10. Jesus, the One and Only?: The Exaltation Fallout

In Jesus Christ, the reality of God entered into the reality of this world. . . . Henceforth one can speak neither of God nor of the world without speaking of Jesus Christ. All concepts of reality which do not take account of Him are abstractions.

—DIETRICH BONHOEFFER

Buddha simply said, “I am a teacher in search of the truth.” Jesus said, “I am the Truth.” Confucius said, “I never claimed to be holy.” Jesus said, “Who convicts me of sin?” Mohammed said, “Unless God throws his cloak of mercy over me, I have no hope.” Jesus said, “Unless you believe in me, you will die in your sins.”

—ANONYMOUS

It finally came down to this.

Kyle and I were standing on Steve’s front porch, waiting for him to answer the door. We purposely scheduled our prior interviews to minimize the possibility that anyone would tell Steve we had been asking questions. We didn’t want him to know we had reopened the case until this moment, and after phone calls to everyone we had interviewed so far, we were certain Steve had no idea we were coming.

Steve had only been questioned in 2000, and we chose to take a unique approach with this second interview. We decided to tell Steve we were simply investigating a missing persons case, without any reference to a possible murder. We thought this strategy might reduce Steve’s hesitancy to talk to us and prevent him from seeing himself as a possible suspect. In essence, we were going to “play dumb.”

“Do I know you guys?” Steve asked after opening the door.

“Steve Hayes?” I asked. “Sorry to bother you, sir. We’re from the police department, and we’ve been tasked with clearing a bunch of old backlogged cases, and today we’re checking off some of the old missing persons reports.”

“Is this about Tammy?” he asked.

“Yes,” said Kyle. “This won’t take long. We just figured she probably returned years ago—sometimes people forget to notify us—and we didn’t have a current phone number for you, so we thought we would update the case and get it off our list. You know, so we can move on the next one.”

“Well . . .” he started, “She’s not here. I haven’t thought about her in years.”

“Really?” I said, trying to act surprised. “She never called or came back for her things?”

“Tammy was a wandering type. She never liked to stay put for very long. She wanted to travel. I just figured she decided to leave me and see the world.” Kyle and I knew Tammy had never been described like this in any of our prior interviews.

“Okay,” I replied. “Can you give me a list of friends or relatives we could contact to learn more about her?” I could already tell Steve was getting impatient. But before he could answer my question, his cell phone rang. He reached into his pocket, answered the phone, and briefly turned away from us to exchange a few words with the caller. “Dude, can I call you back in a few minutes? I have two homicide detectives standing on my porch . . .” He hung up and turned back toward us.

“Look, it’s been a ton of years since Tammy left. I really don’t have any information for you. Sorry.” Steve then abruptly closed the door in our faces.

“Wow,” said Kyle as we drove back to the station. “That didn’t go like I thought it would.”

“No, but he gave us some interesting data, if you think about it.”

In just a few sentences, Steve had revealed information consistent with his involvement in Tammy’s disappearance.

First, when notified that we were investigating the case, he didn’t say something like, “That’s so great. I would like to know what happened because she never returned,” or “Thank God you guys haven’t forgotten about her,” or even, “I want some closure on this; it’s bugged me for years.” Instead, he said coldly, “I haven’t thought about her in years.” That’s an unexpected response, unless of course Steve was responsible for Tammy’s disappearance.

He also modified Tammy’s nature after the fact, describing her now as a wandering soul who wanted to travel the world. This new version of Tammy certainly made her disappearance sound more reasonable, but it didn’t match anyone else’s description of her nature.

Finally, Steve told the caller he was talking to homicide detectives , even though we didn’t identify ourselves that way and didn’t give him a business card with that title. We intentionally told him we were trying to clear “a bunch of old backlogged cases,” including missing persons reports. Why jump to the conclusion that this was a homicide investigation?

These small details might not have been conclusive, but they certainly added to the evidence and data we were gathering in the fallout. Would our cumulative case from the fuse and the fallout be enough to convince the district attorney to file the case? Would a jury think the evidence from the fuse and the fallout was conclusive? That remained to be seen.

MENTIONED, MERGED, OR MODIFIED

“Do you ever wonder if all this would have been different if we were living someplace else?” asked Susie, pointing to the tall stack of research books piled up in the corner of our bedroom.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, if we had been raised in a Muslim country, would you be investigating Islam?”

