Jesus: Lord, Lunatic or Liar
Q:Share one reason the world gives that Jesus is not the son of God?
Is he Lord, is he just a lunatic, or is he a liar, or Legend or Is he the son of God! Or is he just a prophet.
These topics billions of people throughout history have been trying to understand for years – Who is this Jesus Christ?
Jesus – His name is derived from the Greek form of name Jeshua or Joshua meaning “Jehovah-Savior” or “the Lord saves.”
The title Christ is derived from the Greek word for Messiah!
Almost 2,000 years ago, Jesus entered the human race in a small Jewish community. He was a member of a poor family, and minority group, and resided in one of the smallest countries in the world. He lived approximately thirty-three years, of which only the last three comprised his public ministry.
- Is he a Legend?
Q: How do we know that Jesus was an actual historical person?
A: We are told through historians both non-christian and Christian that this man healed the sick, raise the dead, caused the blind to see, help the mute speak, walked on water, feed 5,000 people, drive out demons, and many more miracles.
He was crucified and later thousands of martyrs died b/c they believed that this man rose from the dead in three days. They say he is the only way to heaven, they say he is God in the flesh. They say he is the son of God.
- He is by far the most influential man that ever lived.
- Our time and calendar system is calculated by his birth.
- He never wrote a book, but more books were written about him than anyone else.
- He never wrote any songs but more songs are written about him than any other person.
- He never traveled more than 100 miles from his home town yet the name Jesus is known all around the world.
- John said in his gospel that if all the things that Jesus did were written down than I don’t even suppose that all the whole world would not have enough room for the books that would have been written.
- No-other prophet has raised from the dead! Muhammad, Ghadi, Moses, Budha, or any other prophet claimed to be God in the flesh.
Q: Why do you think when people talk about God most people smile, but when you mention Jesus Christ – How do people usually react?
Q: Why is it that this name, more than the name of any other religious leader, cause irritation? (B/C he claimed to be God, Rise from the dead, the only way to heaven)!
Q: What do you think and what backs up that statement?
“No serious scholar has ventured to claim that Jesus was a non-historical character.” Otto Betz .
I want to look at historical references from secular authorities speaking of Jesus’ existence! By secular I mean pagan – non-christian and generally anti-christian…
Cornelius Tacitus lived (AD 55-120) was a Roman historian who lived through the reign of over a half a dozen Roman emperors. He was called the greatest Historian of ancient Rome. His misspelling of Christ – “Christus” was a common error made by pagan writers.
QUOTE: “The persons called Christians, who were hated for their enormities. Christus, the founder of the name, was put to death by Pontius Pilate, procurator of Judea in the reign of Tiberius.”
Lucian of Samosata a greek satirist of the latter half of the second century spoke scornfully of Christ and the Christians, never assuming or arguing that they were unreal.
QUOTE: “The Christians, you know, worship a man to this day—the distinguished personage who introduced their novel rites, and who was crucified on that account… You see, these misguided creatures start with the general conviction that they are immortal for all time, which explains the contempt of death and voluntary self-devotion which are so common among them. All these they take quite on faith, with the results that they despise all worldly goods alike, regarding them merely as common property.”
Josephus ben Mattathias (born 37/38 AD, died after 100 AD) A Jewish Historian.
Who did not believe in Jesus as the son of God! He actually later left his Jewish rebel troops and joined the emperors inner circle.
He writes in his Jewish Antiquities, a passage occurs that has created heated debates among scholars.
Josephus, a non-Christian Jew, makes statements about Jesus that an orthodox Jew could not affirm.
“Now there was a about this time Jesus, a wise man, if it be lawful to call him a man, for he was a doer of wonderful works, a teacher of such men as receive the truth with pleasure. He drew to him both many of the Jews, and many Gentiles. He was the Christ, and when Pilate, at suggestion of the principal men among us, has condemned him to the cross, those who loved him at the first did not forsake him; for he appeared to them alive again the third day; as a divine prophets had foretold these and ten thousands other wonderful things concerning him. And the tribe of Christians so named from him are not extinct at this day. (Antiquities, XVIII, 33)
There are more than 20 other sources that I could of listed but for the sake of time I think these three will do. This is more than enough evidence to help me understand the Jesus walked on this earth! Not to mention the fact that the birth of Christianity came from someone!
