Some
Misunderstood or Misinterpreted Statements of Jesus
Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and
hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. And in them is fulfilled the
Prophecy of E-sa’-ias, which saith, by hearing ye shall hear, and shall not
understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive:
—Matthew 13:13–14
Rev. Franklin Graham:
In this letter, I like to draw your attention to some of the statements in
the Gospel where many of my missionary friends found clear indication to
believe Jesus and God were one and the same and to worship them both as one God.
But when I studied them myself, I felt the true meaning of those statements of
Jesus got somehow distorted, after he left.
But before I go into
that, I should mention first two important criteria of Jesus’ way or style of
teaching. His teaching about God and His guidance was both transparent and
ambiguous. The message in some of his statements was absolutely plain, simple and
easily understood by the scholars or illiterate alike. But some of them were
complicated and confusing for the common and ordinary people to grasp their inherent
meaning. Let me explain this difference with Jesus’ own statements in the
Gospel.
Clear and Conclusive
Verses
And Jesus answered him [a Jewish
scribe], The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel, the LORD our GOD
is ONE LORD: And thou shalt love the LORD thy GOD with all thy heart, and with
all thy soul, and with all thy mind and with all thy strength: this is the
first commandment. (Mark 12:29–30)
But Jesus beheld them, and said
unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.
(Matthew 19:26)
And Jesus answering saith unto
them, Have faith in God. (Mark11:22)
The message of the above-quoted verses is clear and conclusive and therefore
it is understood by the scholars and the illiterates alike.
Complicated
and Confusing Verses
The Gospel also contains many statements of Jesus that are allegorical
or metaphorical in nature, and therefore, the meaning or the implication of
those verses seemed to be complicated and confusing to most of his common and
ordinary followers. So, they got easily misled
when the shrewd and ill- motivated people misinterpreted those verses in their
own way to suit their own purpose. The verses below fall in this category.
I and my Father are one. (John
10:30)
I am the way, the truth,
and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. (John 14:6)
Whoever has seen me has
seen the Father. (John 14:9)
Reverend, I will now try
to explain those misunderstood or misinterpreted verses and try to look for their
inherent or underlying message that Jesus left in them for our reflection. I’ll
of course, explain them as I understood myself from the study of the Gospel as
well as other authentic books written by the eminent scholars both Muslims and Christians.
Let me begin first with the verse 30 in
John 10, which my missionary friends often quoted to prove Jesus and God were one
and the same.
I and my
Father are one. (John 10:30)
I will try to explain this verse in reference
to the context. Jesus said it when he faced an unpleasant encounter with the
Jews on Solomon’s porch in the temple of Jerusalem. They gathered around him
and began to ask him persistently to tell them whether he was the Christ or not.
(John 10:22–38) But Jesus, being an inspired messenger of God, knew very well of
their true motive and intention and why they were insisting him on telling
something which they already knew to be true. He also understood that the Jews
did not want to accept him as the promised Messiah of God, due to their low
faith and also for their drifting away from the path of God. Therefore, to test
their faith and to expose their true motive, Jesus said to them certain things that
made the intention of their hearts quite clear.
In reply to the Jews’
suspicion of him and his mission, Jesus said to them, a little sarcastically,
that they surely would have known him by this time if they were his sheep,
meaning his true followers. By this statement, he told them indirectly but
undoubtedly who he really was and why he was sent for.
In John 10:27–29, Jesus mentioned
to the Jews about his true followers’ unconditional faith and submission to God
and to His commands, which he taught them to guide to His Path. In this connection, he also said to them that
in return to his followers’ absolute faith and submission to God, he had ensured
eternal life for them. At this point, some of my missionary friends asked me
how Jesus could ensure eternal life for his followers if he were not God?
