The Jesus
Question
The Jesus Question
The Jesus
Question
The Jesus Question
"I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End" (Revelation 22:13).
It is impossible to convey the full mystery, significance and impact of Jesus Christ. Many have attempted to, others have tried to consign him to the dustbin of history.
Yet in spite of human endeavour, his appeal continues unabated, and his influence remains without parellel in the history of the world.
What will you do with the most enigmatic and polarising figure in history?
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The Jesus Phenomenon
There can be few people, or places on earth today that haven't heard of the name of Jesus Christ. Were a survey to be conducted of the entire world, there can be little doubt that his name would be the most well-known over any of the other celebrities, celebrated artists and intellects, prophets or deities that have been, are, or will be. A recent survey by Time Magazine, using a data-driven approach to assess this, reached the same conclusion.*
But why is that? How can it be that a man from a dusty backwater of the Middle East, born some 2000 years ago, still holds such sway over our imaginations? What possible connection could we have with him in 2025 — anymore than we might with a witchdoctor, shaman or magician from ancient Babylon or Egypt?
Many attempt to explain this anomaly by claiming that there are plenty of other prophets or deities that hold equal status with Jesus. What about Allah or Mohammed they say? Buddha, Shiva or Vishnu? Haven't they all stood the test of time?
In reality this is a demonstrably false equivalence. For a start, there is no historical or evangelical impact on a par with Christianity. While a case could be made for the size and influence of Islam, especially across the middle east, Africa and Asia, its footprint in Europe, the Americas and the Western hemisphere has been minimal, and almost exclusively upon migrants from its own historical and racial heartlands. Christianity's influence on the other hand, has diverted every major global empire since the first century, every epoch, and every single race and culture on the face of the earth.
Being the central figure of the world's biggest religion then is impressive enough, but is it sufficient to justify Christianity's extraordinary claims? Teenage pop stars can outsell most of their chart rivals put together in a short window in time, but it doesn't mean they are in any way objectively greater than their rivals.
But what about Jesus' influence on other religions? Astonishingly, he appears in, or has influenced, almost all of the world's other significant religions; including, as Isa in Islam and the Quran, as the recurring theme of the Hebrew Bible (though Jews overwhelmingly reject this notion), in Manichaeism, in the Druze faith, in the Baháʼí Faith, in various new age contexts, and as an influence in both Buddhism and Hinduism. His presence in world religion is simply without parellel.
The Jesus Phenomenon
There can be few people, or places on earth today that haven't heard of the name of Jesus Christ. Were a survey to be conducted of the entire world, there can be little doubt that his name would be the most well-known over any of the other celebrities, celebrated artists and intellects, prophets or deities that have been, are, or will be. A recent survey by Time Magazine, using a data-driven approach to assess this, reached the same conclusion.*
But why is that? How can it be that a man from a dusty backwater of the Middle East, born some 2000 years ago, still holds such sway over our imaginations? What possible connection could we have with him in 2025 — anymore than we might with a witchdoctor, shaman or magician from ancient Babylon or Egypt?
Many attempt to explain this anomaly by claiming that there are plenty of other prophets or deities that hold equal status with Jesus. What about Allah or Mohammed they say? Buddha, Shiva or Vishnu? Haven't they all stood the test of time?
In reality this is a demonstrably false equivalence. For a start, there is no historical or evangelical impact on a par with Christianity. While a case could be made for the size and influence of Islam, especially across the middle east, Africa and Asia, its footprint in Europe, the Americas and the Western hemisphere has been minimal, and almost exclusively upon migrants from its own historical and racial heartlands. Christianity's influence on the other hand, has diverted every major global empire since the first century, every epoch, and every single race and culture on the face of the earth.
Being the central figure of the world's biggest religion then is impressive enough, but is it sufficient to justify Christianity's extraordinary claims? Teenage pop stars can outsell most of their chart rivals put together in a short window in time, but it doesn't mean they are in any way objectively greater than their rivals.
But what about Jesus' influence on other religions? Astonishingly, he appears in, or has influenced, almost all of the world's other significant religions; including, as Isa in Islam and the Quran, as the recurring theme of the Hebrew Bible (though Jews overwhelmingly reject this notion), in Manichaeism, in the Druze faith, in the Baháʼí Faith, in various new age contexts, and as an influence in both Buddhism and Hinduism. His presence in world religion is simply without parellel.
