I have a hard time understanding how Jesus' mindset of Messianic martyrdom would be compatible with him being a fraud. It would be more compatible with a simple case of delusion (eg. a Messiah complex), but the miraculous claims about Jesus by the early Christians, like walking on water, changing water into wine, and the post-resurrection bodily appearances, go beyond simple delusion into the realm of either strong fantasy or reporting actual miracles.
Jesus several times predicted that He would be killed and resurrect, like in Matthew 16:4 (referring to Jonah's 3 days in the whale), John 2:21 (about the Temple of his body being destroyed and rebuilt), Matthew 27:63 (where the Temple authorities remembered Him predicting He would be killed and resurrect), see also Mark 9:31.
I believe that the Tanakh does suggest this in several places (Zech 11-13, Dan 9, Is 52-53, Psalm 16 & 22 & 40), and that Jesus understood this. I know that this interpretation today is debated, however, my concern is how Jesus felt about this. Namely, if he did propose that He was the prophesied Messiah, and understood both the prophecies of the Messiah's killing and the great risk he would incur from the Romans by announcing Himself, why would He announce His Messiahship unless he honestly thought he was the Messiah? Not only that, but He went ahead with disrupting the Temple market, openly badmouthing the pharisees, and sticking around for the Romans to arrest Him after he spent some of His three year mission on the run from His detractors like Herod and some of the pharisees.
Further, if Jesus and His disciples really were honest religious teachers, why would so much of their miracles sound like fantasy unless they honestly experienced those things? Are we forced to think instead that all the incredible fantasy aspects, like the virgin birth, walking on water, water into wine, multiple post-resurrection appearances were all fabrications inserted 70 years later into otherwise honest narratives experienced by the disciples?
And if these miracles were later fabrications, then are we to think that it was simply a huge coincidence that Jesus predicted His resurrection and that His body disappeared from the tomb without the involvement of His disciples in the disappearance? After all, if the disciples did take and hide the body, then this incurs the problem that they were dishonest, not delusional. And this leads us back to the original problem of why people who were dishonest and didn't actually think they were Messianic would voluntarily accept martyrdom for it, especially when they believed that the Bible predicted the Messiah would be killed.
Its hard to understand the mindset of a charlatan who would see the Old Testament prophecies of the Messiah being killed and then accept that harsh martyrdom while all the while believing that he wasn't the Messiah. I don't understand the benefit of taking on that role. I suppose this is a reinforced version of the Lord / Liar / Lunatic / Later fabrication dillemma.
Jesus several times predicted that He would be killed and resurrect, like in Matthew 16:4 (referring to Jonah's 3 days in the whale), John 2:21 (about the Temple of his body being destroyed and rebuilt), Matthew 27:63 (where the Temple authorities remembered Him predicting He would be killed and resurrect), see also Mark 9:31.
I believe that the Tanakh does suggest this in several places (Zech 11-13, Dan 9, Is 52-53, Psalm 16 & 22 & 40), and that Jesus understood this. I know that this interpretation today is debated, however, my concern is how Jesus felt about this. Namely, if he did propose that He was the prophesied Messiah, and understood both the prophecies of the Messiah's killing and the great risk he would incur from the Romans by announcing Himself, why would He announce His Messiahship unless he honestly thought he was the Messiah? Not only that, but He went ahead with disrupting the Temple market, openly badmouthing the pharisees, and sticking around for the Romans to arrest Him after he spent some of His three year mission on the run from His detractors like Herod and some of the pharisees.
Further, if Jesus and His disciples really were honest religious teachers, why would so much of their miracles sound like fantasy unless they honestly experienced those things? Are we forced to think instead that all the incredible fantasy aspects, like the virgin birth, walking on water, water into wine, multiple post-resurrection appearances were all fabrications inserted 70 years later into otherwise honest narratives experienced by the disciples?
And if these miracles were later fabrications, then are we to think that it was simply a huge coincidence that Jesus predicted His resurrection and that His body disappeared from the tomb without the involvement of His disciples in the disappearance? After all, if the disciples did take and hide the body, then this incurs the problem that they were dishonest, not delusional. And this leads us back to the original problem of why people who were dishonest and didn't actually think they were Messianic would voluntarily accept martyrdom for it, especially when they believed that the Bible predicted the Messiah would be killed.
Its hard to understand the mindset of a charlatan who would see the Old Testament prophecies of the Messiah being killed and then accept that harsh martyrdom while all the while believing that he wasn't the Messiah. I don't understand the benefit of taking on that role. I suppose this is a reinforced version of the Lord / Liar / Lunatic / Later fabrication dillemma.
