Jesus Christ as viewed by the Muslims, Christians and the Jews - Essay Example

Jesus Christ as viewed by the Muslims, Christians and the Jews Jesus Christ is a renowned historical figure of the world and is acknowledged and respected by some of the most prominent religions of the world. He was born approximately two thousand years back to a woman called Mary, in the town of Bethlehem, in the West Bank, which is situated on the south of Jerusalem. Jesus Christ is greatly revered among the Muslims and the Christians all over the world. A third important religion, Judaism, also acknowledges the existence of Jesus Christ, though in a different way. Christianity, Islam and Judaism are three types of religions in which Jesus plays a different role as perceived by the believers. All the three religions know Jesus very well but they have a very different way of referring to Him. Likewise, the role that Jesus portrays in each of the religion is very much different, although all such roles are important. Let us view the theme how each religion views Jesus Christ according to their religious beliefs. Is Jesus a Messenger of God? In Islam, Jesus Christ is most commonly known as Isa Ibne Mariyam (son of Mary). The greatest source of information about Jesus Christ comes from the Holy Quran, which holds ample and authentic evidence about Him. Brenan (2005) points out that in Quran Jesus is being referred to as the ‘Son of Mary’, the ‘Christ’, ‘Messiah’, ‘servant of God’, a ‘miracle worker’ and the ‘son of a virgin’. Islam gives the status of a Messenger of God to Jesus Christ. As is mentioned by Saud (1986) “ In Islam Jesus is the second most important prophet (next to Muhammad).” The Holy Quran (5:75) also supports the argument in the following manner: “ Isa was the son of Mary and was no more than the Messenger of Allah before whom many other messengers have passed away. His mother was the most truthful woman and they both ate food as do other mortals.” On another occasion the Holy Quran says: “ Those who believe in the Book (Jews and Christians)! Do not cross the limits in your religion and attribute nothing but the truth with Allah. Isa, son of Mary was only a Messenger of God, and a promise that He had given to Mary, and a spirit from Him. So you must believe in God and in His messenger and must not say that God is more than one. Leave this for your own good. Indeed God is only One and He does not have a son. To Him belongs every thing in heaven and earth and He is the guardian (4:171-172)”. Muslims believe in Jesus only as a human being and as a Messenger of Allah and they are under obligation to accept Him as one of the many prophets sent by God for the guidance of human beings. Not accepting Jesus as the Prophet of God would lead to the expulsion of a person from the circle of Islam. Likewise Christians also believe in Jesus as the prophet of God but at the same time they also attribute divine qualities to Him. According to Broadway (1998), in Christianity Jesus is the “Messiah” and the “Son of God” or the “only begotten son”. He saved the people from sin, as He is the continuous source of salvation. His words are written in the ‘Bible’. By following the commandments He has written, the entire humanity is assured of greater glory and better life after death. Apart from Unitarian Christians, most of the Christians now attribute divine powers to Jesus Christ and give him the status of a full time God in every respect. It is here that one of the basic differences of Islam and Christianity emerges. Judaism strongly believes in the indivisible power of God and this belief does not give Messiah the status of a God as Christians do. In Judaism Jesus is described as the false prophet because he did not fulfill the prophecies that were associated with Messiah’s coming. According to Isaiah 11:1-9, 2:4, 52:13 and 53:5 “ Messiah will be a descendent of King David who will return the Jews to their homeland, rebuilt the Temple and initiate the era of peace”. In Ezekiel (16:55) Messiah is prophesized as the “redeemer of the Jews”. Kamens (1997) also writes about Judaism in which “Messiah is their key to spiritual and political salvation.” However, the Jewish rabbis rejected Jesus as the prophet since He lived at the time of the building of second Temple. Jesus never appeared as a redeemer for the Jews and as such He was declared a false prophet. During His time the Jews were persecuted out of Israel. Was Jesus born of a Virgin Mother? Both Christians and Muslims believe that Jesus Christ was born of a virgin Mother. The Quran (19:16-21) speaks the words of God in the following