“Maybe,” I replied. “But even if we had been raised in a Muslim country, we still would have learned a lot about Jesus . . .”

I was surprised to discover yet another way Jesus affected the fallout of the Common Era, and this line of evidence involved groups, like Muslims, who don’t include the New Testament in their collection of holy writings.

Jesus matters to religious believers around the world, even if they reject the claims of Christianity. Consider for a moment the appearance of Jesus in history:

His explosive entry on our timeline was preceded by the fuse and resulted in the fallout I’ve described so far. After Jesus inaugurated Christianity, several other

world religions and spiritual worldviews also appeared on the timeline, including Islam, Bahá’í, Ahmadiyya, and New Age spirituality.

Would it surprise you to discover that the religions that came after Jesus’s appearance modified themselves in response to Jesus , mentioned his life and ministry, or merged him into their worldview? Perhaps not, given the kind of impact Jesus had on every aspect of the Common Era. We should probably expect Jesus to appear in other theistic or spiritual systems based on his global influence.

But what about the religious systems that preceded Jesus?

Would you be surprised to discover that these ancient religions also modified, mentioned, or merged Jesus into their worldviews? As it turns out, they did.

You might be asking, “How could the early religions in this illustration acknowledge or include Jesus if he hadn’t yet been born?” While it’s true the earliest worshipers of Indra, Attis, Heracles, Krishna, Mithras, and the Buddha knew nothing about Jesus, as these faith systems survived into the Common Era, they found themselves accommodating Jesus in one manner or another.

After the inauguration of Christianity, these ancient religions found themselves contending with Jesus’s overwhelming impact. Some responded by modifying their practices and beliefs to mimic Christianity, some simply mentioned Jesus, and others found a way to merge him into their worldview. Let’s begin by examining the response of religions that preceded Jesus.

JESUS MENTIONED AND MERGED IN HINDUISM

Hinduism traces its roots back to the Iron Age of India (twelfth to sixth centuries BCE). It is a remarkably diverse religious system without a single founder. Given the many varieties of Hinduism (each embracing a complex and divergent set of views), it is difficult to isolate a single, unified set of beliefs, but one thing is certain: modern Hindus acknowledge Jesus and have merged him into their worldview.

OBJECTION: ALL GOD EXPECTS OF US IS SINCERITY

Is sincerity more important to God than accuracy? Imagine that you and I are hiking and discover a poisonous hemlock plant. Since it looks like parsley, you decide to eat some of it. You sincerely believe the plant is parsley. Will your sincerity protect you from harm? Most of us understand the value of truth and sincerity. Both are important, but sincerity without truth can lead you to the wrong place and endanger your life.

Jesus Is Considered a Sadhu

Most Hindus evaluate “spirituality” based on behavior and practice. Virtues such as tolerance, love, nonviolence, self-sacrifice, and humility are held in high esteem and considered to be characteristics of “holy men” known as sadhus . Many Hindus, using this broad criteria, see Jesus (called “Ishu”) as a “Hindu saint” because of his life and teaching. Some Hindus also believe that Jesus spent time in India as a young man (during the years missing from the Gospels) learning the basic philosophy of yoga so he could return to Israel as a sadhu.

Jesus Is Considered an Acharya

The Sanskrit word acharya means “one who teaches by example.” For many Hindus, Jesus provides an example of someone who engaged and practiced a spiritual life (much like the example set by Krishna).

Jesus Is Considered Divine

Some Hindus acknowledge Jesus as divine, even if he is not seen as uniquely divine. Hindus often worship many gods and goddesses, and some include Jesus in their list of deities, considering him the perfect example of “self-realization.” Many see Jesus as a “God-man” of sorts, even while acknowledging other examples such as Rama, Krishna, and the Buddha.

Jesus Is Considered a Wise Teacher and Model of Morality

Most Hindus respect Jesus’s teaching, and some have even committed themselves to his instruction. Mahatma Gandhi, for example, greatly admired the moral philosophy of Jesus (particularly as expressed in the Sermon on the Mount). He considered Jesus a superior source of moral truth and an expression of the “spirit and will of God.”

