Fred Kingman
The most striking part about Jesus is that he is God. This is the biggest problem anyone had with him, that he claimed to be the author of their existence and sole image of triune God on earth.
This means Jesus is not your pet, not your bud and not your boss. He’s more significant than your parents, more powerful than the president and more transcendent than Taylor Swift.
And while some of us nod our head at this, or at least understand why our Christian friends believe this, most didn’t believe this about Jesus when he walked the earth. If you took a poll during his three years of his ministry, the vast majority would have said Jesus is not God and dead wrong. This is exemplified in John 10:24-33 CSB:
“The Jews surrounded him and asked, ‘How long are you going to keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.’ ‘I did tell you and you don’t believe,’ Jesus answered them. ‘The works that I do in my father’s name testify about me. But you don’t believe because you are not of my sheep. My sheep hear my voice, I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand. My father, who has given them to me, is greater than all. No one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the father are one.’
“Again the Jews picked up rocks to stone him. Jesus replied, ‘I have shown you many good works from the father. For which of these works are you stoning me?’ ‘We aren’t stoning you for a good work,’ the Jews answered, ‘but for blasphemy, because you – being a man – make yourself God.’”
The word “blasphemy” means to lie about God. It is to misrepresent/disrespect God by teaching falsely about him. The Heidelberg Catechism says, "no sin is greater or provokes God's wrath more than the blaspheming of his name.” Jesus is accused three times explicitly of this crime, but the irony was those who accused him were the ones blaspheming.
In the movie “A Few Good Men,” Col. Jessup covers up his role in the death of a Marine at Guantanamo Bay. In the famous scene (where Jack Nicholson yells “you can’t handle the truth!”), Jessup accuses Tom Cruise (as the naval lawyer who exposes him) of weakening America and putting lives in danger, when ironically Jessup did just that when he ordered the violent punishment of the Marine who eventually died.
These people blasphemed God when they accused Jesus, and we should note that what others say about Jesus is important, not because it’s true but because of the reaction Jesus created inside of others. And to be up front, Jesus didn’t prompt this reaction and wasn’t treated badly because of the nice things he did, but because he is God. And when God came to his people in his son Jesus, they didn't recognize and ultimately killed him through the Romans.
But being God, Jesus had the power to take back his life and he did just that, appearing to over 500 people after his resurrection, just 36 hours after his death. And in this we know Jesus wasn’t a blasphemer, but truly God himself. And if God died for our sins (including the sin of lying about who he is) then rose again, we know that if we believe we will rise again as well.
Fred Kingman is the spiritual formation pastor at LifePoint Church in Minden.