The teachings of the church and the true Jesus?
By: A. Mohamed
The figure of Jesus is portrayed in different lights among the main ideologies in the world today. The three main portrayals of Jesus are:
1- The portrayal of Jesus as a third of the Trinity in the form of "god the son", "god incarnate", "god on earth", "son of god" and "god in the flesh".
This is the portrayal of Jesus according to the ideology promoted in all churches around the world today, apart from some minorities among the Restoration Movement.
2- The portrayal of Jesus as the prophet of God who delivered the Word of God. This is the portrayal of Jesus expressed in the Quran.
3- The portrayal of Jesus as a false prophet who was not the awaited Messiah who was prophesied in the Torah, and who is still to come. This is the portrayal of Jesus that is adopted by the body of the Jewish faith.
The purpose of this article is to address the following questions:
1- Is the portrayal of Jesus by the church a true representation of Jesus in the Bible?
2- How much harmony is there between the Quranic view of Jesus with that of the New Testament?
3- Then ultimately, is it the church or the Quran that portrays a more accurate picture of Jesus?
The above questions may appear meaningless at first since many will jump to proclaim that the church teaches nothing other than the Jesus of the Bible, but do they? This is what this article aims to establish.
The following table lists the major similarities between the Biblical Jesus and the Quranic Jesus:
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New Testament
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Quran
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1-
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Born of a virgin named Mary.
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" ....... God sent the angel Gabriel ... to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary..... You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus." Luke 1:26-31
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[19:16] And mention in the Book Mary ......
[19:20] She said, "How can I have a boy when no man has touched me nor have I been unchaste?"
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2-
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Mary was favoured and blessed by God from among all women.
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"And he came to her and said: Greetings, O favoured one, the Lord is with you!" Luke 1:28
"And she exclaimed with a loud cry: Blessed are you among women" Luke 1:42
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[3:42] The angels said, "O Mary, God has chosen you and purified you, and He has chosen you over the women of all the people."
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3-
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Birth of Jesus foretold to Mary by the angels.
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" ....... God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee to a virgin ....... The virgin's name was Mary. ....... You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus." Luke 1:26-34
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[3:45] The angels said, "O Mary, God gives you news of a Word from Him whose name is the Messiah, Jesus the son of Mary, distinguished in this world and in the Hereafter, and among those brought near."
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4-
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Jesus sent by God.
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" ....... I have not come on my own; God sent me." John 8:42
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[5:46] And We sent, following in their footsteps, Jesus, the son of Mary .......
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5-
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Jesus supported by the Holy Spirit.
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"God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power." Acts 10:38
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[2:253] .......... We gave Jesus, son of Mary, the clear proofs and supported him with the Holy Ruh (Holy Spirit) .........
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6-
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Jesus prostrated and worshipped God.
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" ... he (Jesus) fell with his face to the ground and prayed." Matthew 26:39
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[5:72] ....... The Messiah said, "O Children of Israel, you shall worship God; my Lord and your Lord."
[4:172] The Messiah would never disdain from being a servant to God, nor would the closest angels. Those who disdain from worshipping Him, and act arrogantly. |
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7-
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Jesus proclaims his subordination to God.
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" ....... my Father is greater than I." John 14:28
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[5:116] And when God said, "O Jesus, son of Mary, did you say to the people, 'Take me and my mother as two gods besides God?' " he said, "Glory to You, it is not for me to say what I had no right to say."
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8-
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Jesus supported by his disciples.
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"Then Jesus said to his disciples, "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow me." Matt 16:24
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[61:14] Jesus, son of Mary, said to the disciples, "Who are my supporters for God?" The disciples said, "We are God's supporters."
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9-
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Jesus the messenger of God.
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" ....... No messenger is greater than the One who sent him." John 13:16
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[3:49] A messenger to the Children of Israel.
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10-
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Jesus the prophet of God.
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"Jesus said to them: A prophet is not without honour except in his hometown and in his own household." Matt 13:57
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[19:30] ......... He has given me the Scripture and has made me a prophet.
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11-
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Jesus the servant of God
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"Truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his Master" John 13:16
"Behold, My servant whom I have chosen." Matt 12:18
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[19:30] He said, "I am God's servant."
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12-
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His death and crucifixion.
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"There they crucified him, and with him two others—one on each side and Jesus in the middle." John 19:18
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[4:157] ........... they did not kill him, nor did they crucify him, but it appeared to them that they did..
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13-
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Jesus proclaimed that the only One to be worshipped is God.
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"You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve" Luke 4:8
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[5:117] I have not said to them other than what You commanded me to say, that: "You shall worship God, my Lord and your Lord."
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14-
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Jesus proclaims that God is the only true God.
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"And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent." John 17:3
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[5:116] And when God said, "O Jesus, son of Mary, did you say to the people, 'Take me and my mother as two gods besides God?' " he said, "Glory to You, it is not for me to say what I had no right to say.
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15-
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Jesus proclaims that his miracles are not his own work but are God-given.
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"Jesus said: When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he and that I do nothing on my own." John 8:28
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[3:49] ........ with God's permission.
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16-
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Jesus healing the blind and the leper.
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"Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man ....... he said. "Be clean!" Immediately he was cleansed of his leprosy." Matt 8:3
"Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes. Immediately they received their sight and followed him." Matt 20:34
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[3:49] .... I heal the blind and the leper.
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17-
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Raising the dead.
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"Jesus called in a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out!" The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face." John 11:43-44
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[3:49] .... and bring the dead back to life with God's permission.
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After having had a look at the above verses from the Bible, as well as the equivalent verses from the Quran, it can be said that the Biblical Jesus is more in harmony with the portrayal of Jesus in the Quran, than with the divine Jesus advocated by the church:
1- The Quran describes Jesus as a prophet of God, a messenger of God and also as the servant of God. This accurately matches the Biblical verses above which confirm the same truth. In contrast, the church portrays Jesus as god on earth and proclaims Jesus and God as one.
2- The Quran confirms the subordination of Jesus to God. This is in total harmony with the words of Jesus in the Bible "My Father is greater than I". In contrast, by preaching the doctrine of the 'Trinity' (which does not exist in the Bible nor was ever taught by Jesus) which states that Jesus, God and the Holy Spirit are all equal, the church violates the very own words of Jesus regarding his subordination to God.
3- The Quran states that God is the only true God and that God is the only One to be worshipped. This matches the same truth in the words of Jesus in the Bible where he spoke of God as the only true God "You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent." In contrast, the church teaches its audience to pray in the name of the "Lord" Jesus, who is also God!
4- The Quran states that Jesus did nothing of his own and that all power given to him was God-given. The same truth is spoken by Jesus in the Biblical verses above. In contrast, the church teaches that Jesus raised the dead and healed the sick because of his divine nature!
To conclude, it would not be totally inaccurate to state that those who believe in Jesus, and who wish to follow his true message, have a better chance of acquiring the true picture by reading about Jesus in the Quran, rather than by attending church! For it is the Quran which preserves the true identity of Jesus, while it has been badly manipulated and altered by the church.
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