Liar, Lunatic, or Lord
Applying the principals of pure logic to determine the true identity of Jesus of Nazareth, there are only three possibilities. Either:
There are no other possibilities.
The only way to determine which of these three scenarios is the case is to analyze all the information we have and apply the process of elimination.
Of course, His claims were either true or false.
If His claims were false then that leaves us with only two alternatives:
CASE ONE
Either Jesus was a deliberate liar, which would also make Him the worst of hypocrites, because He encouraged others to entrust their eternal souls unto Him.
And if He was living a colossal lie, He was also a dreadful blasphemer.
And if He was a liar, He was also a fool, because when He stood before the authorities all He had to do was recant, which He refused to do, and therefore, needlessly forfeited His life. Only a fool would die for a lie.
Jesus appeared before the High Priest, who asked, “Art thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?” And Jesus answered “I am!” Mk. 14: 62. Then the High Priest rent his clothes.
Yet, how could Christ be so vile, evil, and foolish when everything He said and did showed that He was the most benevolent, kind, and rational Person that ever walked the face of the earth --- healing the sick, pouring over individual cases, feeding the hungry, uplifting the downtrodden, etc, etc. ?
No, He certainly was not an evil con-man.
CASE TWO
The next possibility was that Jesus was a self-deceived, insane lunatic.
But as we study the four Gospel accounts derived from contemporary faithful eye witnesses, we see no raving mad man.
Rather than some irrational nut case, we see a totally creditable preacher.
We see no religious crackpot, just His flawless reason and intellect.
Instead of a psychotic individual, we see incomparable insight.
He presented all His spiritual precepts with such clarity, purity, and grace.
His ideas were both deeply profound and yet so simple a child could understand most of them.
His moral lessons were sound, serene, and displayed such sympathy for His hearers.
Yea, Jesus was a humble Man, Who offered hope, help, and salvation to all who came to Him.
We only see a sober, sensible, and completely rational Person.
So, how do we account for the enduring and global influence of Jesus Christ after 2000 years?
There are more books, pictures, songs, sermons, conversations, sculptures, signs, churches and other buildings about Jesus than any other one person who has ever lived on the face of the earth. Why?
CASE THREE
Therefore if Jesus was neither a liar nor a lunatic, then the only conclusion is that the claims of Jesus were absolutely true. Oh, somebody say “Amen!”
How else can we account for the fact that the more any honest, sincere, and open-hearted person studies Him, the more they fall in love with Him?
CONCLUSION
The unavoidable conclusion is that Jesus was neither a liar nor a lunatic, but was indeed exactly who he claimed to be — the Son of God!
And that, my friend, leaves you with only two alternatives:
You cannot remain neutral. There is no middle ground to stand on. To fail to make a decision is a decision against Him ---and your own self.
