Thanks Fr. Barron for a wonderful insight and simplicity as to who Jesus is. I do agree with you that every individual is compelled to make a choice as to who Jesus is.
FYI...I am participating with the Ceili Community with missions in Ireland (evangelizing Catholics) and will be sharing your video with kids ranging from 11-17 a week from Monday.
What do you think of John Shelby Spong's book Jesus for the Non Religious and his assertion that Christianity has misinterpreted the gospels and Paul's writings which were meant for a Jewish audience, not meant to be taken literally.
@wordonfirevideo There have always been martyrs in the world. It doesn't prove that they have truth on their side. In fact, it's usually the opposite when it comes to the religious ones. Besides, there's no real evidence that the apostles died because they wouldn't renounce the resurrection.
@vincentolivr Nonsense! The first martyrs died for asserting the Lordship of Jesus, and that assertion was predicated upon the resurrection. Name any other martyrs who died defending that their hero had risen from the dead. There are myths of dying and rising gods, but I don't know even one martyr for Dionysius or Osiris!
@wordonfirevideo I'm not even going to ask you for evidence of those first martyrs because I know it's going to come from church traditions with no other sources beyond them. Anyway, I was never arguing that there were other martyrs from other religions who died for a similar concept of resurrection as found in Christianity. I'm just saying that someone dying for a conviction can never be proof that that conviction is true. It should actually make us more skeptical of their conviction.
Name a long list of martyrs in the world who died because they wouldn't renounce a miracle. It was the universal belief of the early church fathers that the Apostles with the exception of St. John were martyred. The question then is who are these church fathers and are they reliable sources? Your just so explanation and easy dismissal isn't rigorous enough. I'm getting tired of such intellectual superficiality. How long oh Lord...?
@jvolpe1 The problem with miracles is not just whether they occur or not. The problem is IMO that if you attempt to use a miracle to prove that the divine exists you end up begging the question.
@vincentolivr..........He walked on Water, Cast Out Demons, Chose Apostles, Resisted the devil in the Wilderness Temptations, Rose from the Dead, Raised his friend Lazarus from the dead, Protected a Woman exposed for Adultery, Destroyed the works of the devil......i dont think those were "coincidental" :)
@Billhail No, the Bible is not just a book.Batman and Superman, as inspiring as fictional heroes can be, will never be able to guide you through the shifting of the light of consciousness in your Mind to your Heart - passing through that Dark Night (not Knight) of the Soul - to discover that Headquarters is in the Heart where if you open the door Jesus will enter to dine with you and you with Him. And then your Heart will inform your Mind and with new eyes you recognize God is speaking to you.
@Blaseboniface Hi, How can you put /base your life on what at the end of the is only a comic book. people are indoctrinated into this. If you were born in another part of the world your beliefs would be differant and so would your god. if you were born a thousand years ago you probably would have a differant god, we are given the freedom of choice, the more educated people are the less thier beliefs in god ! God rules by fear, belief or hell, this is not rational.
@Billhail The more educated we are the less we believe? Tell that to Copernicus, Sir Francis Bacon, Johannes Kepler, Galilero Galiei, Gregor Mendel, Descartes, Isaac Newton, or the more recent Dr. Francis Collins.
@Billhail God rules by fear? Totally wrong. People just thought going against a merciful God was/is a real bad trip because they did wrong to such a great person. It's just like if your screwed up with a family member, friend, or work... Wouldn't you ask for forgiveness out of love for that person and of fear of not being in their good graces?
@Billhail To say no to God which is to say no to Love results - by Free Choice - in a reality without Love which is a very frightening place to be. The Fear is in the choice of no to God. All you have to do is ask for Pardon and ask God to change your Heart, and then there is no Fear, but rather a flood of Gratitude, and a desire for more Grace.
@Blaseboniface , read from the book "Bamboozled, Besieged By Lies Man Never a Sinner." Only knowledge can protect us against travesty of Christianity, it is about wrongly applied belief and faith in farces. How Rome moved from being the killer of Yeshua A.D 66, to becoming a Vicar of his counterfeit Jesus Christ? Vicar of Christ? How many senses do we have?
i will not believe that the gospel of john is historical, only theological. that in mark's gospel, jesus doesn't say anything in his defense and becomes argumentative in john written after 60 years? simply, the evolution of christian theology.
@nastassja08 Well that's a curious position to take. It's a legitimate position for example to think that John the apostle was directly involved in the production of his titular gospel, which would add a known eye witness to the 'authenticity' score. Further we know the writers were using a variety of sources, which no doubt would have preserved coherent but varied testimony. Further John's cache as historical account has been increased in recent times with discoveries eg the pool of Siloam.
To be honest l carnt, our universe is just a part off a myiad or universes that are out there ?. to belive in one God shows a fatal floor in the human race, it has undermined science, so many foward steps could be make, but religion has held us back why ? fear off what, l havnt got clue
GOD my arse, there is no such thing, no better than batman or superman,he is just a frail reminder off the fact that when we die ,we die. our bodys feed the earth or get burnt. what is is left only memorys that is all
@wordonfirevideo You'll most likely get the most common answer from atheists: "It came from nowhere. It just happened". The same bs that atheists have been yaking about for years. I've looked at the evidence, and how the world and universe is designed, and I have no doubt, even though I'm trying to reconnect to my faith.
@jofo817 Hi, God and his lad are no different for today's super hero's, just figments of the imagination. bepending on what part of the planet you are born on, depends on which god is in your beliefs.( not all of you can be right! ) I do not believe in any form of god, science has proved that the world is all lot older that the comic book bible says. This does not mean that l am not a good person, it is in our gene's that we are all baseically good, bependinding on social circumstance.
@Billhail Science hasn't proven anything more than the mechanism by which God works, and only then when it happens to be correct, for Science is always correcting itself.
how do we know jesus rose from the dead apart from the bible. does the quran say he rose from the dead? is it noted by early historians? how does an event this big go unaccounted.cant we conclude he just died and the rest was exaggerated thru history? im just trying to keep an open mind and ask what if. it wouldnt be fair to other religions or view points to just accept and not question. it would be nice to know the truth and if jesus is the truth so be it but if hes not lets find out what is.
@sariglenn Asking if the Quran mentions the Resurrection is just a little naive . Islam has contrived the history of Christ to completely undermine the validity of Christianity and thus legitimate Islam. The event doesn't go unnoticed by extra-Biblical sources. It's worth noting that The Bible is entirely acceptable as a first source to the life of Christ. Christ most certainly died and most certainly rose again. Keeping your mind open to anything may leave you believing in nothing.
@NilDesperandum777 ok fine, asking if the quran mentions it is naive..... so what else mentions it besides the bible. thats the tree i am barking up. you say the event doesnt go unnoticed by non biblical soruces written at the time of the event. well.....what are these sources and where can i look them up. if to believe means to keep my mind closed then no thanks. id rather know that what i am gonna accept as the truth can be validated thru history.and isnt taken on just pure faith.
@sariglenn To repeat, Biblical sources are in fact the best, most reliable, most scrutinzed, best attested, most authoritative manuscripts sufficing the requirements of historicity to the legitimacy of the claims by Christ and those who were witness to those events, most notably The Resurrection of Christ. This to say, were there no extra-Biblical account, the witness of Sacred Scripture would be sufficient. It's a somewhat popular misnomer that extra-Biblical evidence is necessary. (Continued)
@sariglenn (From Continued) In this exercise, one need not depend on "pure faith" to regard Sacred Scripture as sufficient. So...The extra-Biblical evidence : Cornelius Tacitus (55-120AD) in The Annals of Rome, confirms that Christ(us) existed, founded Christianity in Jueda, which later spread to Rome, and that He was put to death by Pontius Pilate by crucifixion. Lucian Of Samosata affirms Tacitus noting Christ was worshiped by His followers. Josephus (37-100AD) --- (Continued 2.)
