Continued from Part 19
A medley of secrets, lies and deception
Knowing that Elijah must precede the Messiah (Malachi 3:1, 23), Jesus claimed that John the Baptist was Elijah (Matthew 11:10-14, 17:10-13) even though John himself denied any connection with that prophet (John 1:21). Jesus’ avowal that the Law will exist “until heaven and earth pass away” (Matthew 5:18) is meant to be misleading.
The Law is only meant to continue for a period of a mere three and one half years at most; that is, the duration of his ministry. Why? Paul alleges that Jesus fulfilled all the Law and the Prophets during the so-called first advent. He says: “For Christ is the end of the Law for righteousness to everyone who believes” (Romans 10:4) and Hebrews 8:13 it states: “In that he says, a new [covenant], he has made the first obsolete. Now that which is made obsolete and growing old is near vanishing away.”
According to Paul and the author of Hebrews—the Law is over! But Jesus said it will last “until heaven and earth pass away” Did Jesus lie or did they? Didn’t Jesus deliberately mislead the “thief” when he said: “Truly, I say you, today you will be with me in Paradise” (Luke 23:43)? Jesus did not go to Paradise on that day—he was dead and supposedly rose three days later.
John relates a conversation between Jesus and his physical brothers prior to the Feast of Tabernacles:
His brothers … said to him, “Depart from here, and go into Judea … For no one does anything in secret, when he himself seeks to be known publicly. If you do these things, show yourself to the world.” For not even his brothers were believing in him. Jesus therefore said to them, “… Go up to the feast yourselves; I do not go up to this feast because my time has not yet fully come.” And having said these things to them, he stayed in Galilee. But when his brothers had gone up to the feast, then he himself also went up, not publicly, but as it were, in secret. (John 7:2-10)
Didn’t he instruct the parents of the girl he allegedly revived that they should not inform any one of what was done? (Luke 8:56). Did he not instruct his disciples not to mention that he was “the Christ” (Matthew 16:20)? Yet he declared: “I have spoken openly to the world … I spoke nothing in secret” (John 18:20). Jesus’ actions and instructions say otherwise. Matthew’s Jesus says to those coming to arrest him: “Day after day I sat in the Temple teaching, and you did not seize me” (Matthew 26:55). On the contrary, John says that on one occasion there were those who wanted to stone him while he was in the Temple, but he “hid and went out of the Temple” (John 8:59). Does anyone doubt that the Temple authorities would want to apprehend and interrogate the person who caused a disturbance in the Temple and seized control of part of it (Mark 11:15-16, 18)?
Did Jesus lie? Did he falsely imply that the authorities never attempted to apprehend him? Or did the evangelist lie? This is from one who said: “I spoke nothing in secret.” And this is from one whose followers claim that “neither was there any deceit in his mouth.” Jesus’ secretive and deceitful behavior further disqualifies him from being the servant.
Continued...
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