Even if we assume that Jesus spoke those words it does not mean that your interpretation - which is strained far beyond the point of reason - has any merit whatsoever. In fact it quite obviously doesn't.
The one with no case is PaulK.
The overall "interpretation" that the audience of Jesus got was that He was teaching that He was God come to earth as a man. The fabrications are PaulK's slippery excuses to portray these teachings as misunderstandings about "assumed" words. And these misinterpretations were inserted afterwards by Christain readers like myself.
Some of the powerful among Christ's religious audience rejected His teaching that He was God come to us as a man. But they understood what He was saying. And for that reason He was persecuted.
PaulK simply among those who reject that He is God come to us as a man, as Jesus taught. He labors hard to dress up his rejection in reasons like "Jesus never said" that He was God come as a man. He tries to dignify his unbelief in reasons like saying "We can only assume that Jesus spoke those words."
I think we have a adaquate record of the words and deeds of Jesus in the New Testament. And we have an adaquate record of what was the response to those words and deeds from various quarters of His overall audience.
The accumulative effect certainly is that He taught and acted like He was the God of the Old Testament come to the earth as a man, transcending His own Sabbath, forgiving sins, raising the dead, lamenting over Jerusalem as her God in the Old Testament, and challenging His detractors to find sin in Him at all. His words are put by Him on the same level as the words of God in the Old Testament. At some times He says His words are more important -
"You have heard ... But I say unto you ..."
Rejecting the teaching of Jesus under the disguise that He never said the things or that they were made up by false propogandists latter makes for a flimsy case.
At least the priests had the will to say
"What need more do we have for witnesses? You have heard the blasphemy out of His own mouth." We don't see them putting forth various flimsy reasons like "Well, we can only assume that Jesus said these things. These are only faulty interpretations added by His disciples of what we think He said. "
Thier intense opposition to the ministry of Christ was at least more honest and forthcoming.
Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.
Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.
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