@sariglenn (From Continued 2.) If you like I can PM you a more comprehensive list. The point again being, that these extra-Biblical sources are secondary sources, not primary as the canon of Sacred Scripture is regarded. They merely enhance those contentions present in Sacred Scripture. Pliny the Younger records that too many Christians were dying for their beliefs under pain of torture. (Continued 3)
@NilDesperandum777 Yes I would like you to PM me a list. And I didnt notice this 3 part message you left me until I started reading all of the posts . And I will say your time is appreciated. Im not on here trying to bash you or make christians look silly. I have a genuine curiosity. Heck, maybe these posts will help others with the same curiosity. And I agree with you on the point that some will never be open to the truth no matter what, but that also holds true for many christians as well.
@sariglenn (From Cont. 3 ) On the notion of an "open mind", my point is this, that if having an "open mind" is actually an addiction to one's wants cloaked under a facade of reasonable receptivity, then no amount of evidence, or proof is going to be sufficient as a means of advising one's beliefs in any one thing. The opposite of this mindset isn't a "closed" mind anymore than knowing a red light exists for one's safety. Eventually, conclusions present themselves as the only reasonable option.
@NilDesperandum777 If curiosity is an addiction then I am addicted. I am addicted to knowledge . I am addicted to wanting to know the truth, yes indeed you are correct. So the question still arises; what nonbiblical texts are you talking about that tells the story of a resurrection written around the same time it happened. Maybe I am being hard headed. Maybe I should just not question and accept what my parents told me, or what you say is true. maybe I should not look else where for answers.
@sariglenn Nothing wrong with curiosity at all. It's realizing what you have in front of you. As mentioned, Sacred Scripture actually is the best source concerning your search. The path you might want to take, is to read commentaries of those intellectual giants in our society and in history who believed, but did so, fully apprehending the source material (Sacred Tradition, Scripture, etc..) for what it is, rather than perhaps something as incredulous as good advice from parents.
@NilDesperandum777 ok who would be some of these intellectual giants that I may read some of their commentary. And when you say source material (sacred scripture) are we limiting it to the bible or is there other biblical texts.. I am open to listening to anyone who has more knowledge on the subject than I ( any educated historian) as long as I dont get the feeling that his faith overrides his reasoning. In history books the resurrection is written in the same way we read about greek gods.
@TheCrookedTimber As your brother in the Orthodox faith, I think that Father Barron would agree that it is as important for us that Jesus is both fully human AND fully deity. Most people today would not doubt His humanity, so the issue of His deity becomes of primary importance for the salvation of our contemporaries. (That's what's being denied in our time.) Some are now denying the historical existence of Jesus. If this catches on, then the EXISTENCE of Jesus will become primary. Blessed Lent.
If jesus is 'GOD the father' himself manifested in flesh then why jesus has to say this in Mark 10:18 "Jesus said to him,'why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone'.
I do not know how long will father barron takes to respond to my question? can any one help to answer my questions? Thanks
@fredjoee I don't know if Father Barron will answer you, but I would say that Jesus is telling to the young rich man in Mark 10 that if he sincerely believes that Jesus is good, than he must know that Jesus is divine. Remember also, that Jesus didn't want some of the truths about him to be told to the Jews until his resurrection had been fully revealed (St. Mark 9:9; St. Matthew 16:20).
@fredjoee Christ's question, "...why do you call me good? No one is good but G-d alone." is actually an indirect means to identify Himself as G-d. Christ typically would question as a means of prodding the will/desire of those around Him to see if they could recognize Him fully, as man and G-d. The question isn't a denial, it's a sincere inquiry. In so much as if to say, " Only G-d is good, people aren't, is there another reason you call me good?" The next series of questions (continued)
@fredjoee (From cont.) ...Next series of questions (Matt:19:18-) asks the young rich man, about the commandments he's kept, and his willingness to heed the advice Christ offers as a means to salvation. When the prospect of selling riches is broached, the young man finds his ability to stop there, to which Christ remarks to his disciples how hard it is to enter Heaven as a man devoted to Earthly things. Christ goes on to declare that those who give up their lives for Christ's name(Cont2)
@fredjoee (From C2) ...That those who give their lives up in the pursuit of doing Christ's work, will inherit everlasting life. In Matthew 19:30, Christ declares, " But many that are first will be last, and the last, first." So in it's context, the question points to Christ's identity, and the measure by which men need to regard Him on the path to Everlasting life which only G-d (Christ) can give. In identifying these steps, Christ inverts Earthly power structure and describes The Kingdom of G-d
According to Mark 9:7 which says " And a cloud came, covering them in shadow; and from the cloud there came a voice, ' This is my son, the Beloved, Listen to him'
My question is, if jesus is God's word manifest in flesh then how is it possible that there could be another God's word from heaven? There should be only one word of GOD, then how is it possible to have two words of GOD, one is jesus and another one the voice from heaven?
Venter is creaking open the most profound door in humanity's history, potentially peeking into its destiny. He is not merely copying life artificially ... or modifying it radically by genetic engineering. He is going towards the role of a god: creating artificial life that could never have existed naturally."
You must not make for yourself a carved image or a form like anything that is in the heavens above or that is on earth underneath or that is in the waters under the earth.
5- you must not bow down to them nor be induced to serve them, be cause I am your god am a god exacting exclusive devotion bringing punishment for the error of father upon son, upon third generation and upon the fourth generation, in the case of those who hat me.
@quranresponse This refers to idol worship, of images that receive worship due to G-d, as in the case of the golden calf. This does not refer to the educational and reverential depictions of the Church's history and life in one church or another. There is also the implied stipulation that the emphasis is on right worship, as in to G-d and G-d alone. Since Christ is G-d, and there exists a sophisticated understanding that Christians dont worship the statue, there is no transgression.
@quranresponse G-d cannot undermine His nature, nor His commandments, nor His integrity. Since Christ is the second person of the Trinity, He is establishing His authority in a clarification of His purpose which Sacred Scripture points to from the beginning and ends in final revelation, without need or reason for further revelation beyond His Divine declaration. The sayings essentially confirm the Schema (Deuteronomy 6:4) and the greatest commandment, "To love the Lord your G-d..."(Cont.)
@quranresponse (From cont) "...with all your heart,mind,soul,strength" In order to fulfill everything required, God's will and not man's sinful will must take primary place, even above the loyalty one has to family, tradition, history. Buy doing so, Christ's imposed discord, reveals Him, the Way, Truth, the Life. We would then love one another, rather than kill, we would side with love rather than violence. We would be "sons and daughters of G-d". Christ doesn't contradict Himself or The Father.
Muslims see Jesus just as a prophet when you say to them he is God they become outraged by this thought how do you say to a muslim that sorry I disagree with you that Jesus is not just a great prophet he is God without insulting them and causing offense .
"To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:31-32)
.. Instead, people (pretty much like you, reading this) rather worshiping him than learning every single thing that Jesus meant by his statements (in the form of parables and metaphors).
"Why do you call me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say?" (Luke 6:46)
I love your final statement. It remains true to this day and is evident in all the arguementative posters that try to poke holes in your statements Fr. Barron. Either Jesus is God or he is a 'bad man'. Those who think He's a bad man must crucify him or his followers in any way they can.
It is not "just because Jesus says he's God". Jesus is in your Heart knocking at your door. If you say yes, He enters and dines with you and you with him, then that passionate love ignited by that Communion is united with your will which goes to your intellect and corrects and empowers your intellect to serve your soul. There is nothing to be "sorry" about other than your delay, which is quickly forgiven.
