the jesus

• the gospels contain statements which can be taken to mean that jesus is god in human form
• jesus is expressed as the son of god in the Nicene creed
• matthew 8:5-13

  'the servant was healed at that very moment'
• what does matthew 8:5-13 show?

  jesus has god's authority as he has gods power and was able to will from nothing to heal the servant
• matthew 28:18

  all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me
• matthew 28:19

  therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the father and of the son and of the holy spirit
• what does matthew 28:19 show in relation to authority?

  explains jesus authority as that of the son
• jesus as the son of god - mark

  mark describes a voice from heaven 'thou art my beloved son' and 'this is my beloved son, listen to him'
• jesus as the son of god - vincent taylor


  behind a fully human life, deity is concealed, but is visible for those who have eyes to see in his personality, teaching and deeds
• jesus as the son of god - matthew

  all things have been delivered to me by my father

  tell us if you are the messiah, the son of god
• jesus as the son of man - luke


  foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the son of man has nowhere to lay his head
• jesus as the son of man - messianic secret


  jesus warned them not to tell anyone about him - mark
• jesus as the son of man means he is open to the same human hardships, this title emphasises jesus' humanity
• jesus only having human authority is not a mainstream view.
• human>divine examples are adoptionism and unitarianism
• adoptionism taught that jesus was born human and later adopted by god at baptism. authority acquired from god, not innate. rejected as heresy
• unitarianism rejects trinitarian understandings of god. deistic understanding. jesus has a special place as a great man and prophet of god but he is only human and hasnt divine authority. jesus' authority is spiritual
• liberal approaches may also claim jesus' authority was only human
• scriptural reasons for belief jesus was only human

  'son of god' used in connection with beings who represent gods authority, like angels in genesis and the king in 2 samuel and psalms. son of god means someone close to god, not literally god
• scientific reasons for belief jesus was only human

  miracles aren't real as supernatural isn't real
• matthew 5:38-48 (sermon on the mount)

  do not resist one who is evil, do not refuse him who would borrow from you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, you must be perfect as your heavenly father is perfect
• if jesus has god's authority, the teachings of matthew 5-7 are binding

  • this is a challenge for normal human behaviour, jesus is telling us to do the impossible
  • arguably is possible, eg christian pacifists in ww1 became conscientious objectors and refused to fight the enemy
  • was jesus a pacifist though? luke 'let him who has no sword sell his mantle and buy one'
• if jesus only has human authority then we can interpret and evaluate his teachings

  • context of the roman rule of palestine where resistance to romans could lead to crucifixion as punishment - volunteer to go two miles rather than one then you will stay alive
  • others may believe he said pacifism is always the right response, contrasts with lex talionis
  • form of speech, perfect is probably hyperbolic, be as perfect as possible, attempt>achievement
• double bind problem = the more human jesus is, the more relevant his example is but less authoritative, the more divine jesus is, the more irrelevant his example is but the more authority he has
• jesus teachings from the sermon on the mount are supported by his own behaviour during arrest and trial, he submitted and didn't defend himself