Apologetics: How the words of Jesus reveal his Divinity
Quality - Jesus’ Divine Origin
Many religious texts and many wise authors throughout history have spoken words that make a great impression. But the moral wisdom and spiritual depth of Jesus’ words and teachings is without equal throughout all of literature and history.
What Jesus’ words point towards, in their quality and moral excellence, is Jesus’ divine origin.
For some philosophers may have come close to the kingdom of heaven, but Jesus’ sayings exceed infinitely the words of the greatest philosophers of mankind ever since the beginning of the world in their truthfulness and perfection, for Jesus’ words are perfect.
For instance the sayings of Confucius (500BC) on righteousness include: “Do not do to others what you don’t want to be done to you,” a saying that also exists in the apocryphal book of Tobit (~200BC), in the form: “Do to no man that which you hate.”
But Jesus was the first philosopher or wise man — and He was greater than any philosopher or wise man — to rephrase the saying in positive terms: “Do unto others what you would have them do unto you.”
Let me use an author who might seem to be an unlikely example of both the principle that no poet is Jesus’ equal, and that whoever writes a great thing in Christendom does so because he is inspired by Jesus: the example of Oscar Wilde, the 19th century English author and playwright.
Wilde is very quotable – particularly his humorous passages – and in that vein he wrote or said two or three things that are unforgettable, such as, “I have nothing to declare except my genius,” a statement of great egotism, but one that makes us laugh because it implies irony and self-mockery as well, and that’s what makes it so memorable, like so many of his sayings.
“True friends stab you in the front.” - Wilde’s pithy version of the Biblical proverb, “Better is open rebuke than hidden love. Faithful are the wounds of a friend; profuse are the kisses of an enemy.” Proverbs 27:5-6,
And another of Wilde’s that always makes me laugh: “Always forgive your enemies; nothing annoys them so much.”
[Addendum 30/9/22 - some readers might not know that this saying of Wilde’s has its origin in Jesus’ words in Luke 6:27 “But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you”, Mark 11:25 “And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses”, and Matthew 6:14-15 “For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”]
But there is in Wilde’s writing that superficial, selfish, hedonistic strain, “everything in moderation, including moderation”, “anyone who lives within their means suffers from a lack of imagination,” “I can resist everything except temptation.”— again it is unclear whether this boastful self-indulgence is pride or self-mockery and this conflict is the very source and engine of his humour I think — until the darkest time in his life, when he wrote De Profundis, the letter from prison, in which he speaks of his suffering under a particularly odious type of Victorian prison regime, one in which they kept the prisoners in masks when together and otherwise in solitary confinement, a Covid-like lockdown designed to completely break these poor inmates’ spirits, but in that deprivation Wilde writes from his suffering about the uniqueness of Jesus, .
The imaginative element in Christ's personality makes Him the pulse and centre of romanticism. The strange tropes in the poetic drama and in many ballads are produced by the imagination of others, but Jesus of Nazareth created Himself, as it were, by the power of His own imagination. The prophecy of Isaiah had in reality no more to do with Christ's appearance than the song of the nightingale has to do with the rising of the moon; no more, no less. Christ disappointed as many expectations as He fulfilled. Bacon says: "Some strange symmetry lies in all beauty," and Christ says of those who are born in the spirit, that is, who are dynamic forces like He Himself, that they are like unto the wind which "bloweth where it listeth and no man can tell whence it cometh and whither it goeth."
[ addendum 30/9/22: Despite Wilde’s poeticism, the most poetic and beautiful and true part of this passage is Wilde’s quote of Jesus’ words (as translated in the KJV). Here is the context of the passage from John’s gospel, (BSB) - Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh is born of flesh, but spirit is born of the Spirit. Do not be amazed that I said, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes. You hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” John 3 :5-8 ]
And the prophecy of Isaiah by the way, that Wilde references is one that every speaker of English in the Nineteenth century would have recognised immediately, they would have known the passage Wilde was talking about, but today, men and women have become so ignorant of their Bibles that I feel I must quote it for you:
He had no form or majesty that we should look at Him,
and no beauty that we should desire Him.