@cmoz88 I love these unintelligent remarks. For Christians to be brainwashed, you have presuppose Christianity is false, God doesn't exist, and Christ didn't rise from the dead. Do tell, how do you know this?
I have an issue with this video. I think we should be careful to say that its more important to talk about his divinity rather than his humanity. 1015 (I think) in the CCC describes the "flesh" as the hinge of salvation, which was also established by the early Church Father Tertullian. It is the fact that God becomes in-fleshed (in-carnal) that we are saved. God is 100 percent divine and 100 percent human. Thus we need to emphasize who good is 200 percent
Jesus is Lord. Take it from a Man like me that has sinned more than most. I believe I became a Christian because I know in my heart that all things I am doing things that are offensive to God. I ask the Lord to heal me and change me on a daily basis. I know that he is doing this for the sake of his name. God Bless and thank you for a wonderful presentation.
Over the years we have all been lied to by many false religous leaders and so called prophets. Many things we have been taught are not even in Scripture and millions have swallowed so many lies by these false leaders. If you are a truth seeker, please visit the web site which is displayed in my picture and user name and take the time to read some of the articles... You will be very shocked. There is an audio there that will shock you.
just think about this god send his own soul to earth the soul was from god himself and god sould became flesh in jesus christ like the presit said therefore jesus is god and the sooner the muslims knows that the will fall for hes glory my god send them the right way amen
@wofv - you regularly refer to the bible as a library not a book, some literal, some not. Please tell us all which are which - just say literal, metaphorical etc. 1. the garden of eden story 2. noah's ark 3. moses parts the red sea 4. moses receives commandments from god 5. jesus is born of a virgin 6. jesus walks on water 7. jesus turns water into wine 8. jesus feeds the masses with minimum food 9. jesus raises lazarus from the dead 10. jesus rises from the dead 11. add your own... Thank you.
@saidinmas The Quran might be a revelatory text to you, but to many it is simply an example of gnostic literature, composed to synthesize various Christian heresies. The Lordship and Divinity of Christ is a foundational to Christian faith regardless of what might be written in the Quran or any other gnostic text.
See that the Bible portrays the God-man as a self-admitted foolish liar for claiming in (John 10:30) "I and my Father are one" as if ironically and foolishly Jesus is the Father of himself as well as his own Son.
No wonder the God-man declares in (John 5:31) "If I bear witness of myself, my witness is NOT true."
So, you still believe in the foolish and lying God-man.
Try his other vid (/watch?v=qX7q3yDoFD0) and then you might get an answer to: "isn't this a contradiction?" - which you should've asked instead of omitting and replacing it with your opinion.
#1. Jesus died as a man to atone for the sins of Man. Only a God Man could have provided a sacrifice of the necessary perfection to make reparation for the original Fall. Man is finite and can't make reparations to an infinite being. An infinite Man was needed for the task (Jesus).
2. Who are you to judge whether it is unreasonable for God to get angry with a tree that bears on fruits? BTW, I think that lesson was more about our behavior and less about a fruitless tree.
But, (Mark 11:12-14&20; Matthew 21:18-21) imply that if Jesus did NOT sin for being unreasonably angry by destroying a fig tree that had no fruits out of its season (i.e NOT during its season to bear fruits) which Jesus does NOT have to be God to know this, then anyone of his followers may justify in being unreasonably angry to destroy a fruit tree that has no fruits out of its season (or something that follows the law of nature) without sinning at all, would you?
Did you mean that God should have been able to repair the rift between man and God "without" sacrificing Himself? What makes you think that would have been a better way? There's something terribly beautiful about a person who gives up his or her life for someone they love. Could God have shown His love for us in a more dramatic way? I doubt it.
If he was perfect he would have been able to. You must also ask why he didn't see the rift coming in the first place.
What is more dramatic having someone who claims to be the son of god killed or appearing on an annual basis to all the people of the world to tell them how they are measuring up and if they are looking like they will get in to heaven?
Who says he didn't see the rift coming? Given that he gave us free will, that wouldn't have mattered, would it?
Which one is more dramatic? That's easy, the former is far more dramatic than the second. The second would be rather boring. A little like a really lop-sided board meeting. The first scenario is pure drama and pathos, the second, well, can you say boring and a little annoying?
Really a person being crucified is more dramatic than a god appearing in the sky. People were crucified daily in those parts. If a god turned up at Random and showed himself to everone that would be the biggest news story ever.
It's not that his was simply crucified, it was that he willingly allowed Himself to be crucified for our sake that makes the crucifixion rich with meaning. He didn't have to do that. Now I realize that this is a stumbling block to many, and your reaction to Christ's sacrifice was common even during apostolic times, because self-sacrifice is a frightening prospect, but the truth is that the very basis of true love involves self-sacrifice, and could you expect less from a God who is love itself?
What Islam doesn't have is a GOD who is willing to empty himself of his divinity, become human, and lay down his life to save his children. So you see, the Christian narrative tells us that God DID appear in the world and a lot of people blew him off. That's why I think your argument that God appearing would convince people is rather comical because, A. if he appeared in a way that people couldn't resist him, he'd deprive us of free will, and if he didn't, he'd still be ignored by some.
1. There was no sacrifice. He was immortal before the crucifiction there was god and Jesus 3 days after the crucifiction tehre was god and jesus.
2. He was going for earth which was filled with bad evil people to heaven which was perfect.
3. If god makes such an ambiguous gesture such as a crucifiction 2000 years ago he can't be surprised the the majority of his creations do not believe in him.
1. Jesus was both fully man and fully God. His human body suffered real death. His spirit (being God's spirit) could never be killed. There was God before, during, and after the crucifixion. Only Jesus body was dead for three days.
2. I don't know what point you are trying to make.
3. There is nothing ambiguous about the crucifixion.
1. Jesus was not fully human or he would not be able to do magic.
2. Heaven is meant to be so much better than earth so he was better off afterwards.
3. Because so many were crucified and so few saw him afterwards it is very ambiguous. The stories of the resurrection contradict each other dramatically also.
1. I'm afraid you understanding is not the Christian understanding. The Christian understanding is that Jesus was all God and all man, each nature co-existing in the same person without blotting out the other. This shouldn't be impossible to understand since Christians believe humans are a combination of soul and flesh. The difference in Christ's case is that His soul was God's soul, hence his ability to perform miracles.
2. Christ existed pre-incarnate as the Son of God in heaven BEFORE He took on flesh. In other words, He didn't have to take on flesh to get to heaven, He was there before taking on flesh. In order for Christ to take on flesh, He had to humble His divine nature, and he had to leave heaven to do it, that's why it was an act of great love on His part.
3. Actually, many saw him afterwards, which is one reason there were so many conversions when he ascended to heaven.
And the resurrection stories do not contradict themselves in any meaningful way. The differences are well within the parameters of what you would expect when talking to different eyewitnesses to the same event. In fact, a sign of collusion is if stories are too similar, some differences between descriptions is expected in authentic eyewitness accounts.
Oh, and if you are implying that God's nature had to die to save us, that's not true. His human nature died as sacrifice, and his Divine nature saved us, Jesus is the only person to rise from the dead under His own power because He is God.
Who's excluding the Father and the Holy Spirit from the Trinity? I was focusing on one person of the Trinity to explain Christ's nature and how it was crucial to our salvation, it was in no way intended to deny God the Father or the Holy Spirit as the two other necessary person's in the Trinity.
Over the years we have all been lied to by many false Religous Leaders and so called prophets. Many things we have been taught are not even in Scripture and millions have swallowed so many lies by these false leaders. If you are a truth seeker please visit the web site which is displayed in our user name and take the time to read some of the articles... You will be very shocked.
There is a great audio there for you to listen to. You will come away asking many questions.
