John 1

[Steve Consilvio]

I beg you please to answer my question in a direct manner.
So what I got from the above is that “Yes, Jesus died as God too” did I get that right?

Nope.


Let me try again, okay? : Nobody actually dies. You don't die, I don't die. There is an afterlife, which we enter when we leave this world.


Yes, Jesus was killed (died) in this world, just as those who rose from the dead were 'dead.'


It has nothing to do with divine at all, except in yours (and evidently others) interpretation of the event.


Jesus' resurrection may be a bit unusual in that he brought himself to life (or so it might appear, we have no testimony) but the difference is really just one of timing. If God can create time, then altering it certainly isn't a big deal.


As I mentioned many posts ago, the Jews did not dispute the existence of God, but they did dispute the existence of an afterlife, or not. Jesus preached clearly in the affirmative that there was an afterlife. Having traveled back and forth, he establishes himself as having more authority on the issue. None of the people that I know who have passed on have returned to tell me anything. Since Jesus talks to God, and is a form of God (the confusing trinity) everything he does seems to be rich for contemplation.


If you accept that there is an afterlife, then I am not sure why the condition of Jesus over three days is of such importance. Evidently it is for you. But it is not, nor ever will be, an issue that can be decided with logic. Belief in God requires faith. All religious testament (as in testimony) is simply evidence we can accept or reject. We are the judges of what we believe/understand/recognize. The concept of redemption insures that our understanding is always a moving target. Never rest.


To be more specific, everybody's flesh dies. So presumably Jesus' flesh died in a manner that is common to all. (Although, there is testament of exceptions to even this commonality, too.) Miracles defy logic, as does faith, but it certainly does not make sense to me that the God in the afterlife could die. The Spirit lives forever. How could a bunch of stupid angry men kill God? That seems as unlikely as a bunch of self-righteous men killing evil.


A deeper question could be asked, like is the purpose of prophesy to teach or to prove? (Perhaps both; perhaps neither).


Does that answer your question? These are my opinions. I cannot speak for others.


It strikes me that you do not accept Jesus as God, therefore nothing I say will be adequate. That is what the song lyrics were meant to convey. Saint Thomas Aquinas said the same thing: "To one who has faith, no explanation is necessary. To one without faith, no explanation is possible."


The answers you seek, only you can answer.


Thank you for answering my question about mercy. Perhaps we can discuss it more deeply, when this issue is exhausted. Mercy is not just for how we interact with others.