C, S, Lewis once said — and he was not the first, that Jesus Christ was not a good man.
Jesus was either a psychopathic liar, mad and requiring care, or from God. The good man argument does not hold water. In this passage, the hearers reject that he is has a demon — that he is mad. They pick up stones and attempt to kill him.
For blasphemy. He is considered to be of sound mind (because then they would have shut him up and placed him under care). As such he is responsible for what he says. And he was, to their eares, claiming to be of God, from God, and incarnate God.
47“Whoever is from God hears the words of God. The reason you do not hear them is that you are not from God.”
48The Jews answered him, “Are we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan and have a demon?” 49Jesus answered, “I do not have a demon; but I honor my Father, and you dishonor me. 50Yet I do not seek my own glory; there is one who seeks it and he is the judge. 51Very truly, I tell you, whoever keeps my word will never see death.” 52The Jews said to him, “Now we know that you have a demon. Abraham died, and so did the prophets; yet you say, ‘Whoever keeps my word will never taste death.’ 53Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died? The prophets also died. Who do you claim to be?” 54Jesus answered, “If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my Father who glorifies me, he of whom you say, ‘He is our God,’ 55though you do not know him. But I know him; if I were to say that I do not know him, I would be a liar like you. But I do know him and I keep his word. 56Your ancestor Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day; he saw it and was glad.” 57Then the Jews said to him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?” 58Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, before Abraham was, I am.” 59So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple.
The Samaritan argument was ignored. It’s an insult, a slur, and as such logically weak.
But he claims here to have known Abraham. Who had been dead for over 1000 years. And the prophets, the last of whom had died 400 years in the past. In contemporary terms, he claimed to know Cromwell and the reformers — and St Gregory the Great. Or St Augustine.
That is either the words of a madman or a nonhuman. Christ says, however, that if her did not say this, he would be lying. That takes liar out — not madman (if you firmly believe something false, you are not lying to assert it, You, are, however, wrong and of questionable sanity).
Christ is claiming to be God, and for that the piously religious of the world tried to kill him.
I do not think much has changed.
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