Jesus Was he crazy

Crazy?		Jesus
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		1. No one has ever taught as Jesus did. Let's consider this in more detail. The Bible and all of history records the teaching of this man to be moral, ethical, without fault, perfect, and an example to us all.
		His life was lived by the standards that he taught. He was a man who lived a perfect life and this was seen and recorded by witnesses. No one has been able to produce a better set of moral / ethical values for humanity.

		2. No one has ever lived as Jesus lived. If we are to accept his teaching as morally sound and ethically good, and that he lived it out in this way then we really must consider all that he said and did. One of the major things he taught was that he was someone special. He provided the morality and lifestyle to match, he loved people, even to the point of challenging them if they were wrong. He also was able to bring healing into the lives of everyone he met. He did miracles. He also believed in God and prayed to the Father frequently. Allowing some leeway in what we accept at this point and you dismiss these parts of the story, it is still possible to see him as a moral man.

		3. No one has ever seriously claimed for himself what he claimed. Let's look more closely at who he claimed to be. Who he is, is as important as what he said and did. The unavoidable fact is that he claimed repeatedly to be the Son of God, and indeed that he was and is God. He didn't go around saying "I am God", but the depth of meaning to the things he said were heresy to his hearers. Would you take any notice of me if I claimed that I was a god, and could change your life. He did say this, and then he did it. He made claims! Well, so what? Let me put it into context for you. His claims clearly distinguish him from all other religious teachers. The Buddha said he knew of a "way" in life and pointed us to follow it. Mohammed also pointed the way, but they are both dead. So are all the other great spiritual teachers. However, Jesus didn't suggest a lifestyle for us to lead. He said "I am the way". His is the only grave that history shows to be empty. The view that all religions lead up to the top of the same mountain is invalid because of Jesus. This is true only if what he claimed is true. So...

		Jesus - - Bad? Some people will say that Jesus was a great moral teacher but can't accept he was God. But ... ... if what he teaches is of such moral standing, how do we react to what he claims about himself? It is either true or false. If it is false then there are only two explanations for why he said it.

		Is he a liar? Yes, if he knew his claims were false. He would therefore be a hypocrite because his teaching told others to be honest, whatever the cost, and he even promised them he could be trusted with their eternal destiny. If he was a liar, then he was demonstrably evil. Therefore any argument about being a great teacher is invalid. His teaching would be completely without foundation. How can we listen to someone provide such truths, knowing that it is completely underpinned by such incredible lies. On this basis he could not be accepted as a great moral teacher.

		Is he a lunatic? The second option is that he did not know that his claims were false. He would then have been deluded, and in fact would be a lunatic. As C.S. Lewis (once an agnostic) wrote: "The discrepancy between the depth and sanity of His moral teaching and the rampant megalomania which must lie behind his theological teaching unless he is indeed God has never been satisfactorily explained." How do we close the gap between his great moral teaching, and the megalomaniac theological teaching about himself? If he was mad, he could not be a great moral teacher.

		Is he God? The third option that is left open to us is that he was in fact exactly who he claimed to be. This means who he was is no longer an idle intellectual exercise. He cannot now be placed on the shelf as only a great moral teacher. He is either a Liar, Lunatic, or God.

		Napoleon said ...
		"I know men; and I tell you that Jesus Christ is not a man. Superficial minds see a resemblance between Christ and the founders of empires, and the gods of other religions. That resemblance does not exist. There is between Christianity and whatever other religions the distance of infinity...
		He is truly a being by Himself. His ideas and sentiments, the truth which he announces, His manner of convincing, are not explained either by human organisation or by the nature of things... I search in vain in history to find the similar to Jesus Christ... Neither history, nor humanity, nor the ages, nor nature, offer me anything with which I am able to compare it or to explain it". In this case his moral teaching has ultimate meaning in that he was and is God.

		C.S.Lewis puts it this way; "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 fanatic - on a 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... but let us not come up with any patronising nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to".

		How do we respond to these ideas? There is a serious issue for serious thinking people to address. If it is true then one of the most profound and liberating things he said was; “I am the way, the truth and the life, No one comes to the father except through me.” John 14.6 Click here to learn how to find references in the Bible. (opens a new window) This statement will fill our lives about who we are, why we are here and where we are going. We cannot find our own way, but in Christ, he IS the way. Through Him there is meaning and value to our lives. Through Him we can be saved and avoid going to hell.

		You need to know You are going to die. The Bible says you will die "but after this the judgement" (Hebrews 9:27) You will be judged. All sin carries the same penalty. You will go to Heaven or Hell (the lake of fire) for eternity. You will not be in a situation where you can conduct a 'defence' or debate. Jesus died on the cross as a once and for all sacrifice for YOUR sins. Jesus is alive, He loves you and wants you to go to heaven. Jesus is your only hope.