Table of Contents
ESTABLISHING GOD’S KINGDOM
THIRD-PARTY EVIDENCE — “ACCORDING TO . . .”
The amazing thing about the Christians’ sworn affidavits (writings attributed to Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) is that not a single one of them is duly attested. Not a single one bears the signature, mark or thumb-print of its author in the so-called originals. They now boast of being in possession of over 5000 “originals” of which no two “originals” are identical. Amazing! Little-wonder the Christians themselves label their Gospels as — “The Gospel according to St. Matthew”, “The Gospel according to St. Mark”, “The Gospel according to St. Luke” and “The Gospel according to St. John”.
When Christian scholars are asked why the words “according to” 1 are repeated at the beginning of every Gospel, the obvious implication is that they are not autographed. It is only assumed that they are authored by the names the Gospels carry today. The translators of the “New International Version” have unceremoniously expunged the “According to’s” from the four Gospels in their latest translation. Of the alleged Gospel writers, viz., Matthew, Mark, Luke and John it can be categorically stated that 50% were not even the elected Twelve Disciples of Jesus (pbuh).
1. “According to”; This aspect is dealt with in detail in the book — <!a href=”http://www.jamaat.net/bible/BibleIntro.html”>”Is the Bible God’s Word?”<!/a>
PRIMA-FACIE CASE
I dare humbly claim that such unattested documents would be thrown out of hand, in any Court-of-Law, in any civilised country, in just two minutes. Furthermore, one of the alleged witnesses, St. Mark, tells us that at the most critical juncture in the life of Jesus — “All his disciples forsook him and fled”- (Mark 14:50). Please ask your Christian friend, “Does “all” mean all in your language, you Englishman?” (This applies to the North American as well) And he will no doubt say — “Yes!”; “Does “almal” mean almal in your language, you Afrikaner?” And no doubt he will say — “ja!” (pronounced Yaa); “And does “bonke” mean bonke in your language, you Zulu?” And he will say — “Ahe!” This is true of every language. Why not memorise this verse from the Bible in your own dialect? Even in some additional languages?
So the so-called “eye-witnesses” were not really eyewitnesses to the happenings, unless St. Mark is not telling us the whole truth, the “gospel truth”. Yet he is supposed to be speaking under oath! You will agree that a case based on such hearsay evidence would be thrown out of Court, TWICE in two minutes, in any Court-of-Law, in any civilised country; that is TWICE in just 120 seconds flat! But a ghost (dogma) of two thousand years standing, upon which hangs the salvation of 1200 million Christians, should not be summarily dismissed. It deserves a little more circumspection. We will therefore entertain the alleged testimonies of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John as if they were duly attested.
WHERE DO WE BEGIN?
At the beginning of course! — exactly as the Bible does (“In the beginning. . .” – Genesis 1:1) — just 24 hours before the cataclysmic events of “a thunderstorm; an eclipse of the sun; an earthquake; rocks being rent; the veil of the temple being torn from the top to bottom; graves being opened and sleeping corpses marching through the streets of Jerusalem . . .” as narrated by the Christians’ Witnesses. What a scenario for a billion dollar, record-breaking, film production!
We must not forget that the Jews are in the dock, alleged for the murder of Jesus Christ; and we as Muslims are constrained to defend them against the Christian charge, because justice must be done. Whatever their sins of commission and omission, Allah exonerates them from the charge of murder. He says:
FOR OF A SURETY
THEY KILLED HIM NOT.
(Holy Qur’an 4:157)
PLAYING THE “CRUCI-FICTION” CARD
The Christian world has been unjustly persecuting, and hounding and killing our Jewish cousins for nearly two thousand years for a murder they did not commit. Attempted murder? — may be! But murder? — NO! By absolving the Jew of a crime he did not commit, we are also taking the wind out of the hot-gospellers’ and the Bible-thumpers’ sail. In the battle for the hearts and minds of mankind, “cruci-FICTION” is the only card the Christian holds. Free him from his infatuation and you will have freed the Muslim world from missionary aggression and harrassment.
AROUND THE TABLE
On the eve of the Passover Feast, Jesus and his twelve disciples are seated around a huge Table with their host — the “beloved disciple”, whose name also happened to be JOHN. Johns’ and Jesus’ 1 were names, common among the Jews in the year 30 A.C. as Toms, Dicks, Johns and Jimmys are with us in the twentieth century. There were at least 14 men at the table (count them if you wish) and not the unlucky thirteen of Western superstition. 2
1. Of the three candidates for the 3 crosses at Golgotha on the 1st Easter week-end, there were 2 Jesus’. The one released was Jesus Barabbas. See “Christ in Islam”.
