KAI: Hey, Libby, what's up?
LIBBY: Hey.
You know, there's so much artwork
about Jesus over the centuries.
Do you think He looked like Headshot Jesus?
KAI: I don't know, what about Superhero Jesus?
(triumphant orchestral music)
Or, my personal favorite, Touchdown Jesus.
(crowd cheering)
LIBBY: Yeah, but what did He really look like?
Maybe we need to start with who Jesus really is.
KAI: Yeah, who is Jesus?
(upbeat instrumental music)
LIBBY: Hi, I'm Libby.
KAI: And I'm Kai.
Welcome to Catholic Central.
Today, we're talking about Jesus.
LIBBY: Who is He?
KAI: Did He really exist?
LIBBY: Was He just a prophet?
KAI: Was He God?
LIBBY: Did He rise from the dead?
KAI: Is it possible to have a personal relationship
with someone who lived 2000 years ago?
LIBBY: Ah, but first things first.
Did Jesus actually exist?
KAI: Pretty much everyone says 'yes'.
Bart D. Ehrman, an agnostic and esteemed expert
on the New Testament, writes that,
"The view that Jesus existed is held by
virtually every expert on the planet."
LIBBY: The main source of knowledge on Jesus's life
comes from the remarkably consistent resources
of the New Testament.
But there are also Jewish sources
such as Josephus,
and Roman ones such as Tacitus.
KAI: According to historians,
there's a lot we do know about Jesus.
For example, Jesus was Jewish,
came from an obscure town in Judea,
was baptized by John the Baptist,
and crucified by Pontius Pilate,
the Roman governor of Judea, sometime during
the reign of Tiberius Caesar, the Roman Emperor.
LIBBY: Fun fact, some say there's more evidence
for the historical existence of Jesus
than for many other ancient historical figures
like say Plato, or Alexander the Great.
KAI: The historical and archaeological data can help us
understand what happened to Jesus and why,
but it's the testimony of 2000 years of people of faith
that can help us understand his religious significance.
LIBBY: First of all, Jesus claimed to be God.
He was the Word that became flesh,
and dwelt among us, otherwise known as the incarnation.
The name of Jesus means God Saves.
KAI: Looking at the historical facts,
Jesus was sentenced to death for political reasons.
But Christians believe that He died willingly
in order to prove the complete and total love
God has for us.
LIBBY: Jesus claimed that He came
to free mankind from its bondage to sin.
Christians understand Him to be both
fully human, and fully God.
The bridge between humanity and God.
SKEPTICAL LIBBY: Wait, just because someone says
they're God or the Messiah, doesn't make them one.
As evidenced by my crazy Uncle Bill.
LIBBY: Good point, but were the details of your
crazy Uncle Bill's life foretold in
hundreds of prophecies?
SKEPTICAL LIBBY: No, I get the impression he was
more of a surprise.
(crowd gasping)
KAI: When you consider the cultural context
that Jesus came from, you can imagine how bizarre
His claims sounded both to the Jewish people,
and to the Roman authorities.
LIBBY: And dangerous, too.
It was totally blasphemous for anyone
to claim to be God.
And blasphemy brought the death penalty.
KAI: So when they heard Jesus saying things like,
"Before Abraham was, I am,"
and, "I and the father are one,"
they heard those as pretty explicit claims to be God.
And they tried to stone Him for it.
LIBBY: Interesting side note, no other leader
of a major world religion ever claimed to be God incarnate.
KAI: This makes Jesus unique in the history of world religions.
LIBBY: Well that, and the claim by Him and His followers
that He died, was buried, and rose from the dead
3 days later.
KAI: And that brings us to...
KAI AND LIBBY: The Resurrection.
(echoing sound effects)
KAI: You're a better singer than I am.
Surely the biggest difference between
Jesus Christ and all other religious leaders,
actually all other people, ever, anywhere, ever,
is the belief that this guy rose from the dead.
SKEPTICAL LIBBY: Hold on, I wasn't there. I didn't see it with my own eyes.
