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Jesus:
Magician, Maniac or Master?
1.
Did Jesus act like God?
a.
Forgave sin.
Mark
2:5 "When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins
are forgiven."
b.
Perfect and sinless.
1 Peter
2:22 "He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth."
c.
Raised the dead to life.
John
11:43-44 "When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, "Lazarus,
come out!" The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips
of linen,".
d. Healed
many people.
Mark
1:34 "... Jesus healed many who had various diseases. He also drove
out many demons, but he would not let the demons speak because they knew
who he was."
e. Controlled
nature.
Mark
4:41 "They were terrified and asked each other, "Who is this? Even the
wind and the waves obey him!"
2.
Did Jesus say that he was like God?
a. Jesus
called God his Father, making himself equal to God.
John
5:18 "but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal
with God."
b.
He claimed unity with God.
John
10:30 " I and the Father are one"
* To
know Jesus was to know God
John
8:19 "Then they asked him, "Where is your father?"
"You
do not know me or my Father," Jesus replied. "If you knew me, you would
know my Father also."
* To
see Jesus was to see God
John
12:45 "When he looks at me, he sees the one who sent me. (John 14:9)
* To
believe in Jesus was to believe in God
John
12:44 " Then Jesus cried out, "When a man believes in me, he does not believe
in me only, but in the one who sent me.
* To
receive Jesus was to receive God
Mark
9:37 "Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes
me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me."
* To
reject Jesus was to reject God
John
15:23 "He who hates me hates my Father as well."
* To
honour Jesus was to honour God
John
5:23 " that all may honour the Son just as they honour the Father. He who
does not honour the Son does not honour the Father, who sent him."
c.
Titles of Jesus used exclusively for God.
John
8:58 "I tell you the truth," Jesus answered, "before Abraham was
born, I am!"linked to Exodus 3:14.
3.
Did others think that Jesus was God?
a. Old
Testament "Mighty God, Everlasting father, Prince of Peace " Isaiah 9:6
b. John
"was with God... and... was God" (John 1:1,14)
c. Thomas
"My Lord and my God" (John 20:28)
d. Paul
"In him the fullness of God dwells bodily" (Colossians 2:9)
Summary
of What We Have Learnt
No one
could prove that Jesus was mad or a fraud or provide any evidence against
His miracles. This is despite enormous opposition. His followers believed
He was God and Jesus fulfilled the Scriptures from the Old Testament that
referred to Him. Also the followers of Jesus used many Scriptures that
the Old Testament used about God to refer to Jesus.
Resurrection!
Fact or Hoax?
The different
theories for the death and resurrection of Jesus include
1.
Jesus was buried in the wrong tomb.
2.
Jesus only fainted on the cross and came alive in the tomb and then escaped.
3.
The body of Jesus was stolen by the disciples of Jesus.
4.
The body was stolen by the Jewish or Roman authorities.
5.
Jesus came back only as a ghost.
6.
The disciples imagined it.
The
facts
1.
The soldiers guarded the tomb of Jesus to make sure the body was not stolen.
(1, 3, 4)
2.
The women went to the tomb on the Sunday morning to prepare the body of
Jesus for burial. (1, 3, 4)
3.
The tomb for Jesus was dug out of rock especially for a Jewish leader
named Joseph - who personally put the body of Jesus there.
(1)
4.
The disciples when they ran to the tomb found his grave clothes and the
stone rolled away. (1, 3)
5.
When Jesus was on the cross a spear was put into His side and out flowed
blood and water that can only flow out when a person is dead.
(2)
6.
The stone across the tomb would be too heavy for a normal man to move.
(2)
7.
If the guards left their post or fell asleep on duty the penalty was death.
(2, 3)
8.
Of the original disciples all except John (who died in prison) and Judas
(who committed suicide) were killed for being Christians. (3,
6)
9.
The soldiers guarding the tomb would have been on full alert. If
the disciples did steal the body, you would expect that some
disciples would die in the raid or be arrested later for attacking
Roman soldiers or grave robbing. (3, 6)
10.
The authorities had nothing to gain from hiding the body of Jesus. (4)
11.
The soldiers checked Jesus on the cross to see whether he was dead. (2)
12.
Jesus was seen by hundreds of people after he rose. (5, 6)
13
Jesus ate fish with his disciples after He rose to life. (5, 6)
14.
Thomas put his hand into the wounds of Jesus. (5, 6)
15.
The disciples died for their belief that Jesus rose. (5, 6)
The
events
Thursday
Night
Jesus
shared the Lord's Supper with his disciples.
Jesus
was arrested and taken to Annas the ex-High Priest and Caiaphas the current
High Priest and tried for saying that He was the Son of God.
Friday
Jesus
tried before Pilate on charges of saying He was a King. (Treason)
Jesus
sent to be tried by Herod who controlled Galilee that was the home town
of Jesus.
Pilate
whips Jesus but then gives in to the Jews and orders His death.
9am
Jesus nailed to a cross.
3 pm
Jesus dies.
* Buried
in a tomb guarded by soldiers.
Sunday
Jesus
came to life again.
Jesus
appears often over the next six weeks and mainly on Sundays.
The
Appearances of Jesus
* Matthew
28, Mark 16, Luke 24, John 20-21, Acts 1:6-11 and 1 Corinthians 15:5-8.
* Women
at the tomb, disciples at Galilee, Mary Magdalene, two disciples walking
to Emmaus, 11 disciples, two disciples in the country, disciples, disciples,
Thomas and the disciples, disciples at the Sea of Tiberias, the Ascension,
Peter, to the 12, to 500 and James.
SUMMARY
OF WHAT WE HAVE LEARNT
The evidence
points to the fact that Jesus genuinely died on the cross, was buried and
then rose physically from the dead. This was verified by many eyewitnesses,
on many different occasions. |