He was despised and rejected by men,
a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief;
and as one from whom men hide their faces
He was despised, and we esteemed Him not.Surely He has borne our griefs
and carried our sorrows;
yet we esteemed Him stricken,
smitten by God, and afflicted. Isaiah 53: 2-4
This prophecy, written around 700 years before Christ (i.e. Messiah), describes the sufferings of Jesus (His name in Hebrew is Yeshua, meaning Saviour). (Look at Psalm 22 for an even more vivid example, written 1000 years before Christ)
The Isaiah prophecy, predicting the sufferings of Jesus, inspired Wilde’s account of his own sufferings.
In fact it is undeniable that Jesus inspired, either directly or indirectly, many of the greatest works of European literature and art in the era of Christendom (I define Christendom as circa 300AD with the reign of Emperor Constantine, to 1967AD, when the gentiles no longer trampled Jerusalem ).
To name just a few: Les Miserables, by Victor Hugo (inspired by the ideas of compassion and love for your neighbour espoused by Jesus), Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (the fundamental theme of this novel is, “Judge not, lest ye be judged,” one of Jesus’ sayings), even Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment which is inspired by the Christian concept of grace, Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities, a story about a sacrifice, that is not dissimilar to Christ’s sacrifice for the world, Dante’s Inferno and Paradiso, inspired by the entire Christian story of creation, to Shakespeare’s Sonnets, which ultimately become an expression of the Christian idea of agapé, unconditional (divine) love.
And we mustn’t forget the more modern examples, exception in twentieth century literature rather than the rule: the Narnia children’s series of C S Lewis, inspired by the gospel itself, and J R R Tolkien’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, both expressions of Tolkien’s literary philosophy of eucatastrophe, of which the supreme example is the death and resurrection of Jesus.
But what about those great works of literature or philosophy that are not inspired by Jesus or Christianity, great works of art from other cultures? Are there not people who wrote great works without knowing Christ?
The Buddhist Mahayana scriptures, in English translation admittedly, give an impression of spiritual depth, and Buddha has a great reputation for simplicity. Reading the Mahayana scriptures, however, anyone familiar with the New Testament and the words of Jesus expects a simpler text, something more humble or at least more accessible to simple people as well as the knowledgeable, in other words, more like Jesus’ parables, but the Mahayana scriptures are philosophical, much more intellectual than that. Jesus spoke with such simplicity that a child can understand what He says.
The Bhagavad-Gita, the dialogue between Arjuna the prince and Krishna the god about human suffering, is impressive and beautiful and edifying, but what Westerners reading this dialogue may not realise at first reading is that it presupposes the caste system as an inevitable and normal part of society. A god who accepts such blatant injustices as normal is a god who is not the God of the Bible, who saved the Israelites from slavery and was the comfort of the African American slaves before the great and melancholy Christian, President Abraham Lincoln, freed them; no, the god of castes is not the god the West knew, for in the one true God there is “no darkness at all;” indeed, the god of the caste system is a god no one can accept who is content to set his sights far lower than the Divine and merely treasures the Democratic ideals of equality, fraternity and liberty.
And so, finding that religion without Jesus fails us, one might turn to philosophy for a dispassionate morality that relies on human rationality: but in the history of the world before the leaven of Jesus’ teachings spread through society even the greatest moral and religious philosophers have great moral failings that mar their works, like a dark, ugly stain on a clean sheet of linen, or bread that fails to rise, for lack of yeast.
For instance Plato’s vast philosophical exposition of the views of Socrates is a marvellous, wonderful series of works, until the reader discovers that several of his dialogues, Symposium and Phaedrus, speak favourably of pederasty.
Ghandi, likewise, to take a twentieth century example, to put it subtly, misused his relationship with his grand-nieces, and all that is well documented; he was a Hindu who found inspiration in the teachings of Jesus, filtered partly through Tolstoy’s writings about non-violence, but Ghandi never acknowledged Jesus as Lord, and eventually, his religious sensibility was corrupted by certain religious practices that in retrospect seem completely odious to us today.
