Truth About The Crucifixion — Page 46
complete human being through whom God was able to speak and act in the same way as He did through prophets and saints. He observes: Looked at objectively, the Gospels contain plenty of evidence for Jesus having been not only a normal man of the first century, but also particularly a Jewish one. His knowledge knew very human restraints, and he was strictly first-century Jewish. . . . It is really his powerful Jewishness which argues most forcefully against his being a part of God. He did not address himself to God's creatures in general but predominantly to his own people. He moved in purely Jewish circles as far as posible. . . . His teaching was always within the context of the Jewish religion. He even regarded his life as a sacrifice for the sins of the Jewish people past, present and future, as suggested in Jewish scripture. Had he been part of God, this would have been surely ridiculous, for how could God satisfy Himself for the sins of that one race by sacrificing part of Himself in that way? The Jewishness of Jesus shone through his ministry and at times his description of Gentiles suggested second-class, citizens, and though it is true that occasionally he praised the faith he found in a Samaritan or a Roman, his strong preference for Jews lingered among his disciples after his death. It took some time and a lot of persuasion before the Jerusalem Church would agree that the message of Jesus was meant for the Gentiles as well as the Jews. These points would argue for Jesus being a complete Jewish man rather than part of the Universal God. (p. 88) Jesus was a complete man, therefore, and in no way a 38