In reply to their
question, I used to tell them that Jesus was a true messenger of God and
because of that, he knew perfectly well what the people needed to do to have an
eternal life in heaven. On the basis of that, Jesus had no doubt in his mind
that all his true followers would have eternal life since they tried to live
their life through keeping the commands of
God that he taught them. As Jesus helped them to reach their goal through his guidance,
he said to the Jews that it was him (as if), who gave them eternal life.
My
Father, which gave them me, is greater than all
We shall now check what Jesus said to those
aggressive Jews before he made that comment in John 10:30. He said to them: My Father, which gave them me, is greater
than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand. (John
10:29).
In this verse, Jesus declared to them
openly that his Father was greater than all. After this clear confession, how
could he claim himself being equal to God in the very next verse for his
saying: “I and my Father are one?” But the Jews, who were mostly ignorant,
arrogant, selfish, and apprehensive of Jesus’ true mission, obviously failed to
understand the inherent meaning of his claim and began to throw stones at him
on the charge of blasphemy.
But in spite of that, Jesus tried to bring the hostile Jews back to
their senses by reminding them of a verse in the Old Testament, where God
addressed His messengers as gods.
It
is interesting to note here that in Psalm 82:6, “gods” was written with a lowercase
“g,” but for whatever reason, it began with an uppercase G when it was put in
Jesus’ mouth in the verse 34 in John 10.
Jesus quoted this verse
as a reminder to the Jews, so that they could not charge him with blasphemy for
claiming himself as the “Son of God”. Jesus also wanted them to think why would
he compare him with his predecessors if he really meant that he and God were
one and the same?
The Father is in me, and I in him. (John 10:38).
The Jews might have
accepted his explanation but could not, because while talking to them about his
works which he always tried to do by the inspiration of God, Jesus said to them
again, that ye may know, and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in
him.
The Jews who were too
impatient or too shallow to look for its inherent meaning, misunderstood him
once again, became more aggressive, and tried to get hold of him but could not,
because this time, Jesus managed to
escape to a safer place, as a sensible human being would have done against the
assault of a hostile mob.
Now, we shall check what
did Jesus really mean when he said, I and my Father are one or the Father is
in me and I in him?
In fact, verses 30 and 38
are metaphorical in nature. Jesus tried to convey to them something different
or deeper than its apparent meaning. He wanted them to understand his intimate
and unique relation with God that he always had felt inside him since he knew his
virgin mother conceived him absolutely by the will and the command of God. Besides
that, he was also a self-surrendered messenger of God and he submitted himself
completely to fulfill His purpose on earth, as he mentioned in John 17:3.
In that case, it is
understood that when Jesus said to them, I and my Father are one, or My Father is in me and I in him, he meant
himself being one or the same with God in fulfilling His purpose. In other
word, for his total submission and obedience to God, Jesus always felt himself being
united with God to accomplish His will or command on earth. If Jesus meant
himself God or His equal, as the suspicious Jews allegedly thought of him, why
would he say to them a moment before, My Father is greater than all?
Reverend, in spite of that clear confession,
if you and your people want to claim that Jesus made those statements to mean himself
God or His equal, in that case, I would like to request you all to ponder over a
little with Jesus’ prayer to God in John 17:21. In this heart rendering
supplication to God Jesus begged Him most humbly to make his beloved disciples
be united with them, meaning him and his Father, as one.
That they all may be one;
as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us… (John17:21)
Exact
number of God: one, two, three or fifteen?
Reverend, can you please
tell me honestly what could happen, if twelve of Jesus’ disciples be united
with God and Jesus as one, fulfilling his prayer? I mean, if Jesus could be
your God for his saying, I and my Father are one, or that the Father is in
me, and I in him, the same way his twelve disciples could also be your Gods
after their being united with Jesus and his Father as one. There is of course the
Holy Ghost or the Holy Spirit to add with them, too.
At this point, a sensible
and open-minded person would like to know what is the exact number of Gods that
you worship as One God? Is it one, two, three or fifteen?