There is no such disappointment either in the life of Jesus or in His words. His words contain only the noblest ideals and the records of Jesus’ actions in the eye-witness testimonies of his life, written by those who knew him or collected from the eyewitnesses, which are recorded in the gospels, and these contain only excellent examples, with no disappointments and no failures, even after two thousand years.
Indeed, Jesus’ sayings, out of all moral philosophers or religious teachers, are those that promise the most dire consequences of any for those who abuse the trust of these little ones:
And whoever welcomes a little child like this in My name welcomes Me. But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him to have an ox grindstone [the largest type of grindstone] hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea. Woe to the world for the causes of sin. These stumbling blocks must come, but woe to the man through whom they come! Matthew 18:5-7
Indeed, the words and commands of Jesus cast light on every situation in life, without ever descending into the self-righteous or shallowly sentimental.
Indeed, Jesus’ sayings frequently turn the world’s point of view on its head, like the distant sound of a song echoing from another, better world, a song that somehow escapes from heaven and brings an unearthly joy and purity into this dark, sorrowful world.
The Beatitudes, for instance, in Matthew’s Sermon on the Mount, turn upside down every presumption about what blessedness means in a world where riches, happiness, plenteousness, and vengeance are praised, and where the meek are seen as foolish and those who grieve as an influence promoting negativity.
He said:
“Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. Matthew 5:1-12
Every single word that Jesus spoke recorded in the New Testament, is full of unfathomable wisdom and depth, and is an influence towards goodness and gentleness and kindness and mercy. Even a saying that is mentioned in passing, that all the gospel writers forgot to include:
In everything I showed you that by working hard in this manner you must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He Himself said, 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.' Acts 20:35
Indeed, there are many other works of literature and philosophy and human religion that contain many wise words, but the sayings and parables and commandments of Jesus are notable for their infinite depth and wisdom, and for their complete uncompromising moral originality and integrity.
For instance, what other author or wise man ever came up with a short story with the depth and wisdom of the parable of the Prodigal Son?
Then Jesus said, “A man had two sons. The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of the estate that will belong to me.’ So he divided his assets between them. After a few days, the younger son gathered together all he had and left on a journey to a distant country, and there he squandered his wealth with a wild lifestyle. Then after he had spent everything, a severe famine took place in that country, and he began to be in need. So he went and worked for one of the citizens of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. He was longing to eat the carob pods the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything. But when he came to his senses he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired workers have food enough to spare, but here I am dying from hunger! I will get up and go to my father and say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; treat me like one of your hired workers.”’ So he got up and went to his father. But while he was still a long way from home his father saw him, and his heart went out to him; he ran and hugged his son and kissed him. Then his son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ But the father said to his slaves, ‘Hurry! Bring the best robe, and put it on him! Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet! Bring the fattened calf and kill it! Let us eat and celebrate, because this son of mine was dead, and is alive again—he was lost and is found!’ So they began to celebrate.
“Now his older son was in the field. As he came and approached the house, he heard music and dancing. So he called one of the slaves and asked what was happening. The slave replied, ‘Your brother has returned, and your father has killed the fattened calf because he got his son back safe and sound.’ But the older son became angry and refused to go in. His father came out and appealed to him, but he answered his father, ‘Look! These many years I have worked like a slave for you, and I never disobeyed your commands. Yet you never gave me even a goat so that I could celebrate with my friends! But when this son of yours came back, who has devoured your assets with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him!’ Then the father said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and everything that belongs to me is yours. It was appropriate to celebrate and be glad, for your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost and is found.’” Luke 15:11-32
Indeed, this celebration of a Father who loves his son, as we see in another parable earlier in the same chapter, is Jesus’ parabolic way of representing the rejoicing among the angels in heaven over even one sinner who repents and turns to God, who is a loving Father and a good Shepherd.
“Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbours together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent. Luke 15:3-7
It begs the question: who could know so intimately the attitudes and feelings of the inhabitants of heaven, except for One who came from heaven?
Rembrandt’s painting of Jesus’ parable of the prodigal son.