Do The Four Gospels Teach That Jesus Is God?

Do The Four Gospels Teach That Jesus Is God?

Brett A. Todd

Do the four Gospels teach that Jesus is God?  Growing up in an Evangelical denomination, it was a well-established belief that not only did the Gospels teach that Jesus was God, but the whole Bible did, including the Hebrew Scriptures (The Old Testament).  But as we take a closer look at the Bible, we find this is not true.  Let’s take a look.

The earliest Gospel is Mark. Scholars generally agree this Gospel was written around 65 to 70 CE.  [Just a little side note, I date all of these Gospels later, either way, Mark is our earliest Gospel.] In the Gospel of Mark, there is little if any discussion regarding Jesus' divinity. This is not to say that the author of Mark didn't believe Jesus was divine.  For Matthew (80-85 CE), again, little if anything is said.  Some have wondered whether the use of the designation, “Son of God” (Matthew 27:54) might refer to Jesus’ divinity, but it is important to understand Matthew was writing to a Jewish audience who would not understand “Son of God” as referring to Jesus’ divinity.  Instead, for these Jews, “Son of God” was an expression of one’s godlikeness.  So no, Matthew does not say much, if anything, regarding Jesus’ divinity.  Luke (80-85 CE) is a little different in that he sees Jesus' virgin birth as referring to his divinity because God is Jesus’ real father, but Luke does not explain what he means by this (Luke 1:35). It is possible, that Luke was only repeating what he had read or heard without any real meaning behind the designation, “Son of God”.

The Gospel of John (90-95 CE) takes a big step forward in the discussion of Jesus’ divinity.  As we have already noted, the Gospel of John is a maverick Gospel in many ways.  One could say it is a much more developed theology in that it proclaims Jesus as God and equal with God.  In John 1:1 we read these words, “In the beginning was the Word (Jesus), and the Word (Jesus) was with God, and the Word (Jesus) was God.” Furthermore, in John 8:58, Jesus himself claims to be God, by using God’s divine name,  “I am” (ἐγὼ εἰμί). This is how this verse reads, “Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, before Abraham was, I am” (Emphasis added).  Not only does the Gospel of John teach that Jesus is God, but it also gives us multiply references where Jesus declares that he is God.

    30 CE           65 - 70 CE    80-85 CE 80-85 CE     90-95  CE

Jesus’ Death --------->Mark---------> Matthew-----> Luke--------> John

What is interesting about all of this is that the further away you get from Jesus' death the more you hear about Jesus' divinity.  Again, the Gospel of Mark, our oldest Gospel never clearly mentions Jesus' divinity, the Gospel of Matthew does not say much of anything, and Luke makes small references to Jesus’ divinity but does not explain what he means.  The Gospel of John, on the other hand, which *scholars believe was written after all these other Gospels, from the get-go (John 1:1), declared that Jesus is God, back by Jesus declaring to others that he is God.

[*I'm of the opinion that John was not necessarily written later than Matthew or Luke, rather, what makes John stand out from the other Gospels is simply its philosophical genre. We will talk about this in another study.]

Do the Gospels teach that Jesus is God? Yes, maybe, and not really. It all depends on which Gospel you are reading.

In our next study, we will look at Mark 10:25, "The Camel, the Rich Man and the Eye of a Needle”.

Did Jesus Believe In Hell?

Did Jesus Believe In Hell?

Brett A. Todd

With all the talk about God’s love, one would think that Jesus didn’t believe in hell.  You know, we are talking about the place where all of the non-Christians, those who don’t believe in Jesus, are sent for eternity.  Growing up, this was probably the number one reason why I made my way up to the altar and accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior. I remember with anxiety reading Jonathan Edward’s sermon, Sinners In The Hand Of An Angry God:

“That world of misery, that lake of burning brimstone, is extended abroad under you. There is the dreadful pit of the glowing flames of the wrath of God; there is hell’s wide gaping mouth open, and you have nothing to stand upon, nor anything to take hold of, there is nothing between you and hell but the air; it is only the power and mere pleasure of God that holds you up.”

Did Jesus believe in hell, and if he did, what did he believe?  The question is thought-provoking and the answer is probably something you would not expect.

Perhaps the best-attested passage in New Testament Greek manuscripts concerning Jesus’ belief and view on hell is found in Matthew 25:31-46.  Here it is clear that Jesus believed in hell.  Although the word “hell” is not used, it is pretty clear this is exactly what Jesus was talking about and believed.  Note verse 41, “You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels…”  

In this story, Jesus is depicted as the Son of Man and the King (Judge), not God, who separates the nations into two groups, the sheep and the goats.  The first group consists of sheep, those who care for the downtrodden by feeding those who are hungry, giving drinks to those who are thirsty, welcoming the stranger (foreigner), clothing the naked, caring for the sick, and visiting those in prison.  It is this group that inherited the Kingdom of God.  The second group is the goats, who by all accounts fail to feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, etc. This is what the narrator says about this group, verse 46, “And these will go away into eternal punishment…”

This is where the answer to the question, “Did Jesus believe in hell and if he did, what did he believe?” gets interesting.  Not once in this story is anything mentioned about one having faith in Jesus or becoming a church member. Rather, one entered God’s Kingdom by good works.  You could be the most religious person in the world, but without caring for the poor, hurting, and disenfranchised, you were headed for hell.  For Jesus, entering into God’s Kingdom was all about caring for those in need.

