The Teachings Of Jesus
CHAPTER FIVE
The Teachings Of Jesus
Christians believe that the
Godhead is divided among three persons: God, the Father; God, the son and God,
the Holy Ghost. This they call the Trinity. The fact is that Jesus did not
believe in the concept of Trinity. This doctrine is not mentioned anywhere in
the New Testament. The entire concept of the Trinity was foreign to the
thinking of Jesus and to the early Christians. The early Christians believed
Jesus to be someone who was sent by God. The term Trinity, therefore, seemed to
have been concocted after the incident of crucifixion. As far as Jesus was
concerned, he never commanded any person to worship him or claimed to be God.
We cannot find a single reference in the New Testament where he had referred to
himself as God or implied that he was God or instructed people to worship him
as God. On the contrary we find that he believed in the absolute Oneness of God
and he called his followers to worship one God.
We find that the expression
'Lord' was used for him in the Bible but there is no evidence that those who
made use of this expression with reference to him believed or meant to convey
that he was God. It was used as a synonym for master. Jesus taught people to
worship God, the only Lord. When asked "Which commandment is the most
important of all?”, Jesus replied, “The most important one is this, 'Listen, O
Israel! The Lord, our God is the only Lord. Love the Lord your God with all
your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength.'
The second most important commandment is this:
'Love your neighbour as you
love yourself'. There is no other commandment more important than these two.”
As for himself, he always looked upon himself as
human.
According to the Holy Qur'an he stated, “I have come
to you with a Sign from your Lord."
It is clear therefore that he was only a Messenger
of Allah.
The New Testament also
confirmed this. Jesus is reported to have said, "I have not spoken on my
own authority, but the Father Who sent me has commanded me what I must say and
speak."
and "What I teach is
not my own teaching, but it comes from God, Who sent me."
He had also said on another
occasion, "I have come down from heaven to do not my own will but the Will
of Him Who sent me".
Thus it is clear that he regarded himself as a
Messenger of God and not God or son of God.
THE
HOLY QUR'AN REFUTES TRINITY
The Holy Qur'an states:
"O People of the Book!
exceed not the limits in your religion, and say not of Allah anything but the
truth. Verily, the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, was only a Messenger of God and
a fulfilment of His word which He sent down to Mary, and a mercy from Him. So
believe in Allah and His Messengers, and say not, 'They are three'. Desist, it
will be better for you. Verily, Allah is the only one God. Far is it from His
Holiness that he should have a son. To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens
and whatever is in the earth, and sufficient is Allah as a Guardian."
At another place it states:
"And when Allah will say, O Jesus, son of Mary, didst thou say to men, 'Take me and my mother for two gods beside Allah'? he will answer, 'Holy art Thou. I could never say that to which I had no right. If I had said it, Thou wouldst have surely known it. Thou knowest what is in my mind, and I know not what is in Thy mind. It is only Thou Who art the Knower of hidden things.
I said nothing to them except that which Thou didst command me 'Worship Allah,
my Lord and your Lord'. And I was a witness over them as long as I remained
among them, but since Thou didst cause me to die, Thou hast been the Watcher
over them; and Thou art Witness over all things. If Thou punish them, they are
Thy servants; and if Thou forgive them, Thou surely art the Mighty, the Wise."
It is evident from the above
verses that Jesus, when he will be questioned by God on the Day of Judgement,
will declare that he did not tell his people to worship anyone but God. The
verses also prove that Jesus had died like any other human being.
THE
TERM ‘SON OF GOD'
The term 'son of God' used
for Jesus in the New Testament should not be taken literally, rather it was
used metaphorically, meaning someone who is a beloved of God and the one who
has a close relationship with Him. In fact the same title has been used in the
Old Testament for earlier Prophets. For example it is written that 'Israel is
My first born son'.
At another place it is
written about David, "I will make him My first born son, the greatest of
all kings."
Similarly God said about
Solomon, "He will be My son, and I will be his Father."
When we read the New
Testament we find that the people are mentioned as children of God. It says:
"That ye may be children of your Father which is in heaven."
The Holy Qur'an denounces
the Christian dogma that Jesus is a son of God. It says; "And they say,
'The Gracious God has taken unto Himself a son.' Assuredly, you have done a
most monstrous thing. The heavens might well-nigh burst thereat, and the earth
cleave asunder, and the mountains fall down in pieces. Because they ascribe a
son to the Gracious God. It becomes not the Gracious God that He should take
unto Himself a son."
JESUS'S
ADVICE TO HIS DISCIPLES
As is the case with every
Prophet of God, Jesus was opposed in his mission. People tried to put an end to
his message, but inspite of all this, the number of his admirers continued to
grow gradually. People came from far and wide to ask for his blessings. The
first to become his disciples were poor people like fishermen. Soon he had a
number of followers who helped him in delivering the Divine message to the
Israelites.
He told his disciples that
they should acquire their earnings lawfully and honestly and that their
earnings should also be spent in the service of the needy and the poor. He
taught them meekness and humility. He laid great stress on mercy and
forgiveness. Jesus exhorted them to convey the message of God, facing all sorts
of hardships bravely. He told them that they could not succeed unless they were
prepared to sacrifice their honour and wealth in the cause of Allah, and give
up their personal comfort for the sake of Allah. He is reported to have said,
"Do not store up riches for yourselves here on earth, where moths and rust
destroy, and robbers break in and steal. Instead, store up riches for
yourselves in heaven where moths and rust cannot destroy, and robbers cannot
break in and steal. For your heart will always be where your riches are."
He warned them of the
persecutions they were to face in the name of religion. He said, "Blessed
are you when people insult you and persecute you and tell all kinds of evil
lies against you because you are my followers. Rejoice and be glad for your reward
is great in heaven."
The followers of Jesus
suffered greatly at the hands of the Jews but remained steadfast. Indeed they
had to make many sacrifices for their beliefs, which they did willingly. They
were sincere helpers in the cause of Allah, believing in the mission of Jesus
and making no secret of their faith. But there were some who were weak hearted.
The Bible describes some disciples in particular who showed weakness in their
faith at the time of trial.
As Jesus was sent
specifically to the Israelites, he expressly instructed his disciples not to
preach to anyone but the Israelites. He is reported to have said, “Do not go to
any Gentile territory or any Samaritan towns. Instead, you are to go to those lost
sheep, the people of Israel. Go and preach, The 'kingdom of heaven' is
near."
QUESTIONS
- What do Christians mean by the Trinity?
- Is there any mention of Trinity in the Bible?
- Give two reasons to prove that Jesus was not God.
- What does the term 'son of God' mean? Explain by giving examples
from the Bible.
- What does the Holy Qur'an say about the Christian dogma that Jesus was 'son of God'?