Christianity requires a choice.

"I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." - John 14:6

In short, either Jesus was right, or He was a crazy liar.

My pastor (Dr. Gordon Hugenberger, Park Street Church in Boston) preached on John 14:1-7
today, with a focus on this verse. And I was reminded of the small group Bible study I'd been in a few years ago, where we were going through a chapter-by-chapter reading of the book of John. I'd never done that before ... but it was a tremendous, faith-shaping and life-changing experience for me. Really looking at John and seeking to understand what Jesus is saying and doing, it doesn't allow for anything except a face-to-face confrontation with the plain truth that Jesus speaks about Himself. And that truth is undeniably radical, uncomfortable, and offensive.

In our society, we like to pick and choose religious ideas like it's a worldwide buffet. We like to craft our own sense of "spirituality," based on whatever we are comfortable with at the time. We like to say that everything has validity, and that you only have to figure out what works best for you and roll with that. We all can accommodate each other's beliefs, and they each can be true in their own way. There's no absolute right or wrong, just opinion and preference.

I've always believed that true Christianity - based on the teachings and actions of Jesus and what he says about who God is and who we are - just doesn't allow for that perspective, not even a little bit. Christianity will not allow for itself to be true, and for all these other perspectives about God to be true, too. The statement above is unequivocal and unapologetic - Jesus says He is the only way to God, and that He is the embodiment of truth and life. And everything He says about who God is and who man is and how man ought to live is based on that premise; that premise is the only reason why He has any authority to speak at all (ex. John 5:16-30, John 8:25-29). So either his premise is true, and what He says is true, or it's not, and His teachings do not stand because their foundation is false. You have to choose.

"Again the Jews picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus said to them, 'I have shown you many great miracles from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?'
'We are not stoning you for any of these,' replied the Jews, 'but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God.'" - John 10:31-33

The Jewish religious leadership was, of course, wrong to stone Jesus, because His claims were true. But they were right about one thing - if they didn't believe Jesus, then the only appropriate reaction was to be absolutely offended by the ridiculous, outlandish, completely unreasonable, megalomaniacal claim He was making.

Many people who don't take on the whole part and parcel of Christianity still like to think of Jesus as a good teacher, or a prophet. Jesus rejects this notion that He should be listened to just because He's a good guy: when a rich young man comes to ask the "good teacher" about the way to eternal life, Jesus asks, "Why do you call me good? No one is good - except God alone." (Mark 10:18, Luke 18:19) Jesus says over and over again that the only reason to listen to Him is because He was sent by God the Father.

This is one of the other interesting things about a close reading of Jesus' words; His claim to be God is not about giving glory to Himself, but about pointing back to the Father and making sure that His hearers know the source of His authority and teaching. Even Jesus, who is one with God and comes with all authority, still comes as a servant and a messenger of the one true God. This is a great mystery of the Trinity - and one that is so beyond human comprehension or experience that no one trying to "make up" a convincing religion would bother proposing it.

"'One thing you lack," [Jesus] said. 'Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.'" - Mark 10:21

Yet that crazy notion of Jesus being who He says is the foundation for all the rest of what He tells us to do. And contrary to the "good moral teacher" point of view, the rest of what we are asked to do is just as radical, uncomfortable and offensive. It is wholly unreasonable to ask someone to sell everything they have or to leave their job and their home and family to follow some teaching. It doesn't make any sense to offer someone a second cheek after they've slapped you the first time; to not work to make sure that you have enough to eat or drink the next day; to give someone your own, rightfully earned, second cloak; to forgive someone a debt that they owe you because they borrowed your money. And no matter how good one thinks Jesus's teachings are, who really loves their neighbor (defined as everybody in the world) so much that they make every effort to ensure that everyone has at least as much food and comfort and shelter and safety as they do (that is, as they love themselves)? It's a nice goal, but it's not reasonable or possible to expect someone to take that literally.

Unless what Jesus says is actually true.

In that case, our whole set of priorities and perceptions is overturned. Our first purpose would not to take care of ourselves and make a living, but to make sure we are accurately representing who God is in every part of our lives and making sure other people knew about Him and that we were sent by Him. We would see our things and our jobs and our relationships to friends and family and neighbors and strangers the way that Jesus saw His job and life and relationships. We would actually do the kinds of things He did and commanded, and live the way He lived.