manner: “Mary asked God how can I have a son when no man has ever touched me? And the God replies “So it will be, that is easy for Me and We wish to appoint him as a Messenger and a Mercy from Us”. Jesus’ birth to a virgin mother has also been mentioned in the Bible. In Mathews (1:18) it is said “Mary was a virgin when she was married to a man called Joseph”. It is further stated that “ Joseph kept Mary a Virgin till she gave birth to a son and they named him Jesus”. Unlike Christians and Muslims, the Jews do not support the idea of a virgin mother. According to Kamens (1997) in Judaism “humans are believed to be ‘born with an unstained soul and writes his/her book by the actions he/she performs’, unlike the Christian belief which state that humans are born as a result of the sin committed by Adam and Eve”. Hence, Judaism teaches that man and woman are naturally born and are products of real love. More so, it is not stated in Judaism that Jesus has anything to do with the creation of human being. For this religion, man and woman have lives, part of life and products of life. So the possibility of Jesus being born out of a virgin soul is ruled out. Do the three religions confirm the miraculous birth of Jesus? Although it is difficult to comprehend the notion of a person being born without the natural process, the above quotations from the Holy Quran and the Bible clearly support the fact that Jesus’ birth was a miracle. However in Islam the miraculous birth of Jesus Christ does not elevate Him to the status of God as the Quran (3:59) states, “ In front of Allah, Jesus holds the same level as that of Adam. Allah made him from dust and as He said Be- and it was done”. Christianity on the other hand gives divine status to Jesus. As is mentioned by Broadway (1998), due to His miraculous birth and for the miracles He performed Jesus is viewed as the “son of God” or “God” Himself. However no such view of a miraculous birth is associated with Jesus Christ in Judaism. Islam also believes that Jesus spoke in his cradle when he was only three days old. According to the Muslim belief God had already foretold this to Mary when she was informed about the miraculous birth of her son. The Quran supports the argument in chapter 19, verse 29-30 in the following manner: “ Mary pointed to her son in the cradle and said, ‘ how can one talk to a child in the cradle’ and the child (Jesus) replied ‘I am the servant of Allah, He has given me the Book and has made me His Messenger”. In Christianity a similar kind of fable which is called the Gospel of the Infancy of Jesus Christ also holds similar views about Jesus talking to His mother when was in the cradle. No evidence of this point is found in Judaism. Do the three religions support the miracles performed by Jesus Christ? Both Christians and Muslims believe in the fact that Jesus Christ did perform different kinds of miracles. The difference in the two religions lies in the point that the Muslims believe that Jesus performed the miracles with the will of God. The Christians however believe that Jesus performed those miracles because He is the Son of God, the Holy Spirit and God Himself. The Quran (5:110) talks about the miracles of Jesus Christ in the following manner: “ As God says to Jesus, ‘ Messiah the son of Mary, think about the favors I have bestowed upon you and you mother and behold, you have been strengthened with the Holy Spirit, the angel Gabriel so that you could speak before the people in childhood and adulthood. Remember I taught you the knowledge of the Book, Wisdom, law and Gospel. Behold you create things out of mud as the figure of a bird and by My command you breathe into it. And it becomes a bird by my command. By my command you heal the blind and the lepers and give life to the dead. Behold I protected you from the Israelites when you showed them your miracles which they denied and called it magic”. The miracles of Jesus Christ are mentioned in the Bible (Acts 4:30) in the following manner: “And the Lord grant Your slave to speak Your word with boldness, as You extend Your hand to heal which are the signs and miracles performed through Your servant Jesus”. In Judaism, some of the prophecies, though not miracles, associated with Messiah are mentioned in the Book of Isaiah. According to the prophecies Messiah will guide the nations as the king (2:4), the world will worship one God of Israel (2:17), evil and tyranny will end (11:4), knowledge of God will spread (11.9), Israelites will come back to their homeland (11.12), the dead will rise again (26:19) and the nations will recognize the cruelties faced by the