The Big Questions About Jesus Paraugs

## Who Was Jesus? Whatever you may think about Jesus, you can’t deny his incredibly positive effect, both on the history of the world and on the lives of countless people. There are different views about who Jesus was, but we can reduce them to four key ideas. The first idea is that Jesus was a great teacher: a wise man. That’s how he was known in his day, and his teachings still influence the world today. The second idea is that Jesus was intentionally a con artist. None of the facts about Jesus fit the notion that he was a con artist. The third idea is that Jesus was raving mad. Most mad people don’t influence others, and indeed the world, for good in the way that Jesus of Nazareth did. There is a fourth explanation: Jesus was who he said he was. Jesus was God come to earth. Jesus claimed to be God. Those who heard him didn’t have any doubts about what he claimed. Not only that, but Jesus staked his life on his claim to be God. It’s a key reason why he was arrested and executed. The idea that Jesus was only made to be God by Christians hundreds of years later is plain misinformation and goes against the facts of history. Jesus claimed to be God. His life and works matched his claim. His followers were sometimes uncertain about his claim, and they fully believed it to be confirmed only after his resurrection. I believe what Jesus said about himself was true. I believe he was God. It’s easy for people to say he wasn’t. There’s no other explanation for the facts about what Jesus said and did. What do you think of Jesus? – Eliezer Gonzalez