I'm sorry, but I think I disagree with this. Just because Jesus says he's God means we have to follow him? I'm sorry, but if a homeless man came up to me today (And I know if I homeless man came up to anyone in today's society) and said, "I am God" or divine, the way, the path, etc., I would not believe that homeless man. That's why I can't agree with this argument.
If the prophecies intimated that the "One to come" would have a twofold origin, this duality is reflected in the terms most commonly applied to Jesus in the Synoptic writers, Son of God and Son of Man. Both are rich in meaning to fill out the biblical portait of Christ. In theological language, sonship implies origin of one person from another person, in such a way that they one originated has the same nature as the one originating.
This is so true that in the biological sciences a species is often identified by the ability of two mates to reproduce their kind. The Messiah, therefore, might be expected to profess both types of filiation, of God as divine and of man as human. Yet between the two names, the title "Son of Man" Is more revealing in the synoptic tradition than elsewhere in the New Testament. Various people are called "sons of God" in the Scriptures. All mankind, created to the image and likeness of God,
is related to him by the sonship of being like him in the possession of mind and free will. The children of Israel are sons of Yahweh by a special claim, because he chose them as his own and showed them his unborn not the will of the flesh, nor the will of man, but of God," are his sons by supernatural adoption. Their destiny is to be like him in knowing and loving him, as he knows and loves himself. Although Jesus never said outright,
(in view of the ambiguity of the term) by revealing an intimacy between himself and the Father that could only mean as identity of nature with the Father. "Everything," he said, "has been entrusted to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, just as no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him" (Mt. 11:27).
Yes, but Jesus rose from the dead! That overwhelming and completely unexpected fact convinced the first Christians that Jesus was precisely who he claimed to be.
@wordonfirevideo So all the gods who are reported to have risen from the dead are equal to Jesus? Or do you not believe those other accounts? What makes the account of Jesus' resurrection more plausible than any other gods'? The only accounts we have of that event are from the Bible (and the plagiarism thereof by Josephus), which is full of factual inaccuracies. Is it really honest to accept that as evidence for your fundamental view of reality?
Well, would you believe the homeless man if he correctly prophesied the destruction of your home town, prophesied his death and resurrection, was submitted to the most awful and painful way to die, and then rose from the dead, just like he said?
This is also why the Hebrew-Greek fusion of the Deuterocanon and the NT is so fascinating. Jerusalem and Athens could finally say the same thing - in a Chestertonian way, a new balance was struck by taking both cultures to their utmost extremes. Wow!
It must have been astounding and terrifying for the early educated Christians; what had been until then a fascinating theory (the "Logos" theories of the Greek philosophers) was now an existential proposal - the Creator became part of the creation... here and now. Wait... what?!
I think this point about "over-emphasis" of the Humanity of Christ - maybe it's because we moderns have a nostalgia for a more human experience in our daily lives...? This is not an age of "heros", for sure.
Father, I love when you 'push a little bit further' and point out that the Truth of Jesus "compels a choice." I came to this realization many years ago and is mainly what influenced me to be more than an isolated believer in Jesus and a truly committed Catholic Christian, opening up a whole new world to me as I've continued to grow in faith. It is also what turned me on to apologetics. Thank you for posting this. I'm passing this one on.
Wow, this priest is brilliant. RESPECT.
cashernandes1 4 days ago
always good commentary.
RESIDENTRYAN 1 week ago
what if Jesus lies?
chesster423 4 months ago
@chesster423 Then his a bad man.
kevdog88superstar 4 months ago
@chesster423 why would the man who says not to lie, lie?
irishgal2002697 3 months ago
@irishgal2002697
anyone can Iie from birth to death :D
chesster423 3 months ago
This has been flagged as spam show
@chesster423 you did not answer my question.
irishgal2002697 3 months ago
Blessed be Jesus Christ
HomeSkillet489 4 months ago
How can someone not want the good news? It's earth shattering, and I would think very easily embraced!!!
fusufusu 4 months ago
Thanks Fr. Barron for a wonderful insight and simplicity as to who Jesus is. I do agree with you that every individual is compelled to make a choice as to who Jesus is.
FYI...I am participating with the Ceili Community with missions in Ireland (evangelizing Catholics) and will be sharing your video with kids ranging from 11-17 a week from Monday.
Thanks Again!
laywhispers 5 months ago
you know someone else who made claims....David Koresh
MoDeeSeventyThree 5 months ago
@MoDeeSeventyThree And you know who didn't rise from the dead? David Koresh.
wordonfirevideo 5 months ago 28
@wordonfirevideo you know who did "rise from the dead" ? Elvis Presley, Tupac Shakur. Jimi Hendrix.
manwithouthat44 1 month ago
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manwithouthat44 1 month ago
What do you think of John Shelby Spong's book Jesus for the Non Religious and his assertion that Christianity has misinterpreted the gospels and Paul's writings which were meant for a Jewish audience, not meant to be taken literally.
MoDeeSeventyThree 5 months ago
Maybe Jesus was just honestly mistaken.
vincentolivr 5 months ago
@vincentolivr But he rose from the dead!
wordonfirevideo 5 months ago
@wordonfirevideo I don't think Jesus had anything to do with that.
vincentolivr 5 months ago
@wordonfirevideo His disciples made that up.
vincentolivr 5 months ago
@vincentolivr And to a man they underwent torture and death in order to defend...a lie? Not likely, friend.
wordonfirevideo 5 months ago
@wordonfirevideo There have always been martyrs in the world. It doesn't prove that they have truth on their side. In fact, it's usually the opposite when it comes to the religious ones. Besides, there's no real evidence that the apostles died because they wouldn't renounce the resurrection.
vincentolivr 5 months ago
@vincentolivr Nonsense! The first martyrs died for asserting the Lordship of Jesus, and that assertion was predicated upon the resurrection. Name any other martyrs who died defending that their hero had risen from the dead. There are myths of dying and rising gods, but I don't know even one martyr for Dionysius or Osiris!
wordonfirevideo 5 months ago
@wordonfirevideo I'm not even going to ask you for evidence of those first martyrs because I know it's going to come from church traditions with no other sources beyond them. Anyway, I was never arguing that there were other martyrs from other religions who died for a similar concept of resurrection as found in Christianity. I'm just saying that someone dying for a conviction can never be proof that that conviction is true. It should actually make us more skeptical of their conviction.
vincentolivr 5 months ago
@vincentolivr Whatever...
wordonfirevideo 5 months ago 8
Name a long list of martyrs in the world who died because they wouldn't renounce a miracle. It was the universal belief of the early church fathers that the Apostles with the exception of St. John were martyred. The question then is who are these church fathers and are they reliable sources? Your just so explanation and easy dismissal isn't rigorous enough. I'm getting tired of such intellectual superficiality. How long oh Lord...?
jvolpe1 3 months ago
@jvolpe1 The problem with miracles is not just whether they occur or not. The problem is IMO that if you attempt to use a miracle to prove that the divine exists you end up begging the question.
adler2adler 3 months ago
@vincentolivr..........He walked on Water, Cast Out Demons, Chose Apostles, Resisted the devil in the Wilderness Temptations, Rose from the Dead, Raised his friend Lazarus from the dead, Protected a Woman exposed for Adultery, Destroyed the works of the devil......i dont think those were "coincidental" :)
jofo817 1 month ago
@jofo817 And Superman and Batman saved the world also, well thats what they say in books,hang on a moment is not the bible also just a book ?
Billhail 1 month ago
@Billhail No, the Bible is not just a book.Batman and Superman, as inspiring as fictional heroes can be, will never be able to guide you through the shifting of the light of consciousness in your Mind to your Heart - passing through that Dark Night (not Knight) of the Soul - to discover that Headquarters is in the Heart where if you open the door Jesus will enter to dine with you and you with Him. And then your Heart will inform your Mind and with new eyes you recognize God is speaking to you.
