Timothy Keller - What Jesus Never Says

There are plenty (of human teachers) who have said, "I'm the divine consciousness."



But they think of divinity as being in all of us, in the trees and the rocks and the human spirit.

Jesus, however, understands that there is a God who is uncreated, beginningless, infinitely transcendent, who made this world, who keeps everything in the universe going, so that all the molecules, all the stars, all the solar systems are being held up by the power of this God.

And Jesus says, "That's who I am."

And He says it all the time.

Jesus refers to Himself throughout the Gospels in a unique manner. He says, "I am the bread of life"; "I am the light of the world"; "I am the way and the truth and the life"; "I am the true vine"; I am the Good Shepherd."

The use of the phrase "I am" is significant because it is the personal name God uses for Himself. It is a name so sacred that Israelites would not even utter it. 

And Jesus is claiming this name for Himself.

Remember when Jesus healed the paralyzed man He said, "Your sins are forgiven."

He was basically claiming that all sins are against Him.

Since  you can only forgive sins against yourself -- and sins are offenses against God -- He is claiming to be God.

Every prophet, religious teacher, sage -- every wise man or women who has ever lived -- has buttressed his or her statements with something like "Thus says the Lord."

Jesus never says that.

All Jesus ever says is "Truly, truly, I say."

Even Jesus' footnotes and sidebars -- everything He says -- assume that He is the uncreated, transcendent, eternal Creator of the universe.

I believe you'll see in the end you can't simply like
anybody who makes claims like those of Jesus.

Either He's a wicked liar or a crazy person and you have nothing to do with Him, or He is who He says He is and your whole life has to revolve around Him and you have to throw everything at His feet and say, "Command me."

Do you pray to Jesus when you're in trouble, and otherwise mostly ignore Him because you get busy?

Either Jesus can't hear you because He's not who He says He is -- or if He is who He says He is, He must become the still point of your turning world, the center around which your entire life revolves.

---From King's Cross, Chapter 4, by Timothy Keller

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There's no in-between ground with Jesus. He didn't give us that option. You have to decide: "Was He just a crazy man, or a cosmic con artist? Or is He who He says He is?"


You must decide. Ultimately, you will decide.