The Jesus Conundrum
But maybe this doesn't impress you much. So what, you say, if he's the most famous person of all time? What difference does that make to my life? What's he ever done for me? Can he pay my bills or make my crippling illness go away? Can he stop my partner from beating me or heal my terminally sick child? Can he give me hope when everything around me is hope-less?
Indeed, why should anyone turn to a man, who's been dead for 2000 years, and who — even when he was alive — was unable to stop himself from being cruelly tortured and executed by the Roman authorities? If he was powerless to help himself, then why would I hope against hope that he could help me?
The Jesus Conundrum
But maybe this doesn't impress you much. So what, you say, if he's the most famous person of all time? What difference does that make to my life? What's he ever done for me? Can he pay my bills or make my crippling illness go away? Can he stop my partner from beating me or heal my terminally sick child? Can he give me hope when everything around me is hope-less?
Indeed, why should anyone turn to a man, who's been dead for 2000 years, and who — even when he was alive — was unable to stop himself from being cruelly tortured and executed by the Roman authorities? If he was powerless to help himself, then why would I hope against hope that he could help me?
The Jesus Solution
If the case for Jesus were merely another intellectual argument, then it would almost certainly have been demolished well over a millenium ago. Theories, philosophies and religions have come and gone since his death, some have survived, but none have survived intact without revisionism, or debunking in whole or in part. Few today would go straight to Roger Bacon or even Newton to understand physics; anymore than we would rely entirely on Plato to get up to speed in metaphysics. Regardless of their genius and reputation, they have either been surpassed, proved deficient in part, or built upon by more recent contributors.
The case for Jesus, however, is less intellectual than experiential. The case against Jesus has been made for 2000 years, and despite the best efforts of first century Jewish scribes, Roman dignitaries, enlightenment polymaths and 21st century celebrity academics, he is still with us. Like a gadfly that cannot be swatted, he continues to bother us. His rousing Sermon on the Mount, his miracles, his controversial declarations on marriage, money and gender, his dramatic death and reported resurrection — still re-enacted across the globe every year — none of these will go away, lose their inexplicable appeal, or stop the endless conveyor belt of billions, who claim that he has done something miraculous in their lives.
Jesus the impossible
So the question for truth-seekers has to be, what do we do with this enigmatic figure who cannot be suppressed, regardless of our progress in knowledge and technology? Despite relentless persecution, his followers in the Far East will soon make China the biggest Christian population on earth. That this should have happened once before to subdue mighty Rome might be considered remarkable, but history shows that, time and again, Christianity continues to divert every world empire that attempts global supremacy. The remarkable then gives way to the impossible.
You see, the truth about Christ is he that he is the ongoing evidence of the impossible. Did you know that there is actually more proof of his divinity than there is proof about the existence of many historical figures? Consider for example the philosopher Socrates; do you question whether he existed? Yet there is no written record of any of his works. What about Homer, or the infamous Roman emperor Caligula who has spawned numerous books and films? What little we know of him comes mainly from just two accounts.
You see, testimony is critical to our understanding of the past. We trust (or don't trust) writers and academics to piece together for us the narrative of history. Indeed, they themselves build upon the testimonies of other writers from the past to make their own versions credible: do they not certify credibility in their work by adding footnotes to other writers? And without meeting these historical figures, can anyone say on anything more than a balance of probability that such people are who they are said to be — or even that they existed? Can indeed a court of law today condemn a man on anything more certain than guilt "beyond reasonable doubt"?
And yet, while in academic circles Jesus' historicity is overwhelmingly settled (very few historians today deny he was an actual living person) the case for his true identity and divinity is not open for discussion. Without evidence for the miracles they say, there are no miracles, and thus there is no "Christ the Lord". Yet Socrates works don't exist, and few, it would seem, deny them.
So you see we judge a historical figure's credibility by their legacy. Socrates pupil was Plato, and given that European philosophy has been described as "a series of footnotes to Plato", we cannot deny Plato's testimony about his father in philosophy. Or what about William Shakespeare — more recent, and undoubtedly the single most famous and celebrated writer in history? But what if I were to tell you that the evidence for Shakespeare's existence is threadbare, and more problematically, even his authorship is increasingly subject to question?
Jesus the impossible
So the question for truth-seekers has to be, what do we do with this enigmatic figure who cannot be suppressed, regardless of our progress in knowledge and technology? Despite relentless persecution, his followers in the Far East will soon make China the biggest Christian population on earth. That this should have happened once before to subdue mighty Rome might be considered remarkable, but history shows that, time and again, Christianity continues to divert every world empire that attempts global supremacy. The remarkable then gives way to the impossible.
