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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. |