Even though Hinduism began long before Jesus’s arrival, Hindus acknowledge Jesus as a divine sadhu and acharya:

Hinduism also mentions and acknowledges many episodes and truths found in the Christian Scriptures:

Many Details of Jesus’s Life Are Acknowledged

Hindus acknowledge episodes from the gospel narratives, including Jesus’s birth in a stable, the visit of the magi, his ability to perform miracles (such as walking on water and healing the sick), and his public sermons.

Because of the way Hindu leaders (like Mahatma Gandhi) have mentioned Jesus and merged him into their own religion, 1.16 billion Hindus in these regions of the world have had the opportunity to hear about Jesus, even within the context of Hinduism .

Jesus matters to Hindus who have merged Jesus into their system, and they continue to mention and acknowledge key episodes of the New Testament gospels.

THE MODIFICATION OF ATTIS

Attis was worshiped in antiquity in Phrygian and Greek mythology, beginning in approximately 1250 BCE. After the appearance of Jesus and the growth of Christianity, the cult of Attis modified the nature of Attis to incorporate attributes of Jesus.

Attis’s Body “Did Not See Decay”

In the most ancient accounts of the myth, no description of Attis says that his body would not rot, decay, or become corrupted. But by the second century of the Common Era, this had changed. A Greek writer of the time, Pausanias, now included this new attribute of Attis in his description of the Greek god. This modification of the Attis story appears to borrow from a passage of the New Testament in Acts 2:31 (dated to the second half of the first century), in which the apostle Peter, describing Jesus, said, “Nor did his body see decay.”

Attis Died and Was Resurrected

Related to that modification of the myth, second-century worshipers (as early as 133 CE) developed a purification right for members symbolizing “rebirth.” This reflected a new view of Attis as a god who died and was reborn (or resurrected).

The cult of Attis has long been abandoned, but history records how much Jesus mattered to Attis worshipers.

The cult modified its notions of Attis in response to the overwhelming influence of Jesus and his followers.

MODIFYING HERACLES

Heracles was a divine hero in Greek mythology (known more popularly as Hercules in Roman times). The earliest evidence we have for the worship of this Greek god dates to the sixth century BCE. In the most ancient descriptions of Heracles, he behaved in a morally questionable manner, participating in multiple marriages and affairs, committing several questionable killings, and conceiving many children out of wedlock. But by the second century, some aspects of the Heracles mythology had changed.

Heracles Is a Paragon of Virtue

Philosophers and writers in the late first century, after Christianity had already arrived in the Roman Empire, began to imagine Heracles as “a paragon of the wise man and the incarnation of all virtues,” much like the sinless description of Jesus.

Heracles Is the “Logos”

One stoic philosopher in this period of the Common Era also described Hercules for the first time as “the Logos infused in all things, which gives nature both its power and its cohesion,” a clear parallel with the way John described Jesus in his gospel, as well as how Paul described Jesus in his letter to the Colossians.

Heracles “Walked on Water”

A fourth-century Roman emperor, Flavius Claudius Julianus (commonly known as Julian), rejected Christianity and continued to worship the Roman gods. In recrafting the Hercules myth, he added to Hercules’s “mighty deeds” an episode in which Hercules crossed the sea without getting wet, similar to the way Jesus walked on water.

Heracles Is a Member of a “Trinity”

Julian also described the relationship between Jupiter, Athena Pronaia, and Heracles “so that the divine triad thus sketched out closely resembles a Trinity.”

Heracles Ascended into Heaven

Justin Martyr, a second-century Christian apologist, described several episodes of plagiarism in the Greek and Roman myths, including a version of Heracles’s death in which he ascends into heaven in a manner similar to Jesus.

While the worship of Heracles ended many centuries ago, Jesus mattered enough to this ancient religion that its followers were willing to modify the nature and life of Heracles in response to Jesus’s influence.

KRISHNA MODIFIED

Although Krishna is a Hindu deity, a modern form of Krishna worship (the Hare Krishna movement) emerged well after the appearance of Jesus. Even the ancient description of Krishna was modified after Gnostic gospel authors and Christian missionaries exposed Krishna worshipers to the story of Jesus in the Common Era.

Krishna Is the Sole Deity

While Krishna originally appeared within Hinduism as one of many gods, Krishna worshipers later identified him as the sole deity. This “post-Christian phase in Hinduism” is “indebted to Christianity.”