Blaseboniface 1 month ago
@Blaseboniface Hi, How can you put /base your life on what at the end of the is only a comic book. people are indoctrinated into this. If you were born in another part of the world your beliefs would be differant and so would your god. if you were born a thousand years ago you probably would have a differant god, we are given the freedom of choice, the more educated people are the less thier beliefs in god ! God rules by fear, belief or hell, this is not rational.
Billhail 1 month ago
@Billhail The more educated we are the less we believe? Tell that to Copernicus, Sir Francis Bacon, Johannes Kepler, Galilero Galiei, Gregor Mendel, Descartes, Isaac Newton, or the more recent Dr. Francis Collins.
Mofongoman69 1 month ago
@Billhail God rules by fear? Totally wrong. People just thought going against a merciful God was/is a real bad trip because they did wrong to such a great person. It's just like if your screwed up with a family member, friend, or work... Wouldn't you ask for forgiveness out of love for that person and of fear of not being in their good graces?
Mofongoman69 1 month ago
@Billhail To say no to God which is to say no to Love results - by Free Choice - in a reality without Love which is a very frightening place to be. The Fear is in the choice of no to God. All you have to do is ask for Pardon and ask God to change your Heart, and then there is no Fear, but rather a flood of Gratitude, and a desire for more Grace.
Blaseboniface 1 month ago
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promisess92 1 month ago
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@Blaseboniface , read from the book "Bamboozled, Besieged By Lies Man Never a Sinner." Only knowledge can protect us against travesty of Christianity, it is about wrongly applied belief and faith in farces. How Rome moved from being the killer of Yeshua A.D 66, to becoming a Vicar of his counterfeit Jesus Christ? Vicar of Christ? How many senses do we have?
promisess92 1 month ago
i will not believe that the gospel of john is historical, only theological. that in mark's gospel, jesus doesn't say anything in his defense and becomes argumentative in john written after 60 years? simply, the evolution of christian theology.
i err, therefore i am. - saint augustine
nastassja08 9 months ago
@nastassja08 Well that's a curious position to take. It's a legitimate position for example to think that John the apostle was directly involved in the production of his titular gospel, which would add a known eye witness to the 'authenticity' score. Further we know the writers were using a variety of sources, which no doubt would have preserved coherent but varied testimony. Further John's cache as historical account has been increased in recent times with discoveries eg the pool of Siloam.
MrWildbill20056 7 months ago
To be honest l carnt, our universe is just a part off a myiad or universes that are out there ?. to belive in one God shows a fatal floor in the human race, it has undermined science, so many foward steps could be make, but religion has held us back why ? fear off what, l havnt got clue
Billhail 9 months ago
GOD my arse, there is no such thing, no better than batman or superman,he is just a frail reminder off the fact that when we die ,we die. our bodys feed the earth or get burnt. what is is left only memorys that is all
Billhail 9 months ago
@Billhail How do you explain the actual existence of a contingent universe?
wordonfirevideo 9 months ago
@wordonfirevideo You'll most likely get the most common answer from atheists: "It came from nowhere. It just happened". The same bs that atheists have been yaking about for years. I've looked at the evidence, and how the world and universe is designed, and I have no doubt, even though I'm trying to reconnect to my faith.
joetufano719 7 months ago
@Billhail Faith comes by way of the heart not your arse.
Blaseboniface 9 months ago
God my arse, there is no such a thing. God is an early version of Batmam and Super Man. just an early day super hero. prove me wrong ?
Billhail 9 months ago
@Billhail ....Superman is "Clarke Kent". Batman is "Bruce Wayne". Jesus Christ is the son of the Father. :)
jofo817 1 month ago 2
@jofo817 Hi, God and his lad are no different for today's super hero's, just figments of the imagination. bepending on what part of the planet you are born on, depends on which god is in your beliefs.( not all of you can be right! ) I do not believe in any form of god, science has proved that the world is all lot older that the comic book bible says. This does not mean that l am not a good person, it is in our gene's that we are all baseically good, bependinding on social circumstance.
Billhail 1 month ago
@Billhail Science hasn't proven anything more than the mechanism by which God works, and only then when it happens to be correct, for Science is always correcting itself.
Blaseboniface 1 month ago
how do we know jesus rose from the dead apart from the bible. does the quran say he rose from the dead? is it noted by early historians? how does an event this big go unaccounted.cant we conclude he just died and the rest was exaggerated thru history? im just trying to keep an open mind and ask what if. it wouldnt be fair to other religions or view points to just accept and not question. it would be nice to know the truth and if jesus is the truth so be it but if hes not lets find out what is.
sariglenn 9 months ago
@sariglenn Asking if the Quran mentions the Resurrection is just a little naive . Islam has contrived the history of Christ to completely undermine the validity of Christianity and thus legitimate Islam. The event doesn't go unnoticed by extra-Biblical sources. It's worth noting that The Bible is entirely acceptable as a first source to the life of Christ. Christ most certainly died and most certainly rose again. Keeping your mind open to anything may leave you believing in nothing.
NilDesperandum777 9 months ago
@NilDesperandum777 ok fine, asking if the quran mentions it is naive..... so what else mentions it besides the bible. thats the tree i am barking up. you say the event doesnt go unnoticed by non biblical soruces written at the time of the event. well.....what are these sources and where can i look them up. if to believe means to keep my mind closed then no thanks. id rather know that what i am gonna accept as the truth can be validated thru history.and isnt taken on just pure faith.
sariglenn 9 months ago
@sariglenn To repeat, Biblical sources are in fact the best, most reliable, most scrutinzed, best attested, most authoritative manuscripts sufficing the requirements of historicity to the legitimacy of the claims by Christ and those who were witness to those events, most notably The Resurrection of Christ. This to say, were there no extra-Biblical account, the witness of Sacred Scripture would be sufficient. It's a somewhat popular misnomer that extra-Biblical evidence is necessary. (Continued)
NilDesperandum777 9 months ago
@sariglenn (From Continued) In this exercise, one need not depend on "pure faith" to regard Sacred Scripture as sufficient. So...The extra-Biblical evidence : Cornelius Tacitus (55-120AD) in The Annals of Rome, confirms that Christ(us) existed, founded Christianity in Jueda, which later spread to Rome, and that He was put to death by Pontius Pilate by crucifixion. Lucian Of Samosata affirms Tacitus noting Christ was worshiped by His followers. Josephus (37-100AD) --- (Continued 2.)
NilDesperandum777 9 months ago
@sariglenn (From Continued 2.) If you like I can PM you a more comprehensive list. The point again being, that these extra-Biblical sources are secondary sources, not primary as the canon of Sacred Scripture is regarded. They merely enhance those contentions present in Sacred Scripture. Pliny the Younger records that too many Christians were dying for their beliefs under pain of torture. (Continued 3)
NilDesperandum777 9 months ago
@NilDesperandum777 Yes I would like you to PM me a list. And I didnt notice this 3 part message you left me until I started reading all of the posts . And I will say your time is appreciated. Im not on here trying to bash you or make christians look silly. I have a genuine curiosity. Heck, maybe these posts will help others with the same curiosity. And I agree with you on the point that some will never be open to the truth no matter what, but that also holds true for many christians as well.
sariglenn 9 months ago
@sariglenn (From Cont. 3 ) On the notion of an "open mind", my point is this, that if having an "open mind" is actually an addiction to one's wants cloaked under a facade of reasonable receptivity, then no amount of evidence, or proof is going to be sufficient as a means of advising one's beliefs in any one thing. The opposite of this mindset isn't a "closed" mind anymore than knowing a red light exists for one's safety. Eventually, conclusions present themselves as the only reasonable option.