I think, this type of
undesirable questions arise when people worship God according to the invented doctrines
of men by ignoring the crystal clear commands of God that they still read and
teach in their own Holy Book. (Duet 6:4-5), (2 Samuel 7:22),(Isaiah 45:21), (Matthew
4:10) and (Mark 12:29-30),
We will now examine other verses of the Gospel, where Jesus’ followers find
clear proofs to worship him as God or along with God.
I am the way, the truth, and the life.
Reverend, in verse 6 of
John 14, Jesus has claimed: I am the
way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father but by me.
My missionary friends
used to quote this verse in support of Jesus’ being equal to God. But, I used
to tell them that it were not Jesus alone, all the chosen messengers of God
were in fact the way, the truth, and the life to their people. Then I said to
them explaining that God made Himself and His Path known to the people through
His Messengers who He sent to them one after another along with His guidance.
It was only through them, their people came to know about the life after death,
the existence of heaven and hell and the Day of Judgment. It was only the
messengers of God who told their people repeatedly what they should do to have
eternal life in heaven and what not to do to save them from the fire of hell.
In that sense, Jesus whom God sent to his people along with His guidance and who
told them clearly and categorically what they needed to do to meet God in
heaven, could rightly claim that no one would go to his Father but through him.
I think, it is like
meeting with the president in the White House through his personal attaché. But,
if that man claims no one could go to the president but through him, it certainly
does not mean that he wanted us to believe him and the president as one and the
same.
he that hath seen me hath seen the Father. (John 14:9).
My missionary friends
used to quote this verse to prove Jesus meant him God when he said who had seen
him had seen his Father. But I used to tell them that it also belonged to the
same kind of metaphorical statement as “the Father is in me, and I in him” or
like the one I just explained above. Let us examine what Jesus really meant by his
claim in John 14:9.
I believe, that by seeing
God through him, Jesus actually meant that his people who truly believed in one
and eternal God and also tried to live through keeping His Commands that he preached
and practiced himself, would go to heaven where they could see God with their
own eyes. As Jesus knew for certain that it was through following his guidance,
they would meet God in heaven, he claimed whoever saw him would see God in heaven. By this comment,
Jesus also wanted his people to reflect and realize what could happen to them who
saw him but did not obey him or follow his path that he showed to them
fulfilling the command of God.
If Jesus really meant
himself God for his saying Whoever has seen me has seen the Father, he
definitely would not make that statement in John 5:37 where he said clearly that
no one could ever hear the voice of God, nor could see His shape. I mean, if
Jesus and God were one and the same, then how could this description match with
Jesus who were heard and seen by multitudes during his life time?
On Jesus’ Forgiving People’s Sin
Reverend, we shall now check
the verse in Mathew 9:2 where my missionary friends found clear evidence in
support of Jesus’ deity.
“Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee.”(Matthew
9:2).
According to the explanation
of my missionary friends, there was none but God who could forgive our sin.
Since Jesus forgave the sin of the man sick with palsy, they took him for God.
But when I read this verse, I understood its meaning much differently.
The man in question was
sick with an incurable disease and he was a sinner, too. But after he suffered for
a long time, God, out of His own mercy, wanted to make him free from both his
sin and sickness. He empowered Jesus to do it only to glorify him in the eyes
of his people, so that they could believe and obey him as His messenger. If
Jesus really knew he was God and he could forgive sin like God, why did not he
tell the man straight, I forgive thy sin, instead of telling him thy
sins be forgiven thee?
There are other
statements in the Gospel (Mark 6:5) which also tell us that except for healing
a few sick people by the touch of his hand, Jesus was unable to perform any
powerful work in his hometown. Not only that, he also failed to restore
eyesight to a blind man at the first attempt. He needed a second try to cure
him. (Mark 8:23-25)
If
Jesus were God, as you claim, his power would never fail and he would not need
a second try to cure the blind.
Before
Abraham was, I am. (John 8:58).
It is another
misunderstood or misinterpreted statement of Jesus where he said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, before
Abraham was, I am.
