Chapter 17
Character of Jesus

17.1 Jesus was rude. He didn’t wait for an invitation to a fellow’s house but invited himself.

"Go into the city to a certain man and tell him, ‘…I am going to celebrate the Passover with my disciples at your house.’" Mt 26:18

17.2 Jesus operated on a double standard. In violating his own curse, he was in danger of damnation.

"But anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell." Mt 5:22

"You blind fools!" Mt 23:17

"You foolish people!" Lk 11:40

17.3 Jesus considered himself above Jewish law. He ignored it as well as his own maxim.

"If anyone curses his father or mother, he must be put to death." Lev 20:9

"Honor thy father and mother." Mt 15:4

"[Mother], what have I to do with you?" Jn 2:4

"If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother…he cannot be my disciple." Lk 14:26

17.4 Jesus was a liar. He told the Pharisees he’d be buried three days, but he told the thief he’ll be with him in Paradise the day of the crucifixion.

"…the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth." Mt 12.40

"I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise." Lk 23:43

17.5 Jesus either lied by saying that the girl was only sleeping, or he allowed people to falsely credit him with a miracle (if she was really sleeping, then he didn’t resurrect her).

"My daughter is even now dead: but come and lay thy hand upon her, and she shall live." Mt 9:18

"Give place: for the maid is not dead, but sleepeth." Mt 9:24

"And the fame hereof went abroad into all that land." Mt 9:26

17.6 Jesus was a hypocrite. He denounced those who call people names.

"Love your enemies, bless those who curse you" Mt 5:44

Then he did it himself.

"You brood of vipers…" Mt 12:34

"You blind fools!" Mt 23:17

"…hypocrites!…You are full of hypocrisy and wickedness…You hypocrites!" Mt 23:27-29

"All who ever came before me were thieves and robbers." Jn 10:8

17.7 Jesus said not to call people fools.

"…whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire." Mt 5:22

But Jesus, himself, called people fools.

"Ye fools and blind…" Mt 23:17

"Ye fools…" Lk 11:40

"Then he said unto them, O fools…" Lk 24:25

17.8 Jesus was hypocritical again. He did what he told his disciples not to do.

"Do not…enter any town of the Samaritans." Mt 10:5-6

"[Jesus] passed through the midst of Samaria…" Lk 17:11

"Then cometh [Jesus] to a city of Samaria which is called Sychar…and he abode there two days." Jn 4:5-40

17.9 Jesus acted like a Clintonite politician, ignoring the brave words he preached.

"Be not afraid of them that kill the body." Lk 12:4

"After these things Jesus walked in Galilee: for he would not walk in Jewry, because the Jews sought to kill him." Jn 7:1

"Then took they up stones to cast at him: but Jesus hid himself." Jn 8:59

"They sought again to take him: but he escaped out of their hand." Jn 10:39

"Aware [that the Pharisees plotted to kill him], Jesus withdrew from that place." Mt 12:14-16

"When you are persecuted in one place, flee to another." Mt 10:23

"Jesus could no longer enter a town openly but stayed outside in lonely places." Mk 1:45

"Jesus, knowing that they intended to…make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself." Jn 6:15

"…they plotted to take his life. Therefore Jesus no longer moved about publicly among the Jews. Instead he withdrew to a region near the desert…" Jn 11:53-54

17.10 Jesus was a thief and vandal. His virtuous band stole corn, and he killed livestock. Perhaps he should also have been charged with animal cruelty.

"…[Jesus] went through the corn fields; and his disciples plucked the ears of corn, and did eat…" Lk 6:1-4

"…and they besought [Jesus] that he would suffer [many devils] to enter into [a herd of swine]. And he suffered them. Then went the devils out of the man, and entered into the swine: and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the lake, an were choked." Lk 8:32,33

17.11 Jesus deceived us in claiming that his prayers had a special impact with God. He prayed for Peter’s faith to endure, but Peter’s faith failed at the critical time when he denied Jesus.

"But I have prayed for thee [Peter], that thy faith fail not…" Lk 22:32

"And [Peter] denied him, saying, Woman, I know him not." Lk 22:57

17.12 Jesus played favorites.

"Let the children [the Jews] first be filled: for it is not meet to take the children’s bread, and to cast it unto the dogs [the Gentiles]." Mk 7:27

17.13 Jesus looked down upon humanity as inferior beings to be treated like animals.

"How much then is a man better than a sheep? Mt 12:12

"I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep…and I lay down my life for the sheep. " Jn 10:11,15

"…because you are not of my sheep. My sheep hear my voice. Jn 10:26,27

17.14 Either Jesus was a liar, or he tried to con the audience, or he was ignorant of the facts of biology and, therefore, cannot have been speaking for God. A mustard seed is not the smallest seed, the largest herb, or a tree.

"…a grain of mustard seed…Which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof." Mt 13:31,32

17.15 Jesus bought his followers by promising them earthly rewards, rewards they did not receive.

"There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel’s, But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses…and lands…" Mk 10:29,30

17.16 Jesus promoted the sin of self-love as the standard of behavior toward one’s neighbor. Alternatively, self-loathing allowed one to despise everyone else also. What good is this rule as a standard of behavior?

"…love your neighbor as yourself." Lk 10:25-28

17.17 Okay, you say, even if Jesus wasn’t perfect, we should still be able to overlook the obvious mythology and embellishments and use Jesus as an example of a good and noble human being. Even creationists have a problem with this.

"I’m trying to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Jesus, i.e., ‘I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept His claim to be God.’ That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would be either a lunatic…or else he would be the Devil of Hell…Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon, or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come up with any patronizing nonsense about His being just a great human teacher. He has not left that option open to us. He did not intend to." (Lindsey, 86,87)