Krishna Was Born of a Virgin, and a Tyrant Ordered the Killing of Innocent Infants

Modern writers cite similarities in the birth stories of Krishna and Jesus, describing Krishna’s mother, Devaki, for example, as a virgin. In another similarity to the Christian birth narrative, Kansa (a tyrant ruler of the Vrishni kingdom) is said to kill innocent infants, recalling the actions of Herod in the New Testament. Scholars believe that any similarity between the Hindu and Christian birth narratives was “borrowed” from Christianity.

Krishna’s Birthday Is Celebrated with Christian Imagery

Hindus also celebrate the birth of Krishna with symbolism familiar to Christians. Krishna birth scenes typically include images of Devaki lying in a stable with Krishna surrounded by shepherds and farm animals, while deities and demigods hover in the air (like Christian images of angels). According to scholars, this celebration “is an imitation of the Christian festival.”

Krishna Was a Shepherd or “Herdsman”

Krishna’s identification as a herdsman is also considered a modification of the Krishna mythology that appears to have been borrowed from Christian sources.

Krishna Defeated a Demon Similar to Satan

Another part of the Krishna narrative describes him defeating a serpent demon named Kaliya. Scholars also believe this story is a corruption of Jesus’s victory over Satan.

Krishna Raised a Dead Son to Life

In the Jaimini Bharata , a thirteenth-century version of the Hindu epic Mahâbhârata , Krishna is described as raising a dead son to life in a manner similar to the way Jesus raised a dead son in the gospel of Luke (7:11–17). This late addition to the Krishna narrative has also been borrowed from Christianity.

Krishna worshipers, like those of Attis and Heracles, modified the nature of Krishna after Christianity began to grow as a global movement.

A modern version of Krishna worship, known as Krishna Consciousness or the Hare Krishna movement, focuses on “an awareness of and affection for the Supreme Person, Krishna,” as “the culmination of all forms of yoga, knowledge, meditation, and spirituality.” Claiming to be a monotheistic branch of the spiritual tradition that dates back to Krishna himself, this modern version incorporates the teaching of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (a fifteenth-century Indian saint) and A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada (a twentieth-century Indian spiritual teacher).

Even though it centers on the person of Krishna, today’s Hare Krishna movement merges Jesus into their religious system in several important ways.

Jesus Is the Perfect Guru

Srila Prabhupada and others within the Hare Krishna movement accept Jesus and honor him with the title of “guru.” They describe him as the “perfect guru,” a trusted representative of God and someone who has shown us how to love and serve him.

Jesus Was Sent by God

Hare Krishna believers also believe God sent Jesus to reveal himself to humanity.

Jesus Is the “Son of God” and “Lord”

Leaders and members of Krishna Consciousness acknowledge Jesus as the “Son of God” and “Lord.” Although they don’t assign exclusive deity to him, they give him “all honor” as “a pure representative of God” and “our guru, our spiritual master.”

The Hare Krishna movement accommodates the existence of Jesus as it merges him into their spiritual worldview:

The Hare Krishna movement also mentions many episodes and claims from Christian Scripture.

The New Testament Records True Events

Hare Krishna leaders and believers accept and recite many of the episodes described in the New Testament, including Jesus’s sermons, parables, miracles, interactions, and travels, in addition to the crucifixion narrative. While they often reinterpret Jesus’s meanings or actions, many details from the Gospels can be reconstructed from the statements of these leaders and believers.

Jesus and his followers have widely affected ancient and modern forms of Krishna worship. Today, one million Hare Krishna members recognize Jesus as an important guru based on the teaching of Srila Prabhupada and other Hare Krishna leaders.

THE MODIFICATION OF MITHRAS

Mithraism blossomed in Rome from the first to the fourth century, bringing it into contact with the earliest Christians who also lived in the region. The worship of Mithras, the central god of the religion, began centuries earlier in Persia, but little is known about the religious system before it appeared in Rome. When it did arrive in the West, Mithraism changed from its prior, Persian form. What caused the modification? The powerful influence of Jesus and his followers. Roman Mithraic believers modified their practices and beliefs in two ways:

Believers Achieved Eternal Life through a Blood Sacrifice

Mithraic believers met in small temples and celebrated a rather gruesome ritual. A bull was slaughtered directly over each new believer. The blood of the sacrificed bull would cover the initiate. In one Mithraic temple, the words in aeternum renatus (“reborn for eternity”) were inscribed near the location of the ritual. This is similar to the Christian belief that eternal life is attained through the “blood of the Lamb.” The Mithraic inscription was written in 375 CE, well after Christianity was established in the region. According to scholars, this concept of attaining eternal life through a blood sacrifice was borrowed from Christianity.

