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!" 

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.

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)

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.

* 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.

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.

prophetic writings by the