NilDesperandum777 9 months ago
@NilDesperandum777 If curiosity is an addiction then I am addicted. I am addicted to knowledge . I am addicted to wanting to know the truth, yes indeed you are correct. So the question still arises; what nonbiblical texts are you talking about that tells the story of a resurrection written around the same time it happened. Maybe I am being hard headed. Maybe I should just not question and accept what my parents told me, or what you say is true. maybe I should not look else where for answers.
sariglenn 9 months ago
@sariglenn Nothing wrong with curiosity at all. It's realizing what you have in front of you. As mentioned, Sacred Scripture actually is the best source concerning your search. The path you might want to take, is to read commentaries of those intellectual giants in our society and in history who believed, but did so, fully apprehending the source material (Sacred Tradition, Scripture, etc..) for what it is, rather than perhaps something as incredulous as good advice from parents.
NilDesperandum777 9 months ago
@NilDesperandum777 ok who would be some of these intellectual giants that I may read some of their commentary. And when you say source material (sacred scripture) are we limiting it to the bible or is there other biblical texts.. I am open to listening to anyone who has more knowledge on the subject than I ( any educated historian) as long as I dont get the feeling that his faith overrides his reasoning. In history books the resurrection is written in the same way we read about greek gods.
sariglenn 9 months ago
@TheCrookedTimber As your brother in the Orthodox faith, I think that Father Barron would agree that it is as important for us that Jesus is both fully human AND fully deity. Most people today would not doubt His humanity, so the issue of His deity becomes of primary importance for the salvation of our contemporaries. (That's what's being denied in our time.) Some are now denying the historical existence of Jesus. If this catches on, then the EXISTENCE of Jesus will become primary. Blessed Lent.
billybagbom 10 months ago
Fr. Barron,
If jesus is 'GOD the father' himself manifested in flesh then why jesus has to pray to GOD? Because GOD does not pray to himself
fredjoee 11 months ago
@fredjoee He does not HAVE to pray... just like he did not HAVE to be Baptized. . . it was a choice
omGOP3 10 months ago
Fr. Barron
If jesus is 'GOD the father' himself manifested in flesh then why jesus has to say this in Mark 10:18 "Jesus said to him,'why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone'.
I do not know how long will father barron takes to respond to my question? can any one help to answer my questions? Thanks
fredjoee 11 months ago
@fredjoee I don't know if Father Barron will answer you, but I would say that Jesus is telling to the young rich man in Mark 10 that if he sincerely believes that Jesus is good, than he must know that Jesus is divine. Remember also, that Jesus didn't want some of the truths about him to be told to the Jews until his resurrection had been fully revealed (St. Mark 9:9; St. Matthew 16:20).
john6380 10 months ago
@fredjoee Christ's question, "...why do you call me good? No one is good but G-d alone." is actually an indirect means to identify Himself as G-d. Christ typically would question as a means of prodding the will/desire of those around Him to see if they could recognize Him fully, as man and G-d. The question isn't a denial, it's a sincere inquiry. In so much as if to say, " Only G-d is good, people aren't, is there another reason you call me good?" The next series of questions (continued)
NilDesperandum777 9 months ago
@fredjoee (From cont.) ...Next series of questions (Matt:19:18-) asks the young rich man, about the commandments he's kept, and his willingness to heed the advice Christ offers as a means to salvation. When the prospect of selling riches is broached, the young man finds his ability to stop there, to which Christ remarks to his disciples how hard it is to enter Heaven as a man devoted to Earthly things. Christ goes on to declare that those who give up their lives for Christ's name(Cont2)
NilDesperandum777 9 months ago
@fredjoee (From C2) ...That those who give their lives up in the pursuit of doing Christ's work, will inherit everlasting life. In Matthew 19:30, Christ declares, " But many that are first will be last, and the last, first." So in it's context, the question points to Christ's identity, and the measure by which men need to regard Him on the path to Everlasting life which only G-d (Christ) can give. In identifying these steps, Christ inverts Earthly power structure and describes The Kingdom of G-d
NilDesperandum777 9 months ago
Father barron,
According to Mark 9:7 which says " And a cloud came, covering them in shadow; and from the cloud there came a voice, ' This is my son, the Beloved, Listen to him'
My question is, if jesus is God's word manifest in flesh then how is it possible that there could be another God's word from heaven? There should be only one word of GOD, then how is it possible to have two words of GOD, one is jesus and another one the voice from heaven?
fredjoee 11 months ago
Venter is creaking open the most profound door in humanity's history, potentially peeking into its destiny. He is not merely copying life artificially ... or modifying it radically by genetic engineering. He is going towards the role of a god: creating artificial life that could never have existed naturally."
jormorcastan 11 months ago
Exodus-ch-20-vs-4
You must not make for yourself a carved image or a form like anything that is in the heavens above or that is on earth underneath or that is in the waters under the earth.
5- you must not bow down to them nor be induced to serve them, be cause I am your god am a god exacting exclusive devotion bringing punishment for the error of father upon son, upon third generation and upon the fourth generation, in the case of those who hat me.
quranresponse 11 months ago
@quranresponse This refers to idol worship, of images that receive worship due to G-d, as in the case of the golden calf. This does not refer to the educational and reverential depictions of the Church's history and life in one church or another. There is also the implied stipulation that the emphasis is on right worship, as in to G-d and G-d alone. Since Christ is G-d, and there exists a sophisticated understanding that Christians dont worship the statue, there is no transgression.
NilDesperandum777 9 months ago
Did Jesus come for peace?
Mattew-ch-10-vs-34
Do not think I came to put peace upon the earth, I came to put, not peace, but a sword.
35- For I cam to cause division, with a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a young wife against her mother-in-law.
quranresponse 11 months ago
@quranresponse G-d cannot undermine His nature, nor His commandments, nor His integrity. Since Christ is the second person of the Trinity, He is establishing His authority in a clarification of His purpose which Sacred Scripture points to from the beginning and ends in final revelation, without need or reason for further revelation beyond His Divine declaration. The sayings essentially confirm the Schema (Deuteronomy 6:4) and the greatest commandment, "To love the Lord your G-d..."(Cont.)
NilDesperandum777 9 months ago
@quranresponse (From cont) "...with all your heart,mind,soul,strength" In order to fulfill everything required, God's will and not man's sinful will must take primary place, even above the loyalty one has to family, tradition, history. Buy doing so, Christ's imposed discord, reveals Him, the Way, Truth, the Life. We would then love one another, rather than kill, we would side with love rather than violence. We would be "sons and daughters of G-d". Christ doesn't contradict Himself or The Father.
NilDesperandum777 9 months ago
Father, thank you for your passion.
PrimalRhythm 11 months ago
Muslims see Jesus just as a prophet when you say to them he is God they become outraged by this thought how do you say to a muslim that sorry I disagree with you that Jesus is not just a great prophet he is God without insulting them and causing offense .
opencurtin 1 year ago
"I am the Way," replied Jesus, "the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me."(John 14:6)
Truth Synonyms: fact, veracity, sincerity, candor, frankness, precision, exactness... Antonyms: falsehood, falsity, untruth...
Life Synonyms: existence, being, living... Antonyms: death, nonexistence...
Having regard to these, seek God in TRUTH and LIFE and not in lies or death.(Matthew 25:31-46)
May God blessing you in finding Him, those who is, the TRUTH.
holyspiritoftruth 1 year ago
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"To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:31-32)
.. Instead, people (pretty much like you, reading this) rather worshiping him than learning every single thing that Jesus meant by his statements (in the form of parables and metaphors).