Q: What do you think about these sources?
- LORD, LIAR, LUNATIC!
John 14:5-10 : Jesus said I am the way, the truth, and the life no-one comes to the Father except through me.
Q: Was Jesus saying in vs. 6 – (He is the only way, truth, life. No-one comes to Father except through me! / He is saying that the only way to get to heaven is through him.)
He says that when you see me you see the Father.
Let’s look at what some of the other scriptures where Jesus claims to be the son of God!
The popular explanation of Jesus is that he was a good moral teacher or a prophet who said a lot of profound things.
- To say what Jesus said and to claim what he claimed about himself, one couldn’t conclude he was just a good moral man or prophet.
Q: WHY DO YOU THINK I SAY THAT?
Q: IS THERE ANY OTHER EXPLANATION OF WHO JESUS COULD BE?
If he really did claim to God in the flesh we can only come to 3 of the following conclusions!
- LEGEND – we just quoted, two non-christian references out of 100 references
- LORD – He is who he says he is. He is God in the flesh! He is the only way to heaven, he is the truth and the life and no-one can come to the Father except through him. And he truly is the son of God and all people must and should follow him!
- LUNATIC – He is crazy person, many people have claimed to be God. They say I am God. And Jesus really needed to checked into a mental hospital. He was mistaken and had visions that were not true.
- LIAR – He lied about who is was and wanted the fame and prestige from it. He died for a lie and so did many other of his followers. Thousands of people died for a lie about Jesus being the son of God and raising from the dead on the third day.
A great apologetic writer
C.S Lewis said that: “A man who was merely a man and said the kind of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would with either be a lunatic on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg—or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse.”
Lewis later says: “You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call him Lord and God. But let us not come up with any nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.”
Q: What do you think about C.S Lewis’ statement?
First let’s consider let’s consider that his claim to be God was false. If it was false, then we have two and only two alternatives. He either knew it was false or he didn’t know it was false. We will consider each one separately.
If Jesus did know that his claims of being the son of God was false than he was deliberately lying.
Was Jesus a Liar, why or why not?
- If Jesus made this claim, and was lying then he was a hypocrite because he told others to be honest, whatever the cost, while he himself lived a lie?
- How could a liar do all these miracles to back up his claim?
- Why did he die on the cross for a lie?
- Historians say that he died by crucifixion.
- Why did he go to a Jewish Nation, where it was more difficult, why not go other nations like Egypt and Greece where the belief of many gods was common and his message could be received better.
- His lie and claims and sayings have changed the lives of millions in every nation in history for the better.
If he wasn’t a liar and we can deductively conclude that he was not a liar than he didn’t know that he was lying and therefore was a lunatic.
- After all it is possible to be sincere and wrong right?
*Someone who believes he is God sounds like someone today believing himself to be Napoleon. He would be deluded and self-deceived and probably he would be locked up so he wouldn’t hurt himself or anyone else.
Was Jesus a Lunatic, why or why not?
- Yet in Jesus we don’t see or observe the abnormalities and imbalance that usually go along with being deranged. Usually when someone is mentally ill they display an inconsistent life. (One day up or down. One day say this, another say this)
- Noyes and Kolb in a medical text describe the schizophrenic as a person who is more autistic than realistic. The schizophrenic desires to escape from the world of reality. Let’s face it; claiming to be God would certainly be a retreat from reality.
In light of what we understand about Jesus it’s hard to imagine that he was mentally disturbed. Here is a man who spoke some of the most incredible sayings ever recorded. The skill and the depth and consistency of his teachings support the case only for his total mental soundness and health. Consider the sayings of the sermon on the mount.
If only we were as insane as he. I don’t believe him to be a lunatic!
Then was he Lord!
I cannot conceive that personally Jesus was a liar or lunatic. The only other alternative is that he was the Christ, the son of God, as he claimed.
What do you think? Was he who he said he was – the son of God!
Some people that you say this too will agree that Jesus is not a liar or lunatic. But they quickly disagree for Jesus being the son of God and Lord.
- Yet one has only so many choices!!!!
Who you decide Jesus Christ is must no be an idle exercise. You cannot put him away as a great moral teacher. This I believe is not a valid option.