Jesus said it to the Jews
who were still suspicious of his true status or mission and were not yet ready
to accept him as the promised Messiah of God.
One of my missionary
friends explained that Jesus said “I am” to mean he was God, because in Exodus
3:14, God has declared His name as “I AM.” So, my friend expected me to believe
that it was a clear indication in favor of Jesus’ being equal or co-eternal
with God.
But I found, it was another
metaphorical statement of Jesus which had nothing to do with the “I AM” in
Exodus. If Jesus really used it to mean himself God, the translators of the
Bible would gladly copy each letter of it in upper case, as we find it written
in the book of Exodus. I thought it might be a slip of tongue, Jesus said “I am”
when he meant to say “I was.”
But
when I told it to my missionary friend, he asked me back very politely, how
could I explain that when we know Jesus was sent long after Abraham?
“I wish I knew how the
chronology of God’s chosen messengers is being maintained in the celestial
world where the question of time and date does not exist. The Muslims however,
believe that God has created first the light or the spirit of Muhammad long
before He created Adam, though he was sent last of all messengers. May be, the
light or the spirit of Jesus and of all his predecessors were made right after
Muhammad in the similar pattern meaning from back to top which finally ended
with Adam who was sent first as the father of the mankind. In that sense, Jesus
was right, when he said, he was before Abraham was. So, what do you think of
that?”
“I appreciate your
imagination. But as a true Christian, I take my faith seriously. We only
believe what Jesus has said in the Gospel.”
“Do you really? Then, how could you believe that by saying “I
am” Jesus claimed himself God by denouncing the eternal truth of the first
commandment that he preached and practiced himself all through his life?
But keeping my question
to myself, I said to him, “You are right. We should take the words of our Holy
Books seriously. And as far as I know both our Holy Books-the Bible and the
Quran tell us clearly that except God there is none who could be His equal or
co-eternal with Him. But if Jesus really meant,” I tried to add, “that he was with
God as His unexpressed word or command “Be” until he was born, in that case, he
might claim himself senior to Abraham.
Reverend, Now, a long time after my conversation with my
missionary friend, I feel myself quite happy to share with you an important
piece of discovery related to this claim of Jesus in John 8:58. From further study, I luckily came to know
that in the Syriac Peshitta Version of the Bible, which is considered as one of
the oldest known versions, John 8:58 reads, Before Abraham was, I was.
But I wish I could also tell
you how or since when this “I was” got replaced by “I AM,”-the name of the God
in Exodus and then it got tagged with the name of Jesus to make him co-eternal
with God?
Test of
Faith
Reverend, many a time I’ve
asked myself wondering why Jesus made those statements when he knew that might confuse
his own followers or deviate them from the eternal truth of the first
commandment of God? I can of course, explain it now with a verse of the Quran, which
God revealed through His last Prophet Muhammad, about fourteen hundred years
ago.
In verse 3:7, the Quran says:
He
is the One Who has revealed to you [Muhammad] the Book. Some of its verses are
decisive-they are the foundation of the Book while others are allegorical.
Those whose hearts are infected with disbelief, follow the allegorical part to mislead others
and give their own interpretation, seeking for its hidden meanings, but no one
knows its hidden meanings except Allah. … Those who are well
grounded in knowledge say: We believe in it; it is all from our Lord. But none
will take heed except the people of understanding.
Reverend, if we reflect on
the contents of the above passage, we shall see that God wants to test the people’s
faith in Him, according to the degree, depth, and the integrity of their
commitment to His will and command. He wants to do it through the combination
of clear and confusing statements in His Scriptures. He says people whose faith in God is low, shallow,
or shaky usually prefer to go by the self-made interpretation of those
allegorical or metaphorical verses, which eventually deviate them from the
plain, simple, and straight path of God. But people whose faith in God is pure
and perfect, believe everything in the revealed scriptures comes from God, but
they only follow those instructions which are plain, simple and easy to
understand and follow.
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