And history can't prove it.
How am I supposed to believe it?
KAI: Well for one, there are hundreds of eyewitnesses
that saw the risen Christ.
They risked their lives to stand by this claim.
LIBBY: While people of many different faiths
consider Him to be a great teacher, inspiring leader,
and an all around nice guy, the Incarnation and Resurrection
are what make Him much more than that for Christians.
KAI: And this claiming to be God stuff
has caused quite a few headaches over the years.
As the great Christian writer C.S. Lewis famously
pointed out, anyone who claims to be fully God is a lunatic.
Or they are knowingly trying to scam people,
which makes them a liar.
LIBBY: Neither of these is consistent with being
a good teacher, or a nice guy.
So, since Jesus is clearly neither a lunatic nor a liar,
He is truly Lord, the Son of God.
KAI: The humanity and divinity of Jesus united in one body
is what the Church calls The Hypostatic Union.
(gospel choir raising voices in unison)
Throughout the years, many heresies have sprung
from attempts to explain the relationships
of these human and divine natures in Jesus.
A heresy, FYI, is doubting part of the Christian faith
while still calling yourself a Christian.
LIBBY: Let's see, there's Nestorianism.
KAI: Which claimed that the human Christ was born
in union with, but separate from, God.
LIBBY: And Adoptionism.
KAI: Which held that Jesus was born a normal human,
but given supernatural powers,
and adopted as the Son of God,
after proving His devotion to God's will.
LIBBY: Then there's Docetism, which thought that matter was evil,
therefore Jesus's body was only an illusion.
KAI: On the other hand, there was Arianism.
LIBBY: Where Jesus was divine,
but something God the Father created,
and therefore is subordinate to Him.
KAI: And Monophysitism.
LIBBY: Which taught that Jesus was human
until He got replaced by a divine nature.
KAI: But in the end, for hundreds of years,
the Catholic Church has affirmed that
Jesus is the Word of God, and has existed
as one of the persons of the Trinity for all time,
with two distinct natures in one.
Fully human, and fully divine.
LIBBY: This might all sound technical but it's really important.
If Jesus is only human, He has no real moral authority,
and was lying when He talked about forgiving sins.
If he's only God, not human, His death
and resurrection are meaningless.
It was just a show, and not real suffering.
KAI: So that brings us to the question, why and how
do Catholics think it's possible
to have a real and dynamic relationship with someone
who lived 2000 years ago?
LIBBY: The simple answer is the fullness of life
they find in Christ.
KAI: Catholics believe that Jesus sends the Holy Spirit
to make Himself present in our lives today.
For Catholics, Christ reveals our true selves by showing
that all of us are completely and unconditionally loved.
And that transformation is possible.
LIBBY: All of us have wounds, and Catholics believe
we can all find in Jesus something that we need
in order to be whole.
If you feel hopeless, you can seek out His love and mercy.
KAI: If you feel haunted by shame, look to Jesus
to forgive you and transform you.
LIBBY: If you struggle with compulsion or addiction,
Christ may be a liberator.
Someone who conquered the ultimate enemy: death.
KAI: And if you think that Christianity is only for the meek,
look to the revolutionary Jesus who challenged social norms
and scandalized people with what He did and said.
LIBBY: Catholics also believe Jesus is present
in the word of Scripture and in the Sacraments,
especially the Eucharist.
KAI: The Church teaches that having a relationship with Christ
means imitating the love He shows us as best we can.
LIBBY: As humans, we fail.
But the beautiful thing about what Catholics believe
is that Christ still loves us,
even in our failures.
(crowd cheering)
KAI: And as we get closer to Jesus,
we get closer to who we truly are.
For Catholic Central, I'm Kai.
LIBBY: And I'm Libby.
Thanks for watching.
KAI: So, have you decided which picture's your favorite?
LIBBY: Oh, yeah, I think I like Rock n' Roll Jesus the best.
He has kind eyes.
(power guitar chord)
(upbeat music)