You see, the truth about Christ is he that he is the ongoing evidence of the impossible. Did you know that there is actually more proof of his divinity than there is proof about the existence of many historical figures? Consider for example the philosopher Socrates; do you question whether he existed? Yet there is no written record of any of his works. What about Homer, or the infamous Roman emperor Caligula who has spawned numerous books and films? What little we know of him comes mainly from just two accounts.
You see, testimony is critical to our understanding of the past. We trust (or don't trust) writers and academics to piece together for us the narrative of history. Indeed, they themselves build upon the testimonies of other writers from the past to make their own versions credible: do they not certify credibility in their work by adding footnotes to other writers? And without meeting these historical figures, can anyone say on anything more than a balance of probability that such people are who they are said to be — or even that they existed? Can indeed a court of law today condemn a man on anything more certain than guilt "beyond reasonable doubt"?
And yet, while in academic circles Jesus' historicity is overwhelmingly settled (very few historians today deny he was an actual living person) the case for his true identity and divinity is not open for discussion. Without evidence for the miracles they say, there are no miracles, and thus there is no "Christ the Lord". Yet Socrates works don't exist, and few, it would seem, deny them.
So you see we judge a historical figure's credibility by their legacy. Socrates pupil was Plato, and given that European philosophy has been described as "a series of footnotes to Plato", we cannot deny Plato's testimony about his father in philosophy. Or what about William Shakespeare — more recent, and undoubtedly the single most famous and celebrated writer in history? But what if I were to tell you that the evidence for Shakespeare's existence is threadbare, and more problematically, even his authorship is increasingly subject to question?
Jesus: The Living Evidence
So what about Jesus' legacy? In a world of approximately 2.5 billion Christians — a third of the world's population — we are surely staring down the barrel of the impossible. The evidence for Christ's continuing influence at least, is not just persuasive, it's overwhelming and undeniable.
But if Christ's power really only relies on his ability to convince us that he — the so-called "Son of God" existed — then he is not really such a special God after all. The majority of people around the world already believe that God exists, and that he might favour them if they are "good" — even if they find the idea of a man-god far-fetched. In short, were Christ merely just another god then he may as well join Zeus and the rest of the gang in the pantheon at Mount Olympus.
Instead, Christ's appeal lies in something far more outrageous. In a claim backed up by generations of believers, we are presented with the proposition that the one true God of the universe personally intervenes in the lives of humanity and changes the course of their lives. That this God is neither silent nor impersonal, that he responds to prayer, and most incredibly, that he not only heals them of their sickness, wickedness and addictions, but forgives them all of their evil deeds, wiping their consciences clean. If that were not already enough, all this is free of charge — without a single religious "work" required to obtain it.
This idea, that God sent his one and only son to suffer willingly and pay a debt that we could never afford is the central plank of Christianity. It's seeming absurdity offends our sense of self and pride — so used are we to earning our way. On a scale of "what's the catch?" it rates off the charts. Indeed, such an offer is simply not found in any other religion, where sacrifice, penitence, hard graft and karma are the only means by which a human being might climb the infinite ladder to nirvana.
So now then we come to a leap of faith of our own. If Christ died nearly 2000 years ago, and his witnesses are long since dead, how is it that he continues to have witnesses? Can a man who never saw a crime be a witness to it? No one today can claim to know Socrates, Shakespeare or Napoleon — less they should be certified. Not even a muslim claims to know Muhammed. A Jew would fear to even speak God's name. And yet, there is so much personal testament to Christ's healing power today that in a court of law he could gather more witnesses to his defence than could fit in all the court rooms of the world together.
In the end, Christ's detractors will continue to reject him on the basis that ultimately they wish to control the narrative. We all do this as a matter of course. Who amongst us hasn't continued to argue our case even when we sensed we were wrong? How many lawyers have suppressed their conscience even as the facts pile up incriminatingly against their client?
And yet there are more people on earth who can attest to Christ's immortality and love for them than there are those who believe that JFK was killed by a single shooter called Lee Harvey Oswald. Yet one is a matter of official historical fact, and the other requires us to feel the wounds of Christ's punctured and lacerated body before we'll believe.
What then, say you? Could Jesus pay your bills or make your crippling illness go away if you asked him? Can he stop your partner from beating you or heal your terminally sick child? Can he give you hope when everything around you is hope-less? Billions say he has. Have you asked him?
