Part 5c: A Seemingly Arrogant Claim

Could Jesus be the only way?

Have you ever been in awe of a person you met? I remember as a teen being amazed by a guy who was both talented and athletic. He played the guitar well, sang with a voice so soulful that I still think deserved to be recorded, and could do a backward flip from a standing position at any time. However, in history, no one has been more amazing or influential than Jesus!

One of the most surprising things about Jesus is the fact that he didn’t gain any of his influence as the result of an earthly position given to him. Jesus wasn’t the ruler of an Empire – like Julius Caesar of Rome or Alexander the Great who led the Greeks. He was instead born into relative poverty and obscurity. He never traveled widely. He never held a recognised earthly position of power. He was even killed by the ruling authorities of his small region because some local religious zealots conspired against him. And yet he has still influenced people and history more than any other!

The question has to be asked: Who then was he? Why this unequaled influence?

In the short video clip you’ll see today three options are presented – as first penned by C. S. Lewis, famed author of ‘The Chronicles of Narnia’. He suggested Jesus was either a lunatic, a liar or Lord.

This brings us to an interesting question and thought. While God is certainly powerful enough to come as Jesus – why would he? To put that differently, is it really possible that the God who made the universe could be that loving and humble?

Consider God being present here on Earth as Jesus in a regular human body. Here God is, powerful enough to command the waves of a storm to be still and they do. He’s also powerful enough to bring the universe and time into existence – which he has done already. Do we really think he’d let people abuse him - and then lie on his back and allow weak feeble humans within that creation to nail him to a cross?

Paul pondered this ‘miracle’ in the poetic declaration you read from Philippians 2. As one famous historian (Philip Schaff) put it, the character of Jesus is so ‘original, so complete, so uniformly consistent, so perfect’… that ‘it would take more than a Jesus to invent a Jesus’. To put that differently, humans are capable of imagining a hero who has power, but to imagine one who would come as a servant, suffer and die – that is divine!

Yes, Jesus promised that one day he would return in power, just as he left. He would then be recognised as the King of all the creation. But for now, God has shown us that he is more loving and humble than we can comprehend!

What is your response? For me, all I can say is, ‘Wow! You truly are worthy of all – and I surrender my life to living for you!’

Reflection questions

• The author C. S. Lewis summarised that Jesus was either a liar, a lunatic, or Lord. Which option makes sense to you and why?
• As you consider not only the power of God, but also the humility and love of God, how does that make you feel?
• What is your response today to God?

For prayer

"Thank you again, Lord Jesus, for being the unexpected God. Beyond your power, you have also revealed your love, and with it a level of humility we cannot possibly comprehend. Thank you for not only giving us teachings in a book, but also the example of your own life – showing us in person how you want us to live. It is a profound gift. Thank you."