In our next study, we will talk about whether or not the four Gospels teach the divinity of Jesus.

Did The First Christians Pray To Jesus?

 

Did The First Christians Pray To Jesus?

Brett A. Todd

“Pray then in this way: Our Father in heaven…”  Matthew 6:9

Worship in Bible times was quite different from what people experience in houses of worship today. It was a much more cultic veneration in the sense that worship was mysterious, awe-striking, a holy encounter centered around an unknowable transcendent God (Job 36:26) who once spoke on a mountain top through a burning bush.  

Today, this kind of worship would feel quite strange, disquieting, and archaic for most worshippers today.  Worship today is more about feeling comfortable and invited.  

This is also true when we talk about prayer.  During Bible times, praying to God was a mysterious, holy, and awe-striking encounter with God.  Behold, when you pray, you are in the presence of God. King David captured this sentiment when he said, “Worship the Lord in holy splendor; tremble before him, all the earth (Psalm 96:9).

It is with this understanding of God and worship and prayer that I ask the question, “Did the early Christians pray to Jesus, or was it to the Father?  Be mindful that when Jesus taught his disciples how to pray, he didn’t say “pray to me”, but he did say, “Pray then in this way: Our Father in heaven…” words that without doubt belong to the historical Jesus (Matthew 6:9; *Luke 11:2).

In the New Testament, there are verses with prayers to Jesus and there are prayers to the Father.  We also have prayers that are to the Father in Jesus' name which seems to be John’s (John 14:13–14) and the Apostle Paul’s (Romans 1:8–10) practice.  Nevertheless, in either case, one thing is clear, when Jesus prayed, he prayed to the Father.

This brings about an interesting dilemma.  If Jesus taught his followers to pray to God the Father, then why does Luke record Stephen praying to Jesus? In this story, in the Book of Acts, Stephen is arrested and brought before the Jewish Council and questioned by the high priest concerning his belief in Jesus.  What follows is the longest sermon in the Book of Acts. The Jewish leaders are angered and begin to stone Stephen as he cries out, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit” (Acts 7:59).  This by all accounts is a prayer to Jesus.

So did the early Christians pray to Jesus in the Bible? According to Luke, the author of Acts, it seems the answer would be yes. What happened? In this story, more than likely this was Luke’s way of telling the Jews that the one they had rejected, Jesus, was now exalted to a divine status and sitting at the right hand of God (Acts 7:55).  Note the parallel between Luke 23:46 and Acts 7:59.  However, and this is a big "however", when we look at our earliest accounts, such as the writings of the Apostle Paul, the four Gospels, and Q, prayer was always directed to God the Father.

In our next study, we will talk about whether or not Jesus believed in hell.  It should be interesting.

Paul and Divorce (1 Corinthians 7:12-13)

 

Paul and Divorce (1 Corinthians 7:12-13)

Brett A. Todd

In our last lesson, we looked at divorce in the Bible, specifically, what Moses and Jesus taught, and we found that Jesus was pretty clear about the subject of divorce.  Under no circumstance is a married couple to divorce:  “What God has joined together, let no one separate.”  Of course, the “no one” who separates marriages includes yours truly, Moses. 

The Apostle Paul seemed to be in agreement with Jesus on the subject of marriage and divorce, except for his use of the terms “believer” and “unbeliever” in 1 Corinthians 7:12-13, “...if any believer has a wife who is an unbeliever…” and “...if any woman has a husband who is an unbeliever…”  Instead of thinking of marriage in pure terms of a Jewish covenant relationship with God, as Jesus did (Jesus's audience was the Jews), Paul switched it to “believing in Jesus”.  For him, this was the only way one could have a relationship with God.

Why would Paul do this?  Paul believed that since the Jews rejected Jesus as the Messiah, their covenant relationship with God was null and void.  Now things were different, now they had to believe in Jesus as the Messiah (Paul's audience was mainly Gentiles as well as a few Jews). There was no other way to God.  

Paul’s distinctiveness with the use of the two words, “believer” and “unbeliever” introduced a new situation, and yes, a new problem.  Now, not only was it possible for a Christian to be married to another believer but a Christian could also be married to an unbeliever.

The reason this is a new problem is that in Judaism, Jews were only supposed to marry Jews. This can clearly be seen in the Dead Sea Scroll where a marriage between a Jew and a Gentile was not recognized as a valid marriage. 

Paul viewed things a little differently. He believed that not only could believers be married to each other, but believers could also be married to unbelievers.  But here’s the catch, what happens if the unbeliever decides they don’t want to be married to the believer?  Paul basically told these new Christians, so be it, let them go.  It is off your back.  1 Corinthians 7:15, “But if the unbelieving partner separates, let it be so; in such a case the brother or sister is not bound.”

One could say that Paul was in some way holding onto the old idea that marriage was only valid if it is between Jews (like the Dead Sea Scrolls), or in this situation, between believers.

Many contemporary Bible readers take this to mean that if your spouse divorces you, you are now free to remarry.  But nowhere does Paul say this.  For Paul and for Jesus, once you were married (believer to believer) you were married for life.

As one can see, not much of what Jesus and Paul said about divorce is helpful for modern marriages, except, for staying married.  But is this always helpful considering such factors as marital abuse and other tragedies in life?

In our next study, we will ask the question: Did the first Christians pray to Jesus. I hope you will join me.