Who Is Jesus? A Holy Week Reading PlanНамуна

Day 3: Jesus- Liar or Lord

Taken on their own, the teachings of Jesus stand the test of time. Finding value in each human life, loving others, and living in humility leads to a fulfilling life. The problem is that Jesus made some other claims that we have to reconcile. If we stuck to just His teachings, he could be revered as a great, historical figure. But, on several occasions, He claimed to be God Himself.

There are several examples of Jesus claiming deity, but maybe the most explicit one is found in Mark 14 on the night before His death. When Jesus was put on trial, they asked Him directly if He was the Son of God. Here is how it happened:

“The Chief Priest tried again, this time asking, ‘Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed?’ Jesus said, ‘Yes, I am, and you'll see it yourself: The Son of Man seated at the right hand of the Mighty One, arriving on the clouds of heaven.’”

It would have been much easier for us to accept His teachings if He had just answered, "No" to this question. When someone claims to be God, our defenses go up. So what makes Him different? Jesus' message wasn't self-serving. In fact, His teachings led to a death that He accepted with grace. Who does that?

If He was a narcissistic leader who was hungry for power, He should have done things differently. He should have stirred the people into a revolution that ended with Him as king. Instead, He taught a radical love that He knew would end in His own death, a death He humbly accepted for the sake of others. Because of this, we cannot ignore the claims He made. C.S. Lewis summed it up best in his book, Mere Christianity.

“I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: 'I'm ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don't accept His claim to be God’… You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God.”

His teachings on morality are powerful and good, but He did not leave us the option of accepting Him only as a teacher. He did not consider Himself to be just a good person, and neither can we.

Reflection/Prayer

Use the guided prayer video below to reflect on today’s reading.