Comments on: What Came “After Jesus?” CNN’s Take on the Question http://www.levitt.com/news/2008/12/01/what-came-after-jesus-cnns-take-on-the-question/ Important articles that didn't make the Levitt Letter Tue, 07 Feb 2012 21:15:22 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Servetus the Evangelical http://www.levitt.com/news/2008/12/01/what-came-after-jesus-cnns-take-on-the-question/comment-page-1/#comment-10569 Servetus the Evangelical Sat, 22 Aug 2009 20:59:10 +0000 http://www.levitt.com/news/?p=911#comment-10569 With all due respect, Mr. Mohler is incorrect in saying, "The New Testament claims that it was Jesus' claims to deity that were, at least in part, what led some Jews to demand His crucifixion." Most distinguished New Testament scholars deny that Jesus ever claimed to be deity in any of his New Testament gospel sayings. And the Johannine Jesus' statement, "I and the Father are one" (John 10.30), certainly is not such a claim but merely the acknowledgment of a unity between the two regarding Jesus' mission. As for Jesus saying, "He who has seen me has seen the Father," he only meant that "I am in the Father and the Father is in me" (John 14.9-11). God in Christ is not the same as Christ being God. Neither did Jews demand Jesus' crucifixion on the basis that he claimed to be God. If so, this allegation would have been brought forth at his interrogation before the Sanhedrin. Such an allegation would have been far more substantial to Jews than the high priest merely asking Jesus if he was "the Christ, the Son of God." And Jesus being the Son of God is certainly not synonymous with his being God. On two occasions, Jews had earlier accused the Johannine Jesus of making himself out to be God (John 5.18; 10.34). But in both cases he denied their charge (5.19-47; 10.36), so that they never made this allegation when the Sanhedrin interrogated him. With all due respect, Mr. Mohler is incorrect in saying, “The New Testament claims that it was Jesus’ claims to deity that were, at least in part, what led some Jews to demand His crucifixion.” Most distinguished New Testament scholars deny that Jesus ever claimed to be deity in any of his New Testament gospel sayings. And the Johannine Jesus’ statement, “I and the Father are one” (John 10.30), certainly is not such a claim but merely the acknowledgment of a unity between the two regarding Jesus’ mission. As for Jesus saying, “He who has seen me has seen the Father,” he only meant that “I am in the Father and the Father is in me” (John 14.9-11). God in Christ is not the same as Christ being God.

Neither did Jews demand Jesus’ crucifixion on the basis that he claimed to be God. If so, this allegation would have been brought forth at his interrogation before the Sanhedrin. Such an allegation would have been far more substantial to Jews than the high priest merely asking Jesus if he was “the Christ, the Son of God.” And Jesus being the Son of God is certainly not synonymous with his being God.

On two occasions, Jews had earlier accused the Johannine Jesus of making himself out to be God (John 5.18; 10.34). But in both cases he denied their charge (5.19-47; 10.36), so that they never made this allegation when the Sanhedrin interrogated him.

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