2. A country as advance as South Africa, like an adjunct of the U.S.A., has no Row 13 on any of its Aeroplanes!!
MARCH INTO JERUSALEM
Jesus (pbuh) made his triumphant royal entry into Jerusalem at the head of an excited and enthusiastic following, with high hopes of establishing the “Kingdom of God” any minute; riding a donkey to fulfill prophecy (Zechariah 9:9) –
Tell ye the daughter of Zion, behold, thy KING cometh. . . sitting upon an ass. . . And a great multitude spread their garments. . . and branches in the way. . . and the multitude cried, saying, “Hosanna to the SON OF DAVID. . . Hosanna in the highest . . .”
(HOLY BIBLE) Matthew 21:5-9
Let Luke the beloved physician, add his strokes to clarify the picture.
“. . . because he was near to Jerusalem, and because they thought that the kingdom of God should IMMEDIATELY appear”-
(HOLY BIBLE) Luke 19:11
HEAVENLY KINGDOM???
“But those mine enemies, who would not that I should REIGN over them, bring them hither, and SLAY them before me”-
(HOLY BIBLE) Luke 19:27.
. . . Blessed be the KING who cometh in the name of the Lord. . .
(HOLY BIBLE) Luke 19:38.
And John adds that the excited throng exclaimed —
“Hosanna! Blessed is the KING of ISRAEL, that cometh in the name of the Lord”-
(HOLY BIBLE) John 12:13.
“The Pharisees said. . . Behold, the world is gone (mad) after him (Jesus)”-
(HOLY BIBLE) John 12:21.
“NOW is the judgement of this world; N-O-W shall the prince of this world be CAST OUT”-
(HOLY BIBLE) John 12:31.
Who would withstand such heady-wine of impending glory? Little wonder that Jesus was tempted physically to oust those that bought and sold within the temple precincts. He overthrew the money-changer’s tables and drove them out with a “whip of cords”-(John 2:15).
AN ABORTED COUP
The overthrow of the Temple Authority was imminent, and a forerunner to the expulsion of the Romans, heralding the “Kingdom of God.” But alas his high hopes did not materialise. The whole performance fizzled out like a damp squib, despite all the “Hosannas” and hoorays to the “Son of David” and the “King of Israel.” All this ballyhoo was only forty years premature. Jesus had failed to heed the warning of the Pharisees to curb the over exuberance of his disciples (Luke 19:39). He had miscalculated. Now he must pay the price of failure. His nation was not ready for any sacrifice, in spite of all their infantile clamour.
JEWISH REASONING
The Jewish leaders reasoned that this one man had almost brought the nation to destruction. Therefore,
“It is expedient for one man to die for the nation –
(HOLY BIBLE) John 11:50.
But with all the mass hysteria surrounding him, it was also NOT expedient to apprehend Jesus in public. They waited for the opportunity of a clandestine arrest. As luck would have it they found in Judas, an elected disciple of Jesus (pbuh), a traitor who would sell his Lord and Master for thirty miserable pieces of silver.
JUDAS WAS DISGRUNTLED
In the opinion of Christian divines it was the greed of gold which enticed Judas to do his dastardly deed. But he had more money-sense then the Christians gave him credit for. As a purser for the elect group of Jesus he had endless opportunities of pinching pennies permanently. Why jeopardise that for all times for 30 paltry pieces? There is more to that than meets the eye. Judas was disgruntled, after all those mass demonstrations on Jesus’ regal entry into Jerusalem — those hot out-pourings of: “The HOUR is come — and NOW is — the Prince of this World will be CAST OUT — I should REIGN over them — bring them HITHER and SLAY THEM before me.” Jesus had now developed cold-feet. If only Jesus could be provoked, he might react with miracles, and bring down fire and brimstones from Heaven upon his enemies; and, of course, the legions of angels (which he boasted were at his disposal), which would enable him and his disciples to rule the world.
From close contact with the Master, he had learned that Jesus was kind, tender and loving. But, he was not a mealy-mouthed man; he was no milk-and-water Messiah. But Judas could not understand the “hot and cold” blowings of Jesus. Perhaps if Jesus was accosted, he would yet deliver the goods. To this end Judas schemed.
THE TRAITOR KNOWN
The furtive looks and the suspicious behaviour of Judas had revealed everything to Jesus (pbuh). He did not need the Holy Ghost to interpret the misgivings in Judas’s mind. At the Table in the Upper-room where Jesus and his disciples were having that “Last Supper”, Jesus dismissed Judas with the words:
“. . . What thou doest, do quickly.”
(HOLY BIBLE) John 13:27
And Judas took off to put the seal on the deal to the stab-in-the-back.