In my last post, I explained that Jesus of Nazareth claimed to be divine, based on what he said, and also on how others reacted to him. It was not only a statement he made once or twice, but it was the core of his message.
There are those who say that Jesus was a good teacher, but he wasn't God. However, how can a good, moral person, base their message and their life on one great big lie? If Jesus claimed to be divine but wasn't, then either he was a liar, or he was insane. (This is a point that C. S. Lewis makes in his book, Mere Christianity.)
Jesus taught that we must love our neighbor, and he demonstrated this principle in how he related to those around him, especially to the outcasts of society (the blind, lepers, tax collectors, Samaritans, prostitutes...). He raised the moral standards of the Old Testament (Matthew 5:17-48) and gave us the refined form of the Golden Rule (Luke 6:31, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Rule#Christianity). How could someone whose life is based on a lie live and teach such high moral standards?
If Jesus was not a liar, but was not God, then the only option left is that he was greatly deceived about his own identity and was mentally off-kilter. But then again, how could a deranged individual teach such meaningful messages? If he was not operating at maximum mental capacity, how could he as a young boy amaze the scholars of his day with his understanding? (Luke 2:46-47). When the religious leaders tried to trap him with difficult questions, how was he able to silence them with his responses? (Matthew 22:15-46).
Many opponents of Christianity disregard this argument on the basis that Jesus did not actually claim to be God, or that the Bible is not an accurate depiction of his life and teachings. That is why I wrote the two previous posts.
Another reason why the facts only add up if Jesus' claim to deity was true is the witness of his disciples. They were Jews, and the common Jewish belief was that the Messiah would be a conquering king who would restore the kingdom to Israel (Luke 24:19-21, Acts 1:6, http://www.jewfaq.org/mashiach.htm#Mashiach). They had no room in their image of the Messiah for suffering and death (Matthew 16:21-22). When Jesus was captured, the disciples all fled (Mark 14:50), and Peter, one of his closest disciples, denied three times that he even knew Jesus (Mark 14:66-71). In the days after Jesus' death, the disciples met behind locked doors because they were afraid (John 20:19-20).
After Jesus appeared to his disciples following his death and resurrection, they went from disillusioned, frightened, and helpless to outspoken and fearless. They boldly preached the message of Jesus, the resurrected Son of God. They were threatened, imprisoned, beaten, and martyred in an attempt to stop them from spreading the gospel, but they persevered, "rejoicing that God had counted them worthy to suffer disgrace for the name of Jesus" (Acts 5:41). You don't have to read the Bible to find accounts of the persecution of early Christians; just look to any secular historical account.
Some people, in an attempt to explain away the resurrection of Jesus, have said that Jesus' disciples stole his body in order to convince others that he had risen from the dead. But a group of disillusioned deserters, too afraid to stand by Jesus while he was being arrested, could not have fabricated a story of Jesus' resurrection and held fast to their claims even through torture and death. They had to believe what they were preaching.
There is much more to say on the topic of Jesus' deity and resurrection, but it would require a book to write it all down, and books have already been written by C.S. Lewis (former atheist), Josh McDowell (former atheist), Nabeel Qureshi (former Muslim), and many others.
"Now Thomas, one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, 'We have seen the Lord!'
"But he said to them, 'Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.'
"A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, 'Peace be with you!' Then he said to Thomas, 'Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.'
"Thomas said to him, 'My Lord and my God!'
"Then Jesus told him, 'Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.' "
-John 20:24-29
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