At the heart of Christian faith is the story of Jesus death and resurrection. (John Ortberg)
Thinking about the musings from Day 38: Jesus The Radical – Unpacking The Top Five…
I would submit to you that to be a follower of Jesus of Nazareth is to follow a radical lifestyle. And even though I listed 20 items that Jesus of Nazareth brought forward during his 3 years of ministry, (Day 37: The Solemn Oath), and from there went into greater detail with 5 of those 20, (Day 38: Jesus The Radical – Unpacking The Top Five), there is still something that needs to be addressed regarding the life of Jesus of Nazareth.
His death.
It is not his death per se, that separates Jesus of Nazareth from all of humanity, but more specifically, what happens 3 days after his death.
I would submit to you that the two most important dates regarding Jesus of Nazareth would be his birth and his death. I suppose that we both could gather information, set up a nice little stage and in the traditional, Lincoln-Douglass, back and forth debate style, discuss the merits of which day is more important for those who are followers of Jesus of Nazareth, the date of his birth or the date of his death.
In Day 33: The Basics Of Christianity, I would submit to you that Jesus of Nazareth was either a great man, a great teacher, and/or a great prophet. In Day 36: Jesus…The Outside, Independent Corroboration, I provided evidence from 3 well respected men in the Middle East region who came to similar conclusions regarding Jesus of Nazareth.
Although it goes without saying regarding the birth, both from the New Testament evidence combined with the outside, independent corroboration, there is little doubt that the birth of Jesus of Nazareth has greatly impacted humanity, both two thousand years ago, all the way up to today.
In other words, there is no disputing the historical fact that Jesus of Nazareth was a real human that walked planet Earth some 2,000 years ago.
Now, it is one thing to acknowledge that Jesus of Nazareth, who was born in a town called Bethlehem, over 2,000 years ago. It is another thing to acknowledge and then follow, his radical teachings that he presented during his 3 years of ministry.
In the end, we are still missing the most important component of the birth, life, and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth.
His death…and his resurrection, or coming back to life, after his death.
1 Corinthians 15:12-14 (KJV):
12 Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen: 14 And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain.
And there you have it.
In the end, nothing else matters. This is what matters: to be a follower of Jesus of Nazareth is to accept the fact that he rose from the dead.
Radical indeed….
So, the obvious question that needs to be asked is this:
Was Jesus of Nazareth resurrected or not?
Sounds like quite a dilemma doesn’t it?
Well, it’s not.
It’s actually a trilemma.
What exactly is a trilemma?
Two people have already answered that question. John Duncan and C.S. Lewis.
John Duncan was a Scottish, Christian preacher that lived from 1796 to 1870. Near the end of his life, he created the term ‘trilemma’, to help Christians better understand the profound impact the Jesus of Nazareth left humanity.
I would submit to you that this profound impact from over 2,000 years ago leaves a follower of Jesus of Nazareth in an interesting predicament. This predicament, or trilemma as Duncan formulated, can be narrowed down into 3 parts:
1) Jesus of Nazareth was a deceiver of mankind and knowingly committed fraud through his teachings;
2) Jesus of Nazareth himself was deceived or perhaps insane or;
3) Jesus of Nazareth was exactly who he said he was, and combined with the scriptures, was God in the flesh.
This is quite a different conclusion than viewing him as either: a great man, a great teacher, and/or a great prophet.
There really is no getting around this.
As C. S. Lewis so eloquently summarized the trilemma brought forth by John Duncan:
“Jesus was either a Liar, a Lunatic, or Lord.”
Imagine the looks you would receive from passers-by on the road if that was the bumper sticker you had on your automobile….
Jesus of Nazareth. A liar? A lunatic? Or Lord?
I believe that we can solve this trilemma after solving the most significant event in the history relating to Jesus of Nazareth:
His resurrection.
I believe that the resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth is binary in nature.
It either happened, or it didn’t:
1) If the resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth did happen, then he is in fact the Son of God, or Lord.
2) If the resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth did not happen, then he is human and nothing more.
So what is the answer?
How do we address the trilemma?
First, there is one more belief system, with well over 1 billion followers, that must be addressed before addressing the trilemma.
That will be covered next time.
Do not feel discouraged if you are having a difficult time believing in the resurrection of Jesus. Do not feel discouraged if you are still confused if Jesus is a Liar, a Lunatic, or Lord. Instead, embrace the idea that to question and to research and to come to a logical conclusion is part of the journey.
13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. (John 15:13 KJV)
Was today’s blog a little confusing at times? Was the content perhaps a little overwhelming? Did you feel lost not understanding some or most of the subject matter?
Those feelings are totally understandable and it is ok to have one or more of those feelings. Remember that you are reading Day 39: The Trilemma.
If you haven’t been in class since the first day of school…or when the project began…or when the contract was first signed, etc., these feelings make perfect and logistical sense.
Please feel free to go back to where all of this began: