|
him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art King of Israel. Jesus answered
and said unto him, Because I said unto thee, I saw thee underneath the fig-tree,
believest thou? thou shalt see greater things than these.' Here again Christ
accepts the title and signifies that Nathanael's belief in Him as Son of God is
right and due. So also before He raised Lazarus to life, when the Lord Jesus
Christ had said to Martha, Lazarus' sister, 'I 1 am the resurrection
and the life: he that believeth on me, though he die, yet shall he live: and
whosoever liveth and believeth on me shall never die,' He asked her, 'Believest
though this?' 'She 2 saith unto him, Yea, Lord: I have believed that
thou art the Christ, the Son of God, even he that cometh into the world.' That
the Lord Jesus Christ approved of her faith in Him as Son of God is evident, not
only from the fact that He did not reprove her for speaking thus, but also
because He proceeded to recompense her faith by restoring her brother to life.
(2) The same declaration of His divine sonship was made by the Lord Jesus
Christ on another and very much more momentous occasion also. When He was
brought before the high priest 3 for judgement, the false witnesses
who were suborned against Him failed to bring any proof of their statements. At
last the high priest administered unto
|
|
PROOF OF THE DEITY OF CHRIST
|
43
| |
the Lord Jesus a most solemn oath, saying, 'I 1 adjure thee by the
living God, that thou tell us whether thou be the Christ, the Son of God.' It is
clear that any answer to this question given under these circumstances was an
answer on oath. No one who believes that Christ was even a prophet can doubt
that His reply was literally and strictly true, for our Muslim friends admit Him
to be the Word of the Truth
(قول
اْلحقّ)2, and He calls Himself the Truth in
the Gospel. Even one who was not a prophet but an ordinary man would not answer
falsely on oath on such an occasion. Moreover, every one there present knew
that, if Jesus uttered a single word which could by any possibility be perverted
into a foundation for the charge against Him, He would be condemned to death.
Therefore it would have been unworthy of Him to give an ambiguous reply. To lay
claim to any high rank which did not of right belong to Him must result in His
condemnation. We may be sure then that His answer was carefully and thoughtfully
given, with a full realization of its grave importance to Himself, His
disciples, the Jews, and the whole human race, which He had come to save and not
to mislead. What then did He reply on oath to the high priest? 'Jesus 4
said unto him, Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Henceforth ye shall
|
|