jews refused to believe in it, simply because it was the opposite of monotheism.
So what could be more sure, than the Sanhedrin inventing the worst possible false charge against Jesus?
How did Jesus answer this charge?
Mathew 26:62-65
And the high priest arose,
and said unto him, Answerest
thou nothing? what [is it
which] these witness against
thee?
But Jesus held his peace.
And the high priest answered
and said unto him, I adjure
thee by the living God, that
thou tell us whether thou be the
Christ, the Son of God.
Jesus saith unto him, Thou
hast said: nevertheless I say
unto you, Hereafter shall ye see
the Son of man sitting on the
right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of
heaven.
Mark 14: 60-63
And the high priest stood up
in the midst, and asked Jesus,
saying, Answerest thou
nothing? what [is it which]
these witness against thee?
But he held his peace, and
answered nothing. Again the
high priest asked him, and said
unto him, Art thou the Christ,
the Son of the Blessed?
And Jesus said, I am: and ye
shall see the Son of man sitting
on the right hand of power, and
coming in the clouds of
heaven.
Luke 22: 66-71
And as soon as it was day,
the elders of the people and the
chief priests and the scribes
came together, and led him into
their council, saying,
Art thou the Christ? tell us.
And he said unto them, If I tell
you, ye will not believe:
And if I also ask [you], ye
will not answer me, nor let
[me] go.
Hereafter shall the Son of
man sit on the right hand of the
power of God.
Then said they all, Art thou
then the Son of God? And he
said unto them, Ye say that I
am.
The gospel of john has the trial with the Sanhedrin but no direct questions are asked or answered.
Lets see what happened from these three contradictory texts.
In Mathew Jesus says, the “Jews” are saying his god and the son of god, he did not say it.
In Mark, Jesus says his god.
In Luke Jesus again says the “Jews” say his god and the son of god.
No question and answer in John.
God and son of god: 1
Not god and the son of god: 2
If this was a football match, the “not god and son of god” team would have won.
Finding him guilty of the charge, of “claiming to be god”, (the penalty being death) the Sanhedrin had no authority to execute him and had to take him to the secular authorities, the Roman governor, to carry out capital punishment.
Pilate having little interest in the Sanhedrin’s “religious ruling”, at which point another false charge had to be invented, one that would “threaten” the secular authorities, Jesus claiming to be “king of the Jews” or the “messiah”.
Even to this Jesus defended himself…
Luke.23:3
And Pilate asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” And he answered him, “You have said so.”
John.18:33-37
Pilate entered the praetorium again and called Jesus, and said to him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” Jesus answered, “Do you say this of your own accord, or did others say it to you about me?” Pilate answered, “Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have handed you over to me; what have you done?” Jesus answered, “My kingship is not of this world; if my kingship were of this world, my servants would fight, that I might not be handed over to the Jews; but my kingship is not from the world.” Pilate said to him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I have come into the world, to bear witness to the truth. Every one who is of the truth hears my voice.”
Pilate finding him innocent of ALL charges against him, the Sanhedrin threaten Pilate…
John 19: 12
And from thenceforth Pilate sought to release him: but the Jews cried out, saying, If thou let this man go, thou art not Caesar’s friend: whosoever maketh himself a king speaketh against Caesar.
The Sanhedrin going out of their way to have Jesus executed for “claiming to be god”, and Jesus going out of his way to say that he is NOT GOD!
The paradox continues…