Believers Observed a Communion Ceremony

Roman Mithraic believers also regularly celebrated a less grisly ritual: a sacred meal with bread and wine. The Mithraic liturgy appears late in history, well after Christians were established in Rome.

The nature of Mithraic rituals changed after Jesus’s appearance:

Although Mithraism did not stand the test of time, it did experience a period of modification in Rome under the influence of Jesus and his followers.

BUDDHISM MERGED AND MENTIONED

While Buddhism is based primarily on the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama (known as the Buddha), it incorporates a variety of religious traditions, beliefs, and practices. Like Hinduism, Buddhism provides no singular, unified view of Jesus, although many Buddhists have merged and included him in their worldview.

Jesus Is an “Enlightened Man”

Most Buddhists acknowledge and respect Jesus’s self-sacrificial life and the compassion he showed toward those who were in spiritual need. Under Buddhism, this kind of compassion is the key to happiness and enlightenment. For this reason, many Buddhists, including fourteenth-century Zen master Gasan Jōseki, refer to Jesus as an “enlightened man” in the Buddhist tradition.

Jesus Is a Bodhisattva

The current Dalai Lama (Tenzin Gyatso, the foremost spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism) has described Jesus as a bodhisattva , a term typically used to describe someone on a journey toward Buddhahood, or someone who is able to reach nirvana but delays doing so out of compassion for others who are suffering.

Jesus Is a Wise Teacher

Most Buddhists also respect Jesus’s teaching to a high degree, especially Jesus’s instruction related to loving one’s neighbor and his call to demonstrate kindness and forgiveness. The substance of Jesus’s teaching was particularly impressive to the Dalai Lama. He considered the instruction of Jesus to be in accord with Buddhist values.

Buddhism provides a “place” for Jesus within its traditions, merging him into the Buddhist worldview. At the very least, Jesus is considered a wise, moral teacher, and to many Buddhist leaders and believers, Jesus is an enlightened man or bodhisattva journeying toward Buddhahood. Buddhists consider Jesus in an extremely favorable light.

Just as importantly, Buddhist leaders (including the Dalai Lama) have spoken and written publicly about many of the episodes and claims of the New Testament accounts.

Jesus Lived as Described in the New Testament

Buddhist leaders acknowledge Jesus’s sermons, parables, interactions, travels, miracles, crucifixion, and even the resurrection. The Dalai Lama has acknowledged the following biblical episodes in his written and public statements:

The Sermon on the Mount

The interaction between Jesus and his mother, brothers, and sisters

The parable of the growing seed

The transfiguration

The sending of the twelve apostles

Jesus’s claim that he spoke with God’s authority

Mary’s observation of the risen Christ in the garden

The value Buddhists place on the person of Jesus is grounded in their acknowledgment of the New Testament. Jesus matters to Buddhist leaders such as the Dalai Lama who mention the gospel accounts, honoring Jesus as a wise teacher, an “enlightened man,” and a bodhisattva .

Over 506 million Buddhists know something about Jesus from the teaching of their leaders. Even though Buddhism preexisted Christianity, Buddhists in these regions of the world are familiar with Jesus as a person of interest:

THE ONES THAT FOLLOWED

Jesus and his followers affected the religious systems that preceded Christianity in three important ways: believers and leaders in these religions either modified their beliefs in response to Christianity, merged Jesus into their worldviews, or mentioned the history of Jesus as it was described in the New Testament.

The religions that followed Jesus in history were also dramatically influenced by Jesus of Nazareth. They accepted and mentioned the foundational truths of Jesus in much more detail as they referenced the New Testament and found their own unique way to merge Jesus into their religious worldviews.