He is either liar, lunatic, or Lord. You have to make that choice!
Why did his followers die for a lie? – The apostles!
- The apostles were with Jesus the three years of his public ministry and saw Jesus crucified and rose from the dead on the third day.
- They were some of the most transformed men of this world.
- I believe I can trust the apostle’s testimony of who Jesus is more than any other men or man that claims differently.
Eleven died martyr’s deaths on the basis of two things; the resurrection of Christ, and their belief in him as the Son of God. They were tortured and flogged, and finally faced death by some of the cruelest methods then known:
- Peter – crucified upside down
- Andrew – crucified
- Matthew – the sword
- John – natural death exiled on the island of Patmos.
- James, son of Alphaeus – crucified
- Philip – crucified
- Simon – crucified
- Thaddaeus –killed by arrows
- James, brother of Jesus – stoned
- Thomas – spear thrust
- Bartholomew – cruicified
- James son of Zebedee – the sword
The response is that a lot of people have died for a lie, so what does that prove.
Yes, a lot of people died for a lie but they thought is was the truth!
If the apostles knew that the resurrection did not happen what would possess them to do what they did?
It is hard to find eleven people that would die for a lie that they knew was a lie.
These people were eye witnesses of everything that happened. And they backed it up being martyred on their faith of their testimony.
Let’s look a 3 testimonies that I believe will make you think about this more.
1 Corinthians 15:1-8
Paul someone who we could spend a whole discussion talking about him, killing Christians. He speaks of the eye witnesses of his resurrection.
- First the Old Testament scriptures prophecy more than 300 prophecies about Jesus and his death and resurrection on the third day.
- He was buried and then rose again on the third day.
- Then he appeared by Peter – or Cephas, then by the twelve.
- After that He was seen by over 500 brethen at once, of whom the greater part remain alive, but some have fallen asleep.
- After that he was seen by James then by the apostles.
- Then at last Paul says he appeared to him.
These were the people that were willing to bet their lives on the fact that they saw the resurrection. These are the men and women that I can trust before any other person who gives their testimony of who Jesus is hundreds of years later.
What do you think about these eye witnesses?
Let’s look at something that Peter says – 2 Peter 1:16-18
- If you recall and you can read it later. Peter denied Jesus in fear of his death. But later on in his life he was a fearless man.
What happened in between his denial and boldness
- The Resurrection!!!!
Let’s read – 16-18
Peter is testifying that he saw Jesus. This is not a cunningly devised fable, it is true. Peter says we were eye witnesses of His majesty.
For He received from God the Father honor and glory when such a voice came to Him from the Excellent Glory: “This is my Beloved son, in whom I am well pleased.” And we heard this voice which came from heaven when we were with him on the holy mountain.
- John -
1 John 1:1-4
John was an eye witness. That which we have heard and seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the word of life.
John was with Jesus and touch him and heard and saw him…
He was exiled to an island!
Q: What do you think about these testimonies?
- IV. Conclusion
- What do you think?
- There is no doubt that Jesus existed on earth and was sentence to be crucified.
- He either is liar, lunatic, or lord.
- Consider the Eye Witnesses.
What has this made you think about?
I would love to challenge you if you are curious about who is Jesus or you need to change your life and want to have a relationship with God, study the bible with one of the people who brought you.
- Explain the Bible Studies.
(Who is Jesus, Evidence, Word, Discipleship, Kingdom, L/D, Cross, Chruch, Lordship).
It doesn’t take that long and the bible studies don’t take that much time out of your schedule.
Well we will be showing a movie that is subtitled in Shqip and is from Jesus’ perspective of what happened when Jesus died and resurrected from the grave.
You will see John the Baptist, Peter the one who denied Jesus, Judas who betrayed him and than the other followers and eye witnesses that died later for their faith.
Play the movie and end the fellowship after!
- It has been a great night!
- I hope this has made you think.
I hope and pray that you can start really investigating this out and study the Bible. You can’t lose anything by doing it!
- Jesus is he a liar – than why would he die like he did?
- Jesus is he a lunatic – than why are his teachings so consistent and incredible.
- Jesus is he Lord – That is what every man and woman must find out for themselves.
I hope that this has been helpful and you will get a chance to study the scriptures!