*https://ideas.time.com/2013/12/10/whos-biggest-the-100-most-significant-figures-in-history/
Jesus: The Living Evidence
So what about Jesus' legacy? In a world of approximately 2.5 billion Christians — a third of the world's population — we are surely staring down the barrel of the impossible. The evidence for Christ's continuing influence at least, is not just persuasive, it's overwhelming and undeniable.
But if Christ's power really only relies on his ability to convince us that he — the so-called "Son of God" existed — then he is not really such a special God after all. The majority of people around the world already believe that God exists, and that he might favour them if they are "good" — even if they find the idea of a man-god far-fetched. In short, were Christ merely just another god then he may as well join Zeus and the rest of the gang in the pantheon at Mount Olympus.
Instead, Christ's appeal lies in something far more outrageous. In a claim backed up by generations of believers, we are presented with the proposition that the one true God of the universe personally intervenes in the lives of humanity and changes the course of their lives. That this God is neither silent nor impersonal, that he responds to prayer, and most incredibly, that he not only heals them of their sickness, wickedness and addictions, but forgives them all of their evil deeds, wiping their consciences clean. If that were not already enough, all this is free of charge — without a single religious "work" required to obtain it.
This idea, that God sent his one and only son to suffer willingly and pay a debt that we could never afford is the central plank of Christianity. It's seeming absurdity offends our sense of self and pride — so used are we to earning our way. On a scale of "what's the catch?" it rates off the charts. Indeed, such an offer is simply not found in any other religion, where sacrifice, penitence, hard graft and karma are the only means by which a human being might climb the infinite ladder to nirvana.
So now then we come to a leap of faith of our own. If Christ died nearly 2000 years ago, and his witnesses are long since dead, how is it that he continues to have witnesses? Can a man who never saw a crime be a witness to it? No one today can claim to know Socrates, Shakespeare or Napoleon — less they should be certified. Not even a muslim claims to know Muhammed. A Jew would fear to even speak God's name. And yet, there is so much personal testament to Christ's healing power today that in a court of law he could gather more witnesses to his defence than could fit in all the court rooms of the world together.
In the end, Christ's detractors will continue to reject him on the basis that ultimately they wish to control the narrative. We all do this as a matter of course. Who amongst us hasn't continued to argue our case even when we sensed we were wrong? How many lawyers have suppressed their conscience even as the facts pile up incriminatingly against their client?
And yet there are more people on earth who can attest to Christ's immortality and love for them than there are those who believe that JFK was killed by a single shooter called Lee Harvey Oswald. Yet one is a matter of official historical fact, and the other requires us to feel the wounds of Christ's punctured and lacerated body before we'll believe.
What then, say you? Could Jesus pay your bills or make your crippling illness go away if you asked him? Can he stop your partner from beating you or heal your terminally sick child? Can he give you hope when everything around you is hope-less? Billions say he has. Have you asked him?
*https://ideas.time.com/2013/12/10/whos-biggest-the-100-most-significant-figures-in-history/
Jesus: The Living Evidence
So what about Jesus' legacy? In a world of approximately 2.5 billion Christians — a third of the world's population — we are surely staring down the barrel of the impossible. The evidence for Christ's continuing influence at least, is not just persuasive, it's overwhelming and undeniable.
But if Christ's power really only relies on his ability to convince us that he — the so-called "Son of God" existed — then he is not really such a special God after all. The majority of people around the world already believe that God exists, and that he might favour them if they are "good" — even if they find the idea of a man-god far-fetched. In short, were Christ merely just another god then he may as well join Zeus and the rest of the gang in the pantheon at Mount Olympus.
Instead, Christ's appeal lies in something far more outrageous. In a claim backed up by generations of believers, we are presented with the proposition that the one true God of the universe personally intervenes in the lives of humanity and changes the course of their lives. That this God is neither silent nor impersonal, that he responds to prayer, and most incredibly, that he not only heals them of their sickness, wickedness and addictions, but forgives them all of their evil deeds, wiping their consciences clean. If that were not already enough, all this is free of charge — without a single religious "work" required to obtain it.
This idea, that God sent his one and only son to suffer willingly and pay a debt that we could never afford is the central plank of Christianity. It's seeming absurdity offends our sense of self and pride — so used are we to earning our way. On a scale of "what's the catch?" it rates off the charts. Indeed, such an offer is simply not found in any other religion, where sacrifice, penitence, hard graft and karma are the only means by which a human being might climb the infinite ladder to nirvana.
