Previous chapter: Chapter 6: The Primary Historical Sources
In the previous two chapters, we learned what the New Testament is. In this chapter, we’ll examine what it says. What follows is a representative sample of things the eight men wrote about the man in question. I’ve copied them verbatim from a Bible that prints the words of Jesus in red.
Things Jesus Did
- Jesus was going throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness among the people. The news about Him spread throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all who were ill, those suffering with various diseases and pains, demoniacs, epileptics, paralytics; and He healed them. Large crowds followed Him from Galilee and the Decapolis and Jerusalem and Judea and from beyond the Jordan. (Matthew 4:23-25)
- Jesus was going through all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness. (Matthew 9:35)
- When the Sabbath came, He began to teach in the synagogue; and the many listeners were astonished, saying, “Where did this man get these things, and what is this wisdom given to Him, and such miracles as these performed by His hands?” (Mark 6:2)
- And He called the twelve together, and gave them power and authority over all the demons and to heal diseases. And He sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to perform healing. (Luke 9:1-2)
- And there are also many other things which Jesus did, which if they were written in detail, I suppose that even the world itself would not contain the books that would be written. (John 21:25)
- But though He had performed so many signs before them, yet they were not believing in Him…Nevertheless many even of the rulers believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they were not confessing Him, for fear that they would be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the approval of men rather than the approval of God. (John 12:37, 42-43)
Things Jesus Said
- “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart…” (Matthew 11:29)
- The woman said to Him, “I know that Messiah is coming (He who is called Christ); when that One comes, He will declare all things to us.” Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am He.” (John 4:25-26)
- …Again the high priest was questioning Him, and saying to Him, “Are You the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?” And Jesus said, “I am; and you shall see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.” (Mark 14:61-62)
- And He was saying to them all, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it. For what is a man profited if he gains the whole world, and loses or forfeits himself?” (Luke 9:23-25)
- Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.” (John 8:12)
- Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11:25-26)
- Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.” (John 14:6)
Major Things That Happened to Jesus
Death by Crucifixion
- “Let this Christ, the King of Israel, now come down from the cross, so that we may see and believe!” Those who were crucified with Him were also insulting Him. (Mark 15:32)
- For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, (1 Corinthians 15:3)
Resurrection from the Dead
- and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep; then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles; and last of all, as to one untimely born, He appeared to me also. (1 Corinthians 15:4-8)
Ascension into Heaven
- And He led them out as far as Bethany, and He lifted up His hands and blessed them. While He was blessing them, He parted from them and was carried up into heaven. (Luke 24:50-51)
Our Only Reasonable Conclusion
It has been rightly said by many that, logically speaking, Jesus must be one of the following: liar, lunatic, or Lord. Which of those three conclusions is reasonable?
Many people have tried to wriggle out of this trilemma by introducing a fourth “L” – “legend.” Their claim is that the 27 New Testament texts are not historically reliable – that the authorship ascriptions are not reliable and/or that the original texts have been corrupted by legendary embellishments or scribal editing. Chapters 5 and 6 of this book showed why these two claims are unreasonable. And what the eight men wrote on the main points of history is so consistent that we must conclude that either they wrote factually or else they conspired to produce a pack of lies which would qualify as the greatest hoax ever perpetrated on humanity. There is no evidence to support a fourth L.
Reasonably and historically speaking, Jesus can be neither liar nor lunatic. He can only be Lord.
New Testament quotations are taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. http://www.lockman.org
Next chapter: Chapter 8: In Jesus Christ the Bible Came Together
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The Duty of a Man 