THE “ISA” OF ISLAM

Muhammad founded the Islamic faith on the Arabian Peninsula in the early seventh century. Muhammad claimed that though the Jewish and Christian prophets were true prophets of God, these two groups had ultimately corrupted monotheism (the belief in one God). He intended to restore it. As a result, Muslims acknowledge the impact of Jesus and recognize him as a significant person within their own religious system, even though they reinterpret the New Testament accounts to suit their purposes. The Qur’an mentions Jesus in the following ways:

Jesus Was Born of a Virgin Named Mary

The Qur’an describes Mary as a virgin prior to her miraculous conception. A conversation between Mary and Allah is recorded in the Qur’an, and Mary is told that she will conceive without the benefit of human involvement.

Jesus Was Sinless

The Muslim scripture also describes Jesus as a “faultless” or “pure” son who had Allah’s unique “protection” from Satan.

Jesus Was a Wise Teacher

Muslims acknowledge that Jesus was a divinely wise teacher. So powerful was the teaching of Jesus that his disciples were filled with compassion and mercy and became “helpers” of God.

Jesus Was a Miracle Worker

Muslims believe Jesus performed many miracles, including the healing of a blind man and a leper and restoring the dead to life.

Jesus Ascended to Heaven

Islam also acknowledges the biblical claim that Jesus ascended into heaven in bodily form.

These details related to the life and ministry of Jesus can be gleaned from a source most people consider hostile to the Christian worldview: the Qur’an.

In addition to mentioning Jesus, Islam also incorporates and merges him into its theology. For the following reasons, Jesus is also a person of interest to Muslim believers:

Jesus Is a Prophet

Jesus is held in high regard within the Muslim worldview. Islam affirms Jesus (known as “Isa” or “Eesa”) as one of God’s most important prophets.

Jesus Is to Be Revered

According to a legend, when Muhammad eliminated all the images of other gods in a shrine he was cleaning, he refused to destroy the statue of Mary and the infant Christ. Jesus remains in a position of respect and reverence within Islam. When Muslims speak the name of Jesus today, they typically say either, “ Hazrat Eesa ” (“revered Jesus”) or “ Eesa alai-hiss-salaam ” (“Jesus, peace be upon him”).

Jesus Is the Messiah and a Messenger of God

In Islam, Jesus is considered the Messiah ( al-Masih ) and a messenger of God (Allah) who was sent to guide the children of Israel ( Bani Isra’il ) with a new scripture, the gospel.

Jesus Will Sit Beside God During the Final Judgment

Islam recognizes that Jesus will be an important part of the final judgment of humans.

Jesus Will Come Again

Islam acknowledges that Jesus will return in the future (during the latter days). The Hadith (a collection of sayings from Muhammad) describes this second coming of Jesus.

Jesus matters to Muslims who honor and revere him as a prophet and messenger of God:

Islam mentions and merges Jesus as an important person of interest. As many as 1.9 billion Muslims in these regions know something about Jesus because of how he is described in the Qur’an:

JESUS AS A “MANIFESTATION”

Bahá’u’lláh, a nineteenth-century Persian religious leader, claimed to be a messenger and “manifestation” of God as he founded the Bahá’í Faith in 1863. Bahá’u’lláh believed that religious history had been revealed through a series of similar messengers, and he considered himself the last in the series. Bahá’u’lláh recognized the leaders of prior religious movements and believed these men revealed the progressive truth of God to each generation. With this perspective, Bahá’u’lláh accepted many of the claims of Christianity, affirming and mentioning many characteristics of Jesus.

OBJECTION: ALL RELIGIONS LEAD TO THE SAME PLACE

There are unreconcilable differences between the historic views of God. Christians believe that Jesus is God; Jews do not. Both groups could be wrong, but they can’t both be right, given that their claims are contradictory. Christians believe that Jesus died on the cross and then rose from the grave. Muslims deny this claim. Again, both groups can’t be correct. Christians believe in a personal God; Buddhists are pantheistic and deny the existence of a personal God. Yet again, both groups could be wrong, but they can’t both be right. Why would anyone believe that all religions lead to God when none of them agree on essential claims?

Jesus Was Born of a Virgin

Bahá’u’lláh affirmed that Jesus was born of a virgin through the Holy Spirit, just as the New Testament claims.

A Star Announced the Birth of Jesus

Bahá’u’lláh believed that celestial signs and wonders would precede God’s important messengers. Bahá’í believers, therefore, accept that a star announced Jesus’s birth.

