Was Jesus a lunatic?!?!

   Josh, next, looked into the thought that Jesus couldn't have been a lunatic. I quote his first paragraph. "If it is inconceivable for Jesus to be a liar, then couldn't He actually have thought Himself to be God, but been mistaken? After all, it's possible to be both sincere and wrong. But we must remember that for someone to think himself God, especially in a fiercely monotheistic culture, and then to tell others that their eternal destiny depended on believing in Him, is no slight flight of fantasy but the thoughts of a lunatic in the fullest sense. Was Jesus Christ such a person?"
   Josh, then compared such a condition with one today who believes he's Napoleon. Such a person would be self-deceived and probably locked up for his and others sake. But in Jesus there wasn't any of the "abnormalities and imbalance that usually go along with being deranged." Jesus' actions would be "amazing if He were insane".
   Josh gave a synopsis of the description of a schizophrenic from a medical text by Noyes and Kolb in summary - He wants to escape from reality. Claiming deity would be that, but the life of Christ doesn't allow such a conclusion. His words cause freedom for many people to face reality!
   Josh quoted Clark H. Pinnock who stated, "Again, the skill and depth of His teachings support the case only for His total mental soundness. If only we were as sane as He!" Josh, then mentioned that a California University student had told him that his psychology professor had said in class that 'all he has to do is pick up the Bible and read portions of Christ's teachings to many of his patients. That's all the counseling they need."
   Josh, then quoted Psychiatrist J.T. Fisher as saying, in essence, Add up all the authoritative articles written by the best psychologists and psychiatrists, take out the verbage, and the unnecessary and ineffective, have the most capable of poets to write it down. It would be awkward and incomplete compared to the Sermon on the Mount!
   He went on to quote C.S. Lewis saying that the non-Christian groups haven't been able to explain Jesus' statements and that's why they keep changing their explanations. He, also, quoted Philip Schaff reasoning, "Is such an intellect--clear as the sky, bracing as the mountain air, sharp and penetrating as a sword, thoroughly healthy and vigorous, always ready and always self possessed--liable to a radical and most serious delusion concerning His own character and mission? Preposterous imagination!"
   I believe those who feel that Jesus was delusional are simply looking for a way to make His words of no effect in their own lives. To admit the truth would mean that they would--must bow before Him in humble admiration which they refuse to do even though they know His words are true!

Sincerely,
Rick