Was Jesus A Rational Empiricist?

                         Was Jesus A Rational Empiricist?

Our enlightened elitist culture demands a religion be logically consistent and related to the real world. We no longer believe in gods evolved from nature, made with human hands, or confined to someone's mind. That's just superstition or myth. We require supernatural claims be repeatedly tested and observed as in empirical science to demonstrate what exists in the real world. Now Christians claim God is Jesus who walked among us adding a human nature and body. Can we give that a fair honest objective appraisal to see if it's logically consistent and related to the real world?
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Did Jesus know the three basic laws of logical discourse? Aristotle identified the basic laws of rational thought and discourse. As Logos or Reason, these laws have their basis in God, and Jesus as God used them teaching people (John 1:1-3, 14). Most essential is the law of noncontradiction from which all the others stem. It means that opposing statements can't both be true at the same time in the same sense. Some of his examples are contrasts between children of light with children of darkness, rebuking truth for error, children of the devil cannot be children of God, and that we are to test the spirits to see if they be of God. Jesus used the law of identity when he said to let your yes be yes, and your no be no. Jesus was saying that we can't think or talk in a consistent way if God could also mean no God, faith no faith, good not good. And Jesus used the law of excluded middle that a statement must be either true or false. For example, whoever is not for me is against me. We either walk in light or walk in darkness. In such cases there is no middle ground. 
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Space limits me to mention only a few other forms of logical discourse Jesus often used in abbreviated form. A fortiori arguments mean that the greater is more reasonable than the lessor. So if sinful people give good gifts to their children, the heavenly Father will give far greater gifts to his children. He used disjunctive syllogisms such as you cannot serve God and mammon--there is no middle position. Jesus used hypothetical syllogisms as this example. If David by the Holy Spirit called the Messiah his Lord, then Messiah is more than David's son; Messiah is also his God which Jesus claimed. He used categorical syllogisms in reply to the legalistic Jews who forbade work on the Sabbath. Jesus defended his actions several times as his disciples eating grain, healing a man's deformed hand, their getting a sheep out of a ditch. His replies were to do good, emergencies required it, people were more important than rules, the Sabbath was make for man, he was Lord of the Sabbath being God. He replied a reductio ad absurdum argument when accused of casting out demons by the power of the devil. He said if that's true, then the devil's kingdom is devided and he is fighting against himself and will fail. Further, they know Jesus performed good miracles.
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Did Jesus logically expose the clever traps of His adversaries? Jesus slid through the horns of a dilemma. giving a third option. King Herod's supporters asked Jesus if it was lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not. A yes answer meant he put Caesar above God. A no answer meant he was opposed to Caesar, so either answer was a trap. Holding a Roman coin with Caesar's inscription, Jesus astonished everyone when he said give to Caesar what belongs to him and to God what's his due.  
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Did Jesus demonstrate His logical arguments to be God were empirical fact related to the real world?  Yes abundantly! Jesus miracles contrary to nature's patterns confirmed his claims to be God. He performed miracles during daylight, before large crowds close at hand, often upon request, sometimes at great distances, often before hostile eyewitnesses seeking to discredit him. He did this at the temple, seaside, at large gatherings, passing through little towns, and in homes for more than three years. John said the books couldn't be written to describe them all (John 21:24-25).
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Jesus' miracles showed he is Lord. He had power over nature turning water to wine, walking on water, stilling a storm, cursing the fig tree, twice catching many fish, and Peter going to find coin for tax in fish's mouth, twice multiplying food. And there was his virgin birth, transfiguration, resurrection, and ascension. He immediately healed various bodily ailments. There were several with visible skin diseases, paralysis, blindness, deafness, a woman with issue of blood, man with dropsy, severed ear of Malchus. He restored five demon possessed persons and raised three dead people. 
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Some founders of other religions are also said to perform miracles. But devoted disciples made that  claim centuries after their deaths. .Jesus gospel miracles were published just decades while eyewitnesses were still alive. New Testament epistles included hymns and creeds used in churches from the beginnings. If Jesus' miracles were true events, then they would be no less true today or a thousands years later. We can't demand Jesus appear and walk on water  every decade before we can believe. Jesus said if anyone wants to do God's will, he will know the teaching. Do U want God's will? That's the crucial question! God gives U the right to choose being alone with your madness under his wrath in eternal darkness weeping and gnashing teeth! Matthew 8:12; John 3:36.

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Which group is really logical and empirical, Jesus' once astonished skeptical disciples, or His modern critics? Modern critics with naturalistic assumptions say they can easily explain Jesus' miracles. Demons are just bad attitudes or insanity. The dead people were just in a coma. Jesus hypnotic personality  convinced people they were not really sick. Ancient people were ignorant of nature's laws. Mystery religions abounded in that day of men being gods performing miracles, and arising from the dead. Jesus was some kind of trickster.  Are the modern skeptics right?
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I think not!  Demoniacs are distinguished from diseases. If diseases, Jesus could heal them immediately while modern doctors cannot. Demons recognized Jesus as the holy one of God even before the disciples. Possessed can speak other languages, show exceptional strength, and different personalities. Jesus exhibited a visible empirical event when the demons were caste into the pigs. It amazes me that liberals explain dead bodies raised as comas.  Since Adam and Eve people know dead bodies are cold, pale, and stiff. Jesus' can't hypnotize persons born blind to receive sight, skin diseases to disappear, deaf and dumb to gain these faculties--only God's power can do such things. Jesus disciples knew natures laws that people don't walk on water, raise the dead, or ascend into heaven. They were skeptical, often astonished, and Jesus often rebuked their unbelief.
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Jesus miracles proceeded the mystery religions. They in fact may have borrowed from him as modern cults do today. No monotheistic Jew would accept religions about Greek or Roman gods. The mysteries were mostly fertility religions related to yearly crop cycles. Only Jesus was virgin born holy, lived without sin, died to pay for our sins, and arose to make believers God's redeemed people. Jesus' Sermon on the Mount teaching is the epitome of ethics. He challenged his bitter enemies to find fault with him, and when they couldn't, they plotted his death.  After his resurrection his at first skeptical disciples, then died horrible deaths not for a lie but to affirm Him as the holy Lord of glory.

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What we choose to believe about Jesus is the crucial ultimate decision of our life and destiny! The Bible doesn't say Christians are without sin, but does say true believers are counted right with God because Jesus loved us enough to give his human life for us and the Holy Spirit in us to make us increasing better persons as we focus on God's truth, forgiveness, love, and power. God's love can't be forced. We're not programmed but can freely choose Jesus with the peace, love, and joy he can bring to our life, with heaven to boot. Won't U say, Lord Jesus, I trust You now to save me the sinner and always be my Guide until I go to be with You. Amen! (So be it).  Now serve your Lord and minister to others sending an article on the www every day.   See my note below.

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