"Why do you call me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say?" (Luke 6:46)
ketlingambriz 1 year ago
Very well said, Father!
mypolicy9 1 year ago
I love your final statement. It remains true to this day and is evident in all the arguementative posters that try to poke holes in your statements Fr. Barron. Either Jesus is God or he is a 'bad man'. Those who think He's a bad man must crucify him or his followers in any way they can.
RainBirdLori 1 year ago
Absolutely breath taking itself. That is probably the most inspiring and exciting way I have ever heard it described.
docwindigo 1 year ago
It is not "just because Jesus says he's God". Jesus is in your Heart knocking at your door. If you say yes, He enters and dines with you and you with him, then that passionate love ignited by that Communion is united with your will which goes to your intellect and corrects and empowers your intellect to serve your soul. There is nothing to be "sorry" about other than your delay, which is quickly forgiven.
Blaseboniface 1 year ago
#LOL Brainwashed much?
cmoz88 1 year ago
@cmoz88 I love these unintelligent remarks. For Christians to be brainwashed, you have presuppose Christianity is false, God doesn't exist, and Christ didn't rise from the dead. Do tell, how do you know this?
mypolicy9 1 year ago
I have an issue with this video. I think we should be careful to say that its more important to talk about his divinity rather than his humanity. 1015 (I think) in the CCC describes the "flesh" as the hinge of salvation, which was also established by the early Church Father Tertullian. It is the fact that God becomes in-fleshed (in-carnal) that we are saved. God is 100 percent divine and 100 percent human. Thus we need to emphasize who good is 200 percent
ChrisPietraszko2 1 year ago
the gospel of jesus commands attention
gerryboy101 1 year ago
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gerryboy101 1 year ago
Inspiring preacher i Agree "Jesus is GOD"
kannabhais 1 year ago
Jesus is Lord. Take it from a Man like me that has sinned more than most. I believe I became a Christian because I know in my heart that all things I am doing things that are offensive to God. I ask the Lord to heal me and change me on a daily basis. I know that he is doing this for the sake of his name. God Bless and thank you for a wonderful presentation.
8bluestone 1 year ago
Over the years we have all been lied to by many false religous leaders and so called prophets. Many things we have been taught are not even in Scripture and millions have swallowed so many lies by these false leaders. If you are a truth seeker, please visit the web site which is displayed in my picture and user name and take the time to read some of the articles... You will be very shocked. There is an audio there that will shock you.
Blessings as you seek truth
Thanks
2besavedcom 1 year ago
You have a gift my friend, thank you so much for sharing it.
ocja0201 1 year ago
from 4.44 just amazing father barron amazing throuth i am the way amenn may jesus be in all of your heart
lebnen143 1 year ago
just think about this god send his own soul to earth the soul was from god himself and god sould became flesh in jesus christ like the presit said therefore jesus is god and the sooner the muslims knows that the will fall for hes glory my god send them the right way amen
lebnen143 1 year ago
leighgridley 1 year ago
Jesus never claimed divinity or to be God in the Quran, because he said that truthfully.
saidinmas 2 years ago
@saidinmas The Quran might be a revelatory text to you, but to many it is simply an example of gnostic literature, composed to synthesize various Christian heresies. The Lordship and Divinity of Christ is a foundational to Christian faith regardless of what might be written in the Quran or any other gnostic text.
TELEMACUS800 2 years ago
@TELEMACUS800
See that the Bible portrays the God-man as a self-admitted foolish liar for claiming in (John 10:30) "I and my Father are one" as if ironically and foolishly Jesus is the Father of himself as well as his own Son.
No wonder the God-man declares in (John 5:31) "If I bear witness of myself, my witness is NOT true."
So, you still believe in the foolish and lying God-man.
saidinmas 2 years ago
Try his other vid (/watch?v=qX7q3yDoFD0) and then you might get an answer to: "isn't this a contradiction?" - which you should've asked instead of omitting and replacing it with your opinion.
paxcoder 2 years ago
#1. If Jesus is God, then why did Jesus die as a man?
#2. If Jesus is sinless, then why is it sinless for him to get unreasonably angry by destroying a fig tree that has no fruits out of its season?
saidinmas 2 years ago
#1. Jesus died as a man to atone for the sins of Man. Only a God Man could have provided a sacrifice of the necessary perfection to make reparation for the original Fall. Man is finite and can't make reparations to an infinite being. An infinite Man was needed for the task (Jesus).
2. Who are you to judge whether it is unreasonable for God to get angry with a tree that bears on fruits? BTW, I think that lesson was more about our behavior and less about a fruitless tree.
HammerofHeretics 2 years ago
@HammerofHeretics
#1. So, what is the point for God becoming man who died as man but who died NOT as God?
#2. So, our behavior is to emulate God-man who destroyed something that follows the law of nature, right?
saidinmas 2 years ago
Jesus was both all man and all God and that's why only he could offer the perfect sacrifice necessary to re-open the gates of heaven.
For a fruit tree not to bear fruit is a thwarting of its true nature. think it made a good teaching device, myself.
HammerofHeretics 2 years ago
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@HammerofHeretics
But, (Mark 11:12-14&20; Matthew 21:18-21) imply that if Jesus did NOT sin for being unreasonably angry by destroying a fig tree that had no fruits out of its season (i.e NOT during its season to bear fruits) which Jesus does NOT have to be God to know this, then anyone of his followers may justify in being unreasonably angry to destroy a fruit tree that has no fruits out of its season (or something that follows the law of nature) without sinning at all, would you?
saidinmas 2 years ago
Surely a perfect god could have chosen to forgive mankind with sacrificing himself to himself.
TheDogCalledBaxter 2 years ago
Did you mean that God should have been able to repair the rift between man and God "without" sacrificing Himself? What makes you think that would have been a better way? There's something terribly beautiful about a person who gives up his or her life for someone they love. Could God have shown His love for us in a more dramatic way? I doubt it.
HammerofHeretics 2 years ago
If he was perfect he would have been able to. You must also ask why he didn't see the rift coming in the first place.
What is more dramatic having someone who claims to be the son of god killed or appearing on an annual basis to all the people of the world to tell them how they are measuring up and if they are looking like they will get in to heaven?
TheDogCalledBaxter 2 years ago
Who says he didn't see the rift coming? Given that he gave us free will, that wouldn't have mattered, would it?
Which one is more dramatic? That's easy, the former is far more dramatic than the second. The second would be rather boring. A little like a really lop-sided board meeting. The first scenario is pure drama and pathos, the second, well, can you say boring and a little annoying?
HammerofHeretics 2 years ago
Really a person being crucified is more dramatic than a god appearing in the sky. People were crucified daily in those parts. If a god turned up at Random and showed himself to everone that would be the biggest news story ever.
TheDogCalledBaxter 2 years ago
It's not that his was simply crucified, it was that he willingly allowed Himself to be crucified for our sake that makes the crucifixion rich with meaning. He didn't have to do that. Now I realize that this is a stumbling block to many, and your reaction to Christ's sacrifice was common even during apostolic times, because self-sacrifice is a frightening prospect, but the truth is that the very basis of true love involves self-sacrifice, and could you expect less from a God who is love itself?
HammerofHeretics 2 years ago
Islam has had many martyrs willing to give their lives so again I say that this is not as impressive as a god appearing to the world.
Also heaven is apparently the greatest place ever and he had family there. The days pain for eternal bliss seems like a good deal.
TheDogCalledBaxter 1 year ago
What Islam doesn't have is a GOD who is willing to empty himself of his divinity, become human, and lay down his life to save his children. So you see, the Christian narrative tells us that God DID appear in the world and a lot of people blew him off. That's why I think your argument that God appearing would convince people is rather comical because, A. if he appeared in a way that people couldn't resist him, he'd deprive us of free will, and if he didn't, he'd still be ignored by some.
