Apples of Gold
Radio Script for June 16, 2008
“Can Jesus Be Just a Wise Moral Teacher?”
Hello, I’m Doug Apple…with Apples of Gold.
He’s a young man, and here is what he said about Jesus – that he was a wise moral teacher.
Yes, he had many wise sayings, like Confucius, but he was not all that Christians make him out to be.
Here’s the problem with that. The same book that contains Jesus’ wise moral teachings also contains his outrageous claims.
So who is Jesus really? Let’s start by looking at what he said about himself.
In Matthew 26 Jesus was on trial before the high priest. The high priest said, “I charge you under oath by the living God: Tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.”
So this is not some offhanded comment Jesus is about to make. It’s not something he whispered to his buddies around a campfire. He is about to answer the question while under oath in a hearing with the high priest. His answer will have serious consequences.
Here is what he said when asked if he was the Christ, the Son of God. “Yes, it is as you say.”
And if that wasn’t outrageous enough, he added, “In the future you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.”
With that answer his trial was over. He was condemned to death on the charge of speaking blasphemy.
But it wasn’t the only time Jesus made outrageous claims about himself. He was constantly doing it.
For example, one time he told the Jews, “Before Abraham was born, I am.” That about got him stoned.
In John 17 he prayed, “And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.”
Now you need to know that Jesus often referred to himself as the “Son of Man.”
In John 3 Jesus talked interchangeably about the Son of Man and the Son of God.
He said that the Son of Man came from heaven, and that he was God’s one and only son.
He said, “I am from above…I am not of this world.”
He said that everyone who believed in him would have eternal life.
He said things like, “the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”
He said that the Son of Man would come in the clouds one day, with power and great glory, and “gather his elect from the four winds…”
He said that the holy angels would appear with him, and that all the nations would be gathered before him.
He said he had authority on earth to forgive sins.
He said, “One greater than the temple is here,” and “one greater than Jonah is here,” and “one greater than Solomon is here.”
He said, “I am the bread of life,” and “I am the living bread that came down from heaven,” and “I am the light of the world,” and “I am the good shepherd,” and “I am the way, the truth and the life.”
He said he was teacher and prophet and Lord.
He said that heaven and earth would pass away, but that his words would never pass away.
So far so good on that one.
Pilate asked him if he was the king of the Jews and Jesus said, “Yes, it is as you say.” Then he added, “My kingdom is not of this world…my kingdom is from another place.”
He kept talking about how he would be killed, then rise from the dead on the third day.
In Luke 24 he referred to himself as “the Christ.”
So in addition to Jesus’ wise moral teaching, he also made many outrageous claims about himself.
And this is where it gets sticky. How can you call Jesus a wise moral teacher, when so much of what he taught was outrageous?
I like how C.S. Lewis broke it down. He said we have three choices about Jesus, that he is either a liar, a lunatic, or Lord. Either he made all those claims falsely, knowing they weren’t true, making him a liar, and not very moral. Or he made all those claims falsely, but actually believed them, making him a lunatic. Or the third option is that his claims were true, and that he really is the Lord, the Christ, the Son of God and Savior of the World.
So make your choice: liar, lunatic, or Lord. Jesus is one of those. But here is one category he just can’t be put in, and that’s the category of just a wise moral teacher.
Comments?
E-mail me: dougapple@wave94.com.
May God bless you today! With Apples of Gold…I’m Doug Apple.
© 2008 The Arrow’s Tip
To subscribe to your own daily “Apples of Gold” e-mail, write dougapple@wave94.com.
If you want to be removed from this e-mail list, simply click reply and type UNSUBSCRIBE on the subject line.
If you want to catch “Apples of Gold” in its original audio format, go to www.wave94.com
To search through the large archive of past articles, go here: http://www.wave94.com/modules.php?name=Stories_Archive
If you have trouble reaching me at my main e-mail address, try this one: douglas_apple@msn.com
(Proverbs 25:11 – “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.”)
Why “The Arrow’s Tip”? Each morning, after diligently seeking the Lord, I write Apples of Gold. Then before I release it to the public I pray one final prayer, “Lord, send forth your arrows.” I envision Apples of Gold as arrows, tips dipped in the river of the water of life that flows from the throne of God (Rev. 22:1), sailing toward the hearts and minds of men and women around the world.
Doug Apple
General Manager - Wave 94
Christian Radio for Tallahassee
PO Box 4105
Tallahassee, FL 32315
(850) 926-8000
-vi-
No comments:
Post a Comment