Many people think Jesus was a wonderful person who taught a wonderful message, but then after He died His followers corrupted that message and turned it into a strict and oppressive religion. If only we could return, it is claimed, to Jesus’ original meek and mild message, the world would be a much more loving and joyful place.
Well, I agree. If we returned to Jesus’ original message, the world would indeed be a much more loving and joyful place. But what exactly was Jesus’ message? Some folks say His message was love and peace. OK, that certainly is part of it. But what is the true essence of Jesus’ message, what we call the Good News, or the Gospel?
Hold onto your hats, because this might come as a surprise. The message Jesus taught was Himself. That’s right: Himself.
Sure, Jesus’ behavior was often very meek and mild. And He said a lot of stuff about love and peace, forgiveness and mercy, turning the other cheek and sacrificing for others. But the heart of His message, the focus of all His teachings, was Himself.
For example, Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one goes to the Father except through me.”
Hold onto your hats, because this might come as a surprise. The message Jesus taught was Himself. That’s right: Himself.
Sure, Jesus’ behavior was often very meek and mild. And He said a lot of stuff about love and peace, forgiveness and mercy, turning the other cheek and sacrificing for others. But the heart of His message, the focus of all His teachings, was Himself.
For example, Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one goes to the Father except through me.”
Whoa, that's very harsh. Jesus sounds kind of arrogant, doesn’t He? The only way to get to Heaven is to go through … Him? He didn’t really claim that, did He? A wonderful person with a wonderful message of love and peace would not be so self-centered and egotistical, would He?
That must’ve been a fluke. Maybe Jesus was just having a bad day when He said those words. Well, let’s take a look at some other statements Jesus made about himself:
That must’ve been a fluke. Maybe Jesus was just having a bad day when He said those words. Well, let’s take a look at some other statements Jesus made about himself:
- “The Father and I are one.”
- “Before Abraham was born, I AM.”
- “I saw Satan cast from heaven like lightning.”
- “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.”
- “All power in heaven and earth has been given to me.”
Oh my, this doesn’t make any sense at all. Jesus was a wonderful person who taught a wonderful message, a message that we all know was corrupted later on into a strict and oppressive religion. Jesus was a meek and mild holy man who simply wanted everyone to love each other. All these quotations from Jesus’ own lips sound like the words of a person who was really full of himself; a person who thought he was the center of the universe.
Yes, that’s it! Now you’re starting to get it! Jesus IS the center of the universe. He is the Second Person of the Holy Trinity. He has always existed. He is the eternal Word, as the beginning of John’s gospel explains, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God….Through Him all things were made.”
If you read about Jesus’ life in the gospels (and you should!), He comes across as a very humble man. But when you ponder what He actually said about Himself, He comes across as a raving egomaniac. And that would be the correct conclusion — IF He were only a mere mortal. If Jesus was just a man — no matter how holy and wise — the statements He made about Himself are unacceptable. Those are the words of a person with a severe narcissistic disorder.
However, Jesus was not just a man. He was (or more accurately, He IS) the incarnate Son of God. He was both humanity and deity in a single body.
Yes, that’s it! Now you’re starting to get it! Jesus IS the center of the universe. He is the Second Person of the Holy Trinity. He has always existed. He is the eternal Word, as the beginning of John’s gospel explains, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God….Through Him all things were made.”
If you read about Jesus’ life in the gospels (and you should!), He comes across as a very humble man. But when you ponder what He actually said about Himself, He comes across as a raving egomaniac. And that would be the correct conclusion — IF He were only a mere mortal. If Jesus was just a man — no matter how holy and wise — the statements He made about Himself are unacceptable. Those are the words of a person with a severe narcissistic disorder.
However, Jesus was not just a man. He was (or more accurately, He IS) the incarnate Son of God. He was both humanity and deity in a single body.
There is only one way for someone to say such arrogant things and yet truly be a humble person: He has to be divine. So, as I mentioned earlier, if we returned to Jesus’ original message, the world would indeed be a much more loving and joyful place. If we understand that Jesus truly is divine, and that He really rose from the dead, and if we follow his commands — repent and ask for forgiveness, love our neighbor as ourselves — our relationships with others will improve drastically. And this will result in a much more loving and joyful world.
After all, He is the way and the truth and the life. No one goes to the Father except through Him. We simply need to put our faith in Him and take Him at his word.
After all, He is the way and the truth and the life. No one goes to the Father except through Him. We simply need to put our faith in Him and take Him at his word.
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