So now then we come to a leap of faith of our own. If Christ died nearly 2000 years ago, and his witnesses are long since dead, how is it that he continues to have witnesses? Can a man who never saw a crime be a witness to it? No one today can claim to know Socrates, Shakespeare or Napoleon — less they should be certified. Not even a muslim claims to know Muhammed. A Jew would fear to even speak God's name. And yet, there is so much personal testament to Christ's healing power today that in a court of law he could gather more witnesses to his defence than could fit in all the court rooms of the world together.
In the end, Christ's detractors will continue to reject him on the basis that ultimately they wish to control the narrative. We all do this as a matter of course. Who amongst us hasn't continued to argue our case even when we sensed we were wrong? How many lawyers have suppressed their conscience even as the facts pile up incriminatingly against their client?
And yet there are more people on earth who can attest to Christ's immortality and love for them than there are those who believe that JFK was killed by a single shooter called Lee Harvey Oswald. Yet one is a matter of official historical fact, and the other requires us to feel the wounds of Christ's punctured and lacerated body before we'll believe.
What then, say you? Could Jesus pay your bills or make your crippling illness go away if you asked him? Can he stop your partner from beating you or heal your terminally sick child? Can he give you hope when everything around you is hope-less? Billions say he has. Have you asked him?
*https://ideas.time.com/2013/12/10/whos-biggest-the-100-most-significant-figures-in-history/
Jesus: The Living Evidence
So what about Jesus' legacy? In a world of approximately 2.5 billion Christians — a third of the world's population — we are surely staring down the barrel of the impossible. The evidence for Christ's continuing influence at least, is not just persuasive, it's overwhelming and undeniable.
But if Christ's power really only relies on his ability to convince us that he — the so-called "Son of God" existed — then he is not really such a special God after all. The majority of people around the world already believe that God exists, and that he might favour them if they are "good" — even if they find the idea of a man-god far-fetched. In short, were Christ merely just another god then he may as well join Zeus and the rest of the gang in the pantheon at Mount Olympus.
Instead, Christ's appeal lies in something far more outrageous. In a claim backed up by generations of believers, we are presented with the proposition that the one true God of the universe personally intervenes in the lives of humanity and changes the course of their lives. That this God is neither silent nor impersonal, that he responds to prayer, and most incredibly, that he not only heals them of their sickness, wickedness and addictions, but forgives them all of their evil deeds, wiping their consciences clean. If that were not already enough, all this is free of charge — without a single religious "work" required to obtain it.
This idea, that God sent his one and only son to suffer willingly and pay a debt that we could never afford is the central plank of Christianity. It's seeming absurdity offends our sense of self and pride — so used are we to earning our way. On a scale of "what's the catch?" it rates off the charts. Indeed, such an offer is simply not found in any other religion, where sacrifice, penitence, hard graft and karma are the only means by which a human being might climb the infinite ladder to nirvana.
So now then we come to a leap of faith of our own. If Christ died nearly 2000 years ago, and his witnesses are long since dead, how is it that he continues to have witnesses? Can a man who never saw a crime be a witness to it? No one today can claim to know Socrates, Shakespeare or Napoleon — less they should be certified. Not even a muslim claims to know Muhammed. A Jew would fear to even speak God's name. And yet, there is so much personal testament to Christ's healing power today that in a court of law he could gather more witnesses to his defence than could fit in all the court rooms of the world together.
In the end, Christ's detractors will continue to reject him on the basis that ultimately they wish to control the narrative. We all do this as a matter of course. Who amongst us hasn't continued to argue our case even when we sensed we were wrong? How many lawyers have suppressed their conscience even as the facts pile up incriminatingly against their client?
And yet there are more people on earth who can attest to Christ's immortality and love for them than there are those who believe that JFK was killed by a single shooter called Lee Harvey Oswald. Yet one is a matter of official historical fact, and the other requires us to feel the wounds of Christ's punctured and lacerated body before we'll believe.
What then, say you? Could Jesus pay your bills or make your crippling illness go away if you asked him? Can he stop your partner from beating you or heal your terminally sick child? Can he give you hope when everything around you is hope-less? Billions say he has. Have you asked him?
*https://ideas.time.com/2013/12/10/whos-biggest-the-100-most-significant-figures-in-history/