HammerofHeretics 1 year ago
1. There was no sacrifice. He was immortal before the crucifiction there was god and Jesus 3 days after the crucifiction tehre was god and jesus.
2. He was going for earth which was filled with bad evil people to heaven which was perfect.
3. If god makes such an ambiguous gesture such as a crucifiction 2000 years ago he can't be surprised the the majority of his creations do not believe in him.
TheDogCalledBaxter 1 year ago
1. Jesus was both fully man and fully God. His human body suffered real death. His spirit (being God's spirit) could never be killed. There was God before, during, and after the crucifixion. Only Jesus body was dead for three days.
2. I don't know what point you are trying to make.
3. There is nothing ambiguous about the crucifixion.
HammerofHeretics 1 year ago
1. Jesus was not fully human or he would not be able to do magic.
2. Heaven is meant to be so much better than earth so he was better off afterwards.
3. Because so many were crucified and so few saw him afterwards it is very ambiguous. The stories of the resurrection contradict each other dramatically also.
TheDogCalledBaxter 1 year ago
1. I'm afraid you understanding is not the Christian understanding. The Christian understanding is that Jesus was all God and all man, each nature co-existing in the same person without blotting out the other. This shouldn't be impossible to understand since Christians believe humans are a combination of soul and flesh. The difference in Christ's case is that His soul was God's soul, hence his ability to perform miracles.
HammerofHeretics 1 year ago
2. Christ existed pre-incarnate as the Son of God in heaven BEFORE He took on flesh. In other words, He didn't have to take on flesh to get to heaven, He was there before taking on flesh. In order for Christ to take on flesh, He had to humble His divine nature, and he had to leave heaven to do it, that's why it was an act of great love on His part.
3. Actually, many saw him afterwards, which is one reason there were so many conversions when he ascended to heaven.
HammerofHeretics 1 year ago
And the resurrection stories do not contradict themselves in any meaningful way. The differences are well within the parameters of what you would expect when talking to different eyewitnesses to the same event. In fact, a sign of collusion is if stories are too similar, some differences between descriptions is expected in authentic eyewitness accounts.
HammerofHeretics 1 year ago
Oh, and if you are implying that God's nature had to die to save us, that's not true. His human nature died as sacrifice, and his Divine nature saved us, Jesus is the only person to rise from the dead under His own power because He is God.
HammerofHeretics 2 years ago
@HammerofHeretics
Is it correct for a Trinitarian to invoke Jesus as God by excluding the Father and the Holy Spirit in Trinity?
saidinmas 2 years ago
Who's excluding the Father and the Holy Spirit from the Trinity? I was focusing on one person of the Trinity to explain Christ's nature and how it was crucial to our salvation, it was in no way intended to deny God the Father or the Holy Spirit as the two other necessary person's in the Trinity.
HammerofHeretics 2 years ago
cjh818 im sure if that homeless guy spoke with great intelligence and rose people from the dead you would be crazy not to believe him am i right
xhardcore456xad 2 years ago
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Over the years we have all been lied to by many false Religous Leaders and so called prophets. Many things we have been taught are not even in Scripture and millions have swallowed so many lies by these false leaders. If you are a truth seeker please visit the web site which is displayed in our user name and take the time to read some of the articles... You will be very shocked.
There is a great audio there for you to listen to. You will come away asking many questions.
Blessings
Thanks Ben
2besavedcom 2 years ago
I'm sorry, but I think I disagree with this. Just because Jesus says he's God means we have to follow him? I'm sorry, but if a homeless man came up to me today (And I know if I homeless man came up to anyone in today's society) and said, "I am God" or divine, the way, the path, etc., I would not believe that homeless man. That's why I can't agree with this argument.
cjh818 2 years ago
If the prophecies intimated that the "One to come" would have a twofold origin, this duality is reflected in the terms most commonly applied to Jesus in the Synoptic writers, Son of God and Son of Man. Both are rich in meaning to fill out the biblical portait of Christ. In theological language, sonship implies origin of one person from another person, in such a way that they one originated has the same nature as the one originating.
MegaPadrePio 2 years ago
This is so true that in the biological sciences a species is often identified by the ability of two mates to reproduce their kind. The Messiah, therefore, might be expected to profess both types of filiation, of God as divine and of man as human. Yet between the two names, the title "Son of Man" Is more revealing in the synoptic tradition than elsewhere in the New Testament. Various people are called "sons of God" in the Scriptures. All mankind, created to the image and likeness of God,
MegaPadrePio 2 years ago
is related to him by the sonship of being like him in the possession of mind and free will. The children of Israel are sons of Yahweh by a special claim, because he chose them as his own and showed them his unborn not the will of the flesh, nor the will of man, but of God," are his sons by supernatural adoption. Their destiny is to be like him in knowing and loving him, as he knows and loves himself. Although Jesus never said outright,
MegaPadrePio 2 years ago
(in view of the ambiguity of the term) by revealing an intimacy between himself and the Father that could only mean as identity of nature with the Father. "Everything," he said, "has been entrusted to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, just as no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him" (Mt. 11:27).
MegaPadrePio 2 years ago
Yes, but Jesus rose from the dead! That overwhelming and completely unexpected fact convinced the first Christians that Jesus was precisely who he claimed to be.
wordonfirevideo 2 years ago 16
@wordonfirevideo So all the gods who are reported to have risen from the dead are equal to Jesus? Or do you not believe those other accounts? What makes the account of Jesus' resurrection more plausible than any other gods'? The only accounts we have of that event are from the Bible (and the plagiarism thereof by Josephus), which is full of factual inaccuracies. Is it really honest to accept that as evidence for your fundamental view of reality?
Freethinksman 7 months ago
@Freethinksman Which other resurrection do you think is more plausible than the resurrection of Jesus?
Blaseboniface 6 months ago
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@Blaseboniface "Which other resurrection do you think is more plausible than the resurrection of Jesus?"
None. That's exactly my point. Each has equal weight. And they don't weigh very much.
Freethinksman 6 months ago
Well, would you believe the homeless man if he correctly prophesied the destruction of your home town, prophesied his death and resurrection, was submitted to the most awful and painful way to die, and then rose from the dead, just like he said?
asa1342 2 years ago
@cjh818 I urge you to read the book of john in the bible. The very words and teachings of Jesus are written. Form an opinion yourself.
sadavis642 1 year ago
So far the best clip form Fr. Barron.
darijo203 2 years ago
Fr. could you elborate on what the choice means.
lordwalks 2 years ago
Father Bob is the best!!! Very gifted!!!PTL!!!Thank you Jesus!!!
polo0750 2 years ago 5
This is also why the Hebrew-Greek fusion of the Deuterocanon and the NT is so fascinating. Jerusalem and Athens could finally say the same thing - in a Chestertonian way, a new balance was struck by taking both cultures to their utmost extremes. Wow!
mhopwood1 2 years ago
It must have been astounding and terrifying for the early educated Christians; what had been until then a fascinating theory (the "Logos" theories of the Greek philosophers) was now an existential proposal - the Creator became part of the creation... here and now. Wait... what?!
I think this point about "over-emphasis" of the Humanity of Christ - maybe it's because we moderns have a nostalgia for a more human experience in our daily lives...? This is not an age of "heros", for sure.
mhopwood1 2 years ago
I love this clip. Very powerfully put.
Father, I love when you 'push a little bit further' and point out that the Truth of Jesus "compels a choice." I came to this realization many years ago and is mainly what influenced me to be more than an isolated believer in Jesus and a truly committed Catholic Christian, opening up a whole new world to me as I've continued to grow in faith. It is also what turned me on to apologetics. Thank you for posting this. I'm passing this one on.
kaymac1112 2 years ago