Thirty years ago, when I was young, the Beatles claimed to be more popular than Jesus. During that same period, there was an explosion of interest in Jesus Christ, a glut of films, plays and books about this amazing man. By the end of the eighties, the film "Jesus" had been dubbed into over eighty languages and had been seen by more people than any other film ever produced! For me it all just confirmed what ordinary people had thought for centuries: "This Jesus was unique."

But what was it that was so great about Him? Given that there is just too much historical evidence to deny His existence, who was He?

I guess that everyone would accept the view that He was a good man. Well, we must face the facts that this good man said, "If you believe in me, you will live for ever," and, "I am the only way to God." He challenged the local priesthood "to find one single sin in Him." And He would have been at ease with people worshipping Him.

Perhaps He is more than a good man?

If I consider all the good people I know, perhaps Joy Eva, or Mother Teresa, or Billy Graham - the list could go on, but not for too long: it would be hard to believe them if they offered to forgive my sins! There are and have been lots of good people, but not one of them could be accused of offering to forgive my sins or of saying the things that Jesus said (perhaps precisely because they are good people). I don't think that the Pope would ever dream of claiming to be God.

But Jesus did.

So the option of settling for Jesus Christ as a 'good man' is just not fitting the facts.

Perhaps He was mad. I used to visit a Mental Hospital near Warrington. I was told that many of their patients claimed to be God, and that was part of the reason they were in there. Perhaps Jesus was a sincere good man but unbalanced?

I guess I would be delighted to be labelled 'unbalanced' or 'mad' if I were found to be patient with all who attend church, long-suffering with children, always in control of myself and my situation, compassionate, always ready to respond to the cries of others for help; if my teaching on a Sunday morning was clear and cohesive about life and death issues with well illustrated guidelines for human behaviour and a depth and perception in my statements about God; if I could be superb in public debate, demolishing opponents' arguments with rapier-like thrusts of logic; if I had the skills of relating to people right across the strata of society. - As Jesus did.

Judging Jesus Christ to be a 'good man' or a 'mad man' may both be options, but perhaps the title of 'bad man' would ring even more bells with us in these times. Perhaps He was a liar or a con man who deceived people into trusting and believing His message. Our N.H.S. has much to do at the moment to restore confidence in the doctors and surgeons who made great advances in healing and who won our trust, only for recent events to have proved them capable of being both 'mad' and 'bad'. But they were rumbled in the end.

Would Jesus have been rumbled? There has been no evidence over the past 2000 years to discredit Jesus, despite many, many attempts.

I believe in the final option: that Jesus Christ is God-man. God in Christ. Com- pletely human and completely divine. God and man in the same person, just as many claim as they say the creed on a Sunday. This is who He was - and is!

Rick

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