Jesus, Man or Myth?

The Story of the Good King

Once upon a time, a good and kind king ruled a great kingdom, with many wonderful cities. However, in one distant city, people took advantage of the freedom the king gave them and started doing evil. They profited by their evil and began to fear that the king would interefere and throw them in jail. Eventually, these rebels seethed with hatred for the king. Convinced they would be better off without the king, the people declared their independence from the kingdom.

Soon, as the people did whatever they wanted, disorder reigned in the city and it became filled with violence, hatred, lying, oppression, murder, rape, slavery and fear.

The king thought, What should I do? If I send my army to conquer the city by force, the people will have to fight against me and I'll have to kill so many of them. And the rest will submit only through fear or intimidation, which will make them hate me even more. How would it help them to be dead or imprisoned or secretly seething with rage? But if I leave them alone, they'll destroy each other. And it breaks my heart to think of the pain they're causing and experiencing.

So the king did something very surprising. He took off his robes and dressed in the rags of a homeless wanderer. Incognito, he entered the city and began living in a vacant lot near a garbage dump. He took up a trade--fixing broken pottery and furniture. Whenever people came to him his kindness, goodness, fairness, and respect were so striking that they often lingered just to be in his presence. They revealed their fears to him, asked questions, and sought his advice.

He also gently told them that the rebels had fooled them and the true king had a better way to live, which he exemplified and taught. One by one, and eventually by the hundreds, people expressed confidence in him and began to live in his way.

Their influence spread to others, and the movement grew and grew. Eventually, the whole city regretted its rebellion and wanted to return to the kingdom again. Ashamed of their horrible mistake, they were afraid to approach the king, believing he would destroy them for their rebellion. Then the king-in-disguise told them the good news: He was himself the king and he loved them. He forgave them, held nothing against them, and welcomed them back into his kingdom. With his gentle and subtle presence, he accomplished what never could have been done through brute force.
Kovac, Cris (2009). Acts 29, The Story of the Good King, p144

Was Jesus a Myth? Did He really walk the Earth

*Thousands of ancient documents outside of the Bible, available today, attest to the historicity and life of Christ. The life of Jesus Christ is thoroughly verifiable and well documented. There were numerous eye witness accounts and so much more that serves as evidence. (ie. Read "Tacitus on Christ", "1st Century Historian" Josephus, The "Acts of Pilate")

*Israel is full of the sites visited by Jesus described in the scriptures.

*Jesus can be traced back genealogically (Book of Matthew). Long lineage is also verifiable.

*Christ's birth, life and death was foretold with precision hundreds of years before he arrived.

*60 exact prophecies.

*Mathematicians crunched the probability of one man fulfilling just EIGHT of the 60 prophecies & it is:  1 to the 10th to the 17th power = 1 in a quadrillion chance
Excerpt from church sermon, 12/24/2012
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I am a Christian because I am a thinking person. I believe in a Jesus that is embedded in history, that is not a myth but my savior. We get hurt by others often because of selfish motives. We hurt others often for the same ego-centric reasons. It's counter cultural to submit to God's authority and try to live a life that is more for Him and less for self.
For me...He takes the messiness in my life, often created by this girl's own rebellious heart and redeems it every time to my amazement. He showers me with underserved favor and love. He mends my heart when it's cloaked in fear, pain or is just plain broken. But, like everything on this blog, I invite you to see and test what I share for yourself.
In the story of the good king you've seen that God is not in the business of forcing us to love Him. Should you choose to get to know more about God and how to have a right relationship with Him through his only son, it will be tough for you to stay on the fence about what you will do with the person of Jesus. If you've read this far, I'm giving God a big thanks and passing along these links for you to meet Him personally by spending some time in the Book of John. Grateful to have you stop by this little, crazy nook in cyberspace! Wishing you His Peace & Grace
xoxo Claudia

http://bibletranslation.ws/john.html
(PS. The Message Bible is scripture in today's contemporary language. A useful companion text)
http://www.free-online-bible-study.com/gospel-of-john.html (Free online bible study - Answer your own questions)

"All scripture is God breathed" 2 Tim 3:16
"He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not."
Isaiah 53:3