Another new Jesus conspiracy

I just read another article about a supposed "Bible scholar" who has come to the conclusion Jesus never existed. He claims that the story of Jesus was made up by the Romans (yes, the Romans) to pacify the Jews after the campaign of Titus by substituting a meek Messiah who urged submission to authority rather than the national hero many Jews expected. The purpose of his presentation, he says, is to show us how governments manipulate religion for their own purposes, and how Christianity is nothing but a Roman plot to do just that.

I'm not mentioning names because I think even the most skeptical reader of this blog would admit this is a pretty far-fetched construction. (The first article I read said even other "Jesus conspiracy buffs" reject it outright.) The dates don't align, the Romans had no reason or inclination to pacify the Jews (especially after Titus!), and, if this was a Roman plot to pacify the Jews, it failed spectacularly. But the author will get some attention, because people want to believe that Jesus wasn't really who He said He was.

Why is that the case? If Jesus was indeed the Son of God, and God Himself, the Messiah of Israel and the Savior of humanity, that means we are subject to Him and to His commands. It means that human beings are not autonomous creators of our own destinies, but rebellious sinners in need of reconciliation with God. It means, quite frankly, that we are wrong about ourselves, our lives, and reality itself. And ever since the Garden of Eden, we don;t like to be told that there is Someone to whom we are accountable.

What bothers people more, however, may be the very "good news" that sets all of that right. Through the real, historical Jesus, both man and God, and what He did on our behalf on the cross, all of our sin and rebellion can be forgiven and we can be reconciled to God and made right in His sight. All we are required to do is to place our faith in Him as the one and only way to God. It's a simple but life-changing transaction.

Why don't more people do this? I think one reason out of many is that Jesus tells us, "You are separated from God, and there's nothing you can do about it apart from me." People don't like to be told they have no control over their lives. They don't like to be told they can't help themselves out of their troubles. They don't like to be told they can't get to God without help. Accepting Jesus' offer is admitting your own sin and helplessness, and acknowledging that you don't have the power to get right with God yourself.

One way to avoid dealing with this is attempts to prove Jesus never existed, or that He was just some ancient Middle Eastern preacher, or that He was a great man but certainly not God. So we'll continue to have re-creations of Jesus in the image that satisfies the "scholar" and his viewpoint, that avoid confronting who Jesus is directly. Jesus will still be there, ready for them to come to their senses and see their need for Him, and always ready to forgive and reconcile.