Jesus: More Than a Just Good Man
Devotions for Growing Christians
Jesus: More Than a Just Good Man
John 10:33 – ”They replied, “We’re stoning you not for any good work, but for blasphemy! You, a mere man, claim to be God.”
John 10:20 – “Some said, “He’s demon possessed and out of his mind. Why listen to a man like that?”
John 20:28 – “’My Lord and my God!’ Thomas exclaimed.”
Have you ever heard someone say they believe Jesus “was just a good man.” In other words, they believe He existed and that His intentions were honorable. He helped a lot of people and He offered wholesome moral teachings… but they don’t believe He was God.
Many unbelievers actually fall into this category. When confronted with the claims of Christ, they take a middle-of-the-road position. To the average unbeliever, this may sound like a reasonable, but in reality, this way of thinking is totally illogical. Either Jesus was who He claimed to be, or He was not a good person! If Jesus wasn’t God, then He either intentionally lied and deceived many people -- or else He mentally ill and delusional.
As Christians, we know Jesus is more than a good man - He is our Lord! He’s not only Lord by faith, but He’s Lord by logic! The logical and reasonable conclusion when considering the claims of Christ is to acknowledge Jesus as Lord. If a person takes the time to examine the life and statements of Jesus, only the following five possible rational choices can be made:
Jesus is only a legend.
Jesus was only a great human leader.
Jesus was mentally unstable.
Jesus was a liar.
Or - Jesus Christ is Lord!
Obviously other far-out ideas (like Jesus was an “extraterrestrial spirit being” or a “phantom”) are unreasonable. So let's take a closer look at the five rational options, the the path of logic involved in the diagram below.
Legend
Very few people believe that Jesus is only a legend. There's just too much historical evidence for His existence. Four authors of New Testament books record the life of Jesus, and many early Christian writings also document His life. Some of the most trusted non-Christian historians/writers of the 1st century (such as Josephus and Tacitus) also mention Jesus. In ancient times, even the opponents of Christianity never doubted the historicity of Jesus.
Legends also typically require time to develop and gain credibility. In this case, however, within just twenty years of Jesus' death, new churches were widespread, Christian doctrine had developed, and some Christ-followers had been martyred. Would Jesus' disciples have been willing martyrs for a story they knew was completely false?
Of course, there will always be some people who deny the evidence and continue to believe that Jesus was only a legend. After all, there are even a few people still around that believe in a flat earth! To believe that Jesus is just a legend is not a reasonable option. The historical evidence for His existence is too overwhelming.
Leader
Acknowledging that Jesus is more than a legend is not difficult for most people. However, it's still not easy for them to accept that Jesus is God and the only way of salvation for mankind. If Jesus had not made those claims, then He would have been just a wonderful human leader who lived a life of selfless service for others. This is the position that most non-Christians prefer to take. But is this option reasonable?
The problem with this viewpoint is that Bible says that Jesus did claim to be God, and solid evidence shows the biblical documents to be very reliable. The time gap between the life of Jesus and the earliest written New Testament documents is quite short, probably less than 20 years. So the Gospels were written within the life span of people who interacted with Jesus. They saw Him. They heard Him. They knew Him -- both believers and unbelievers.
Is it possible that the early Christians could have effectively spread “fake news” about Jesus to so many people who actually knew Him, or knew about Him? If Jesus had not claimed to be God, eyewitnesses would have accused the authors of the gospels of lying and putting false words into the mouth of Jesus. However, as far back as we can trace, no one who knew Jesus ever challenged the claims of Jesus recorded in the gospel record.
Jesus made some radical statements about His deity. In fact, His claims to be the Messiah are often interwoven with His great moral and ethical teachings (which most people accept as true and noble sayings). It’s unreasonable to attempt to separate these teachings.
For example, in His Beatitudes, Jesus said, "Blessed are the poor," and "Blessed are the meek" (Matthew 5:3,5). But He also said, "Blessed are you when you are insulted and persecuted on account of Me" (Matthew 5:11). He even offered a reward in Heaven for such persecution (Matthew 5:12)! Could a mere “good human leader” legitimately make such an offer?
There’s no basis for accepting the "ethical sayings" of Jesus as historical, but then rejecting His claims to Deity as non-historical creations. The historical evidence overwhelmingly favors the position that Jesus also claimed to be God. The position that Jesus was just a great human leader is not a logical option. Truly great human leaders don't make false claims about being God.
Liar or Mentally Unstable
At this point a person must decide, “Was Jesus’ claim to be God true, or was it a false claim?” If it was a true claim, then the conclusion is obvious: Jesus is Lord! If it was a false claim, then it was an outrageous lie. If Jesus was a liar, then the 1st century Jews were right when they accused Him of blasphemy (see John 10:33).
But some people would say that Jesus wasn't deliberately lying. They would say He really did think He was God, but He was mistaken. If that was the case, then He was delusional. If Jesus made the false claim that He was God, then He was either a liar or He was mentally ill. These are the only two logical options.
If Jesus was a liar, then He was a very unusual liar. Liars have a pattern of frequent lying - especially to protect themselves. They wouldn't stick to their false story if they were facing Roman crucifixion! Some people have bravely died for a lie, but at least they thought it was the truth. If Jesus was a liar, then He suffered through the most painful death for what He knew was a lie.
Habitual liars typically have other character flaws. They don't have the dignity and authority that the historical records attribute to Jesus. Liars also tend to be self-seeking, but Jesus was just the opposite! He consistently cared for, and served others. Jesus doesn’t fit the mold of a liar in any logical way.
The same basic argument could be used for Jesus being delusional. Persons who are mentally ill typically exhibit abnormal personalities and unusual behavior. Some mentally ill people think that they’re God, but they also display unbalanced and even schizophrenic behavior patterns. Jesus, on the other hand, was composed and in control of Himself. Massive crowds of people followed Jesus and listened in awe to His words. Little children were attracted to Him. Jesus’ disposition and balanced personality were certainly not the traits of an unbalanced person. It’s illogical to believe that Jesus was mentally unstable.
Jesus is LORD!
If logic excludes the legend, leader, liar or delusional ideas, there’s only one option left. Jesus Christ proclaimed the truth when He claimed to be God. He is God, and He is LORD! The historical evidence about His life certainly backs up His claim to be God. Jesus Christ is logically Lord!
At this point, the deity and Lordship of Jesus Christ can be accepted or rejected. Even after being convinced of the logic, many people refuse to believe Jesus and trust in Him as Savior and Lord. How much better to agree with sound logic and confess—just as “doubting Thomas” did—that Jesus is "my Lord and my God" (John 20:28)!
- Dave Reid
(Updated 2022, Ron Reid)