How Can It Be?

How can it be?
by Marilyn Mackenzie

Because of vast technologies, the news media can be clear across the world showing us pictures of war and famine as we sit comfortably in our living rooms. Perhaps wars and conflicts have always had religious undertones to them. Perhaps we’re just becoming aware of such things, as we learn that there are people across the globe who despise Americans and the religion of our founding fathers.

Current events make many folks think more about God and His Son Jesus, I think. Not only do we have people of different faiths attacking our very shores, we have politicians here in the U.S. - finally - willing to come forth with what they believe.

I was pondering this earlier today as I sat on the porch watching the sun rise and the animals and birds come to life. I’ve been re-reading some old books about Christianity and Christian living. Their messages aren’t much different than what’s in the Bible, or what’s being written by more modern Christian writers.

Personally, I do believe that the only way to God is through Jesus Christ. I also understand how others might question this.

But I was reminded of something I read long ago by C. S. Lewis in Mere Christianity. I had to look it up again.

Lewis said, “I’m trying here to prevent anyone saying that really foolish thing that people often say about Jesus: I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept His claim to be God.’ That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic - on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg - or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must take your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon, or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come up with any patronizing nonsense about His being just a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.”

Even before I ever read these words of C. S. Lewis, I had a problem with folks who say Jesus was a great teacher - for the very same reasons Lewis had.

If Jesus was not really the Son of God, then He said some pretty off-the-wall things. Yet most major religions respect Jesus as a learned man, as a teacher. This just makes no sense to me at all.

If there were a college professor who said some brilliant things, interspersed with crazy comments, how would he be remembered? Probably not for his brilliance, but for his craziness.

How can one respect and revere Jesus as a great teacher, while disregarding his teachings? How can this be?