Israelites (52:13,53:5). These are some of the prophecies mentioned in the Book of Isaiah that had been associated with the Messiah. However, Jesus Christ did not fulfill any of such prophecies and so He was ruled out as a Messiah by the Jewish rabbis. In Judaism Jesus is either non-existent or is an ordinary man. Most of the Jews are of the view that Jesus is not important. Moreover, Jews do not see Jesus as part of their salvation. Was Jesus the Son of God? According to Islam, Jesus was not the Son of God. God is the Almighty Being who does not have any partner or family member. It is above His glory to have a son, family or a partner. It is mentioned in the Quran in chapter 112, verse 1-4: “Say Allah is only One, the source of everything. He neither begets nor is begotten and there is no one like Him.” On another occasion Allah says in the Holy Quran chapter 19, verse 34-35: “ Jesus was the son of Mary who is the statement of truth that the people dispute. It is beyond the majesty of Allah to beget a son. Glory be with Allah.” Among Muslims accepting Jesus as the Son of God is blasphemous and as such expels a person from the circle of Islam. Christianity is based on the concept of Trinity according to which Jesus is three personed- the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. The theory of Trinity is mentioned in the Book of Mathews, chapter 28, verse 29 in the following manner: “Go to different nations and make disciples from everywhere. Then baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.” Judaism does not support the idea of Trinity. There is no mention of Messiah being the Son of God. As is mentioned above according to the Book of Isaiah, Messiah will be descendent of King David. Moreover, no such ideas have been associated with Jesus in Judaism. Was Jesus really crucified? Islam does not support the idea of Christ being killed on the cross and then resurrected. According to the Holy Quran (4: 157-158), Allah says: “People say that they have killed Messiah, the son of Mary. But they have killed him not. Allah replaced him with another man and they have no knowledge over it. Surely they did not kill him but Allah raised him up to Himself, his body and soul in heaven. Allah is all-powerful and wise.” Continuing with this doctrine the Muslims also believe that Jesus will come back in the world before the Judgment Day and will be followed by people all over the world. This view is similar to the Jewish prophesy of Messiah mentioned in Isaiah (2: 4-17) according to which “Messiah will rule the world and will be followed by all the people of the world.” Christ’s crucifixion is the basis of Christianity. According to the Christian belief mentioned in the Bible (Romans 6: 8-9) Christ was crucified on the cross and then resurrected. After resurrection a woman called Mary Magdalen first saw Christ. Christians believe that Jesus died to save mankind from sin. The belief is further supported with the notion that Christ was kicked and humiliated and was made to die a slow and painful death. Jews do not believe in the concept of salvation. They do not accept the notion of getting repentance through the sacrifice of another person. The Deuteronomy (24:16) says, “Every man shall be punished for his own sins.” Since Jesus or Yehua is of less importance in Judaism so it is believed by the Jews that Jesus died a natural death. Conclusion: From the differences and similarities shown above on the roles that Jesus plays in reference to the beliefs of the three religions, one thing is clear – and that is Jesus is a part of the past, present and future of the entire humanity. Jesus may be referred differently by various religions like Christianity, Islam and Judaism, but He still exists as an important part of religious doctrines and thus becomes an important point where the different religions differ from each other. References “Bible”, Acts 4:30 Mathews 1:18 and 28:29 Romans 6:8-9 Brenan, B. “The Jesus of Islam: Christians have more in common with Muslims than they realize.” National Catholic Reporter, (June 2005). Pg.1-12 Broadway, B. “Looking Anew at Jesus And Early Christianity”. The Washington Post. (April 1998).pg. 14. “Holy Quran”, Chapter 3, verse 59 Chapter 4, verse 157-158 Chapter 5, verse 110 Chapter 19, verse 16-35 Chapter 112, verse 1-4 Kamens, R. “Judaism is not Christianity without Christ”. The Record Bergen County, NJ. (January 1997).pg. 13-35 “Old Testament”, Deuteronomy 24:16 Ezekiel 16:55 Isaiah 2:4-17, 11:1-12, 26:19, 52:13 and 53:5 Saud, M. “Islam and Evolution of Science”, Islamic Research Institute, Islamabad, (1986). p.3-16 Read More