The most important thing to know [about] Jesus. Is that he's gone
Jesus is the God man
There's been a tendency in recent years to reduce
Jesus to the level of a great teacher or a great prophet or guru?
Read much of the Christology of the last 30 or 40 [years] and you'll find that there's a hyper stress on the humanity of Jesus
Now jesus is human that's quite right, but the most important thing to know [about] him. Is that he's also
Divine
The Gospel of John we here in the beginning was the word [that]
[same] word by the way that has made the whole universe the word I spoke of earlier
That grounds the intelligibility of the world that's behind all the science of the world that same word who is God?
became Flesh in Jesus Christ
also [in] John's Gospel, Jesus says
before Abraham was I
Am and his I am there echoes the I am who I am of exodus 3:14, when moses said to God
What's your name, and he says I am who I am jesus echoes, then I am the bread of life
I am the good shepherd. I am the vine
before Abraham was I am
Philip
says Lord show us the father and
Jesus says have you been with me this long that you still don't know the one who sees me sees [the] father in
John's Gospel, it's explicitly laid out that Jesus is Divine
But the same is true in the [other] gospels [too], but they use a somewhat different symbol system
So we find for example, jesus heals the paralyzed man
And he said my son your sins are forgiven and the bystanders say well, who is this man? Only God can forgive sin?
Which is precisely the point mark is telling us there this Jesus is
God
He also says in the synoptic gospels
Unless You Love me
More than your mother and father more than your very life
You're not worthy of me
Well, that's breathtaking that's an extraordinary thing to say isn't it
You might imagine a religious teacher saying unless you love my teaching more than your mother and father unless you love God I
Can imagine any prophet or guru or teacher saying that but?
Jesus says unless you love me
More than the greatest goods in the world you're not worthy of me who could say that coherently
Except the one who is himself the highest good
One that I find fascinating is in the beginning of the sermon on the mount in Matthew's [gospel]. Jesus says blithely
You've heard it said
but I say
Well where have you heard it said in the Torah?
Well the torah [for] first century Jew that's the highest
Authority there is because the Torah was seen as the [word] of God quite rightly
Who is this galilean prophet to say well? You've heard it said there, but I say
Claiming authority even over the Torah who could do that except the one who is himself
The author of the Torah that's why we hear that language. We take it for granted. [that's] breathtaking
[business] up and down
The gospels you hear this affirmation
also in Paul
Of course the paul line letters precede the gospels
They're written somewhere in the decade of [the] 50s probably in the first century. What do you find over it again in Paul?
Jaysus Kurios in his Greek. Jesus is the Lord Jesus is the lord well, that's cold
Paul was
[Shallow] right Saul who studied at the feet [of] gamaliel the greatest Rabbi of the time he knew the old testament through and through?
What's basic in the old testament is?
Adonai Lord is A
term used exclusively of God and so when Paul
Who knew that tradition back and forth it was in his bones in his blood when Paul said?
Jesus is Lord. He
[knew] just what he was saying and he knew how strange and radical it was that this Jesus
is
God
that's the most important thing that we know about the Lord and
[I] had push a little bit further
That's why Jesus compels a choice in the way that no [other] founder does
Muhammad to his infinite credit
Never claimed to be [gone]
Muhammad said I'm a messenger. [I] received a message from God
Moses to [his] infinite credit never claimed to be divine
Moses had received the law from God have gave it to the people the buddha to his infinite credit never claimed to be divine
What he said was I found a way
Then there's Jesus
Who doesn't say I found a way?
He says I am the way
How strange that is he doesn't say I found a truth let me tell you about it. [I]?
Am the truth he didn't say hey, there's this new mode [of] life that I've discovered let me share with I
am the life
Those claims are the unique
Treasure of Christianity and therefore as I said they compel a choice
Either as Jesus himself said either you're with me or you're against me
If Jesus is who he says he is I?
Must give my whole life to him. He's gone. He's the highest good
if he's not who he says he is
He's a bad man
You can find that by the way in the apologetic tradition of catholicism
Out Davis out [Mallos] homo that means either. He's gone or he's a bad man, and you got to decide
Either you Gather with me or you scatter either?
You're with me or you're against me, and there is the gospel the gospel is the good news about this Jesus
and it compels on the part of those who hear it a
Decision a choice. I think that's the most important thing we know about Jesus