Jesus In India — Page 39
J e s u s i n I n d i a 39 This means: ‘If I will, John will not die till I come again’. These verses show with great clarity that Jesus had made a promise that some people would still be alive when he returned; among these, he had named John. The fulfillment of this promise was therefore inevitable. Accordingly, Christians also admit that for the prophecy to be fulfilled in accordance with the promise, it was inevitable that Jesus should have come at a time when some of his disciples were still alive. This is also the basis of the clergymen’s declaration that Jesus had come to Jerusalem at the time of its destruction, as he had promised, and that John had seen him, as he was still alive at the time. But it should be noted that Christians do not say that Jesus really came down from heaven accompanied by appointed signs; they rather say that he appeared to John in a kind of vision so that he might fulfil his prophecy contained in Matthew 16:38. 15 But I say that such coming does not fulfil the prophecy. It is a very poor attempt at interpretation and is meant to avoid the objections inherent in the prophecy. This interpretation is evidently untenable and wrong, so much so, that it needs no refutation, for if Jesus had to appear to anyone in a dream or a vision, a prophecy of this kind would be ridiculous. * 15 This is a misprint in the first edition; the correct reference is 16:28. (Translator) * I have seen in certain books interpretations of Matthew 26:24 16 by Muslim clerics which are more laboured than even the interpretations of Christians; they say that when Jesus declared it to be a sign of his coming that some people of that generation would still be alive and that a disciple would also be alive when the Messiah would appear, it is necessary that that disciple should be living up till now, for the Messiah has not come yet; and they think that that disciple is hiding somewhere on some mountain, awaiting the Messiah! (Author) 16 This is a misprint in the first edition; the correct reference is 16:28. (Translator)