Jesus did not say, "My way is the way"...He said "I am the way..."
The meaning is the same.
His speeches are frequent and consistent with the same message: Forgive to be forgiven.
If he says you have to forgive to be forgiven, and then he says I am the way
what is the logical conclusion? I would conclude the man is referring to his teachings.
What else?
If MLK Jr said I am the way
youd assume his political philosophy.
Jesus taught X. Thats his way.
Show me "in context" Jesus arguing against the sacrifice of Himself...
Jesus never thought of himself as a literal sin atonement sacrifice.
He often taught that you should have compassion for your neighbor, and that was better than a sacrifice.
Mark 12
32 "Well said, teacher," the man replied. "You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him. 33 To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than
all burnt offerings and sacrifices."
34 When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to him, "You are not far from the kingdom of God." And from then on no one dared ask him any more questions.
If the man excluded all sacrifices, and Jesus liked the reply, never corrected the reply, then thats as close to the refutation that we can get.
Jesus was willing to die, if need be, to keep on teaching. Clearly, Jesus was on a path that required either he give up his teachings, or be killed for them.
That much he could see.
Mat 26
38 Then he said to them, "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me."
39 Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, "My Father, if it is possible,
may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will."
40 Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. "Could you men not keep watch with me for one hour?" he asked Peter. 41 "Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak."
42 He went away a second time and prayed, "
My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done."
43 When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. 44 So he left them and went away once more and prayed the third time, saying the same thing.
45 Then he returned to the disciples and said to them, "Are you still sleeping and resting? Look, the hour is near, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 46 Rise, let us go!
Here comes my betrayer!"
Jesus does not see his death as integral to his teaching. He doesnt picture his death as a literal sin atonement sacrifice.
Rather, his dangerous teaching is going to lead to his execution.
Judas is not playing a valued part in the redemption story.
Judas is betraying Jesus goal, which is to keep on teaching (even at to the point of death.)
Sacrifices are seen to be the willingness to give up ones life for the teachings that you have to treat men equally = have compassion on them = do not judge them.
Works? Is it
A - what you do, or
B - your belief that Jesus is God?
Let's see:
Mat 16
24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself
and take up his cross and follow me.
25 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.
26 What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?
27 For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father's glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person
according to what he has done.
Verse 24 above certainly shows that we can be like Jesus in the sacrifice of our lives.
That doesnt fit with Jesus being
the final sacrifice.
Mark 8:34
Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.
Luke 9:23
Then he said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.
There was a problem with the ritual that was taking place in the temple...
Where does Jesus say it was just the Temple, and not
all sacrifices?
I bet you could show me a verse that talks about Jesus and the Father being ONE as well, but you seem to want to skip any of those.
Au contraire:
John clearly writes Jesus as using the phrase as a group with one goal, not that the members of the group are 100% the same a la the Trinity / Tuvix concept
John 17:11
I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your namethe name you gave me
so that they may be one as we are one.
How is that possible if Jesus means a 'Trinity'? It isn't.
John 17:21
that all of them may be one, Father,
just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.
'just as'? The disciples are to merge into one entity? No. There is no 'Trinity.' It's not even mentioned.
John 17:22
I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one
as we are one:
Transporter malfunction? Or did the non-Jews misunderstand what Jews mean by being a Son of God? We are all sons of God. They have a different back ground, so 'Son of God' means something else in the non-Jewish context. That has been imposed upon Jesus' words after the NT.
Jesus was also described many times as the "lamb"
John 1
28This all happened at Bethany on the other side of the Jordan, where John was baptizing.
29The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! 30This is the one I meant when I said, 'A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.' 31I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel."
32Then John gave this testimony: "I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him.
This is not a description of a sin atonement sacrifice.
How will Jesus take away the sins of the world?
Why not read what Jesus himself says on the subject of being forgiven from your sins?
Jesus himself describes how to be forgiven from your sins.
Forgive others. Do not judge them. Do not condemn them. (Christian theology is in stark contrast to this last part. Christian theology condemns people to hell if they sin and do not accept Jesus as God as a literal sin atonement sacrifice.)
Luke 10:3
Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves.
Not a description of a sin atonement sacrifice at all.
John 21:15
When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these?" "Yes, Lord," he said, "you know that I love you." Jesus said, "Feed my lambs."
The idea that lamb is a code for a literal sin atonement sacrifice does not hold up.
John 21:15 says that his followers are the lambs.
All other NT mentions of 'lamb' are of literal lambs (the Passover sacrifice, which was not a sin atonement sacrifice... even Jesus had to bring his lamb sacrifice or be cut off from God)
His sacrifice was to bring complete and full salvation because of His perfection...
What is the verse that says that if I believe Jesus is God who was literally sacrificed, it is THAT which saves me? What is the verse that says I must believe that
at all?
If you follow what Jesus taught, you have to forgive others. End of story.
Also, how do you reckon with the first chapter of John when it plainly discusses Jesus length of days being unending...
What are you talking about? You have the wrong chapter. Are you talking about Isaiah 53? (and, Jesus' days
did come to an end. He died and went to heaven, had no children...)
?
You take away Jesus' divinity...
Jesus did that every time he called himself
Son of God and
Son of man.
Both phrases are code for man in contrast to God throughout the Jewish Scriptures.
Many verses upon request, in context, on point.
you take away Christianity's uniqueness...
I hope to help stop people from worshipping a guy.
Thats a biblical sin to everyone. Dont risk it.
that's a ploy that will and has been undertaken forever, because of jealousy
Ill have to agree with you on that.
Exodus 20:5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God,
Exodus 34:14 Do not worship any other god, for the Lord , whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.
Deuteronomy 4:24 For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.
Deuteronomy 5:9...for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God,
Deuteronomy 6:15 for the Lord your God, who is among you, is a jealous God
Deuteronomy 32:16 They made him jealous with their foreign gods and angered him with their detestable idols.
Deuteronomy 32:21 They made me jealous by what is no god and angered me with their worthless idols.
Joshua 24:19
He is a holy God; he is a jealous God.
Ezekiel 8:3...where the idol that provokes to jealousy stood.
Nahum 1:2 The Lord is a jealous and avenging God;
For a dissenting opinion:
Zechariah 14:9
The Lord will be king over the whole earth. On that day there will be one Lord , and his name the only name.
Thank you for your post.