John the Baptist Prepared the Way for Jesus

Bahá’u’lláh also believed that these messengers would be introduced by human precursors. He acknowledged the existence and ministry, for example, of John the Baptist.

John Baptized and Set an Example for Christians

Bahá’u’lláh taught that John initiated the practice of baptism and that Jesus’s followers later continued the tradition.

Jesus Rejected Worldly Materialism

Bahá’í believers respect that Jesus shunned earthly belongings and material wealth, citing New Testament passages such as Mark 10:21 and Matthew 10:9–10.

Jesus Is the Divine “Son of God”

The Bahá’í religion recognizes the “divine origin,” “Sonship,” and “Divinity of Jesus Christ.”

Jesus Worked Miracles

The Bahá’í Faith acknowledges Jesus’s ability to perform miracles, including his healing of the sick and blind, and his healing of the paralytic and the leper.

Jesus Said, “Render to Caesar the Things That Are Caesar’s”

Bahá’u’lláh, in navigating his own relationship to the government of his time, referenced Mark 12:17 as an example of the model Jesus set for addressing the relationship between believers and the government.

Peter Was an Important Apostle

Bahá’u’lláh also accepted and recognized the importance of Peter as an apostle and disciple of Jesus.

Jesus Promised the Counselor (or Comforter) Would Come

Bahá’u’lláh quoted John 16:5–7 in his writings, affirming Jesus’s promise of the Holy Spirit to his disciples.

Jesus Prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane

In comparing his struggles to those of Jesus, Bahá’u’lláh described and affirmed the scene of Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane on the night before his arrest.

Jesus Faced a Trial

Bahá’u’lláh wrote about the gospel accounts related to Jesus’s trial, impressed by the way Jesus retained his composure as the “Son of Man” even under intense pressure.

Jesus Died on a Cross

Unlike Muslims who lived in the region around him, Bahá’u’lláh affirmed the bodily death of Jesus on the cross.

The Death of Jesus Redeems Believers

Bahá’u’lláh taught that Jesus’s death on the cross was redemptive as a “sacrifice” for the “sins and iniquities of all the peoples of the earth.”

Jesus Was “Resurrected”

Bahá’u’lláh rejected the idea of a physical, literal resurrection but referenced the claims of the New Testament while interpreting them in a symbolic way. He argued that resurrection day was simply a symbol for spiritual awakening.

Jesus Ascended into Heaven

Bahá’u’lláh affirmed the ascension of Jesus, but in a non-Christian manner, believing that Jesus ascended to heaven as soon as he died on the cross.

These teachings of the New Testament accounts are mentioned in the writings of Bahá’u’lláh, even though he reinterprets them in his own way. The claims about Jesus, including the New Testament verses in which they appear, can be reconstructed from the writings of Bahá’u’lláh.

Beyond affirming the New Testament claims, Bahá’u’lláh incorporated or merged Jesus into the Bahá’í religious system in several significant ways:

Jesus Is a “Manifestation” of God

The Bahá’í consider Jesus to be one of several historic “manifestations” of God (messengers who reflect divine attributes into the human world for the benefit of humans).

Jesus Is a Wise Teacher Who Spoke for God

Because Jesus is considered an important “manifestation,” his words and teaching matter. Bahá’u’lláh described Jesus’s teaching as deep wisdom from God himself.

Jesus mattered to Bahá’u’lláh because he saw Jesus as a messenger of God and a wise teacher of divine truth.

Nearly two thousand years after Jesus taught in a small corner of the Roman Empire, his presence and words still matter to five million Bahá’ís in these regions across the globe:

JESUS, THE AHMADI PROPHET

Mirza Ghulam Ahmad founded the Islamic Ahmadiyya movement in the late nineteenth century. His book Jesus in India , published shortly after his death in 1908, outlines the core tenets of the Ahmadiyya movement. Ahmad believed Jesus survived the crucifixion and later traveled to India to preach as a prophet. The Ahmadiyya movement mentions and affirms the Christian New Testament and most of its claims, describing Jesus specifically in the following ways:

Jesus Was a Prophet of God

Like traditional Muslims, the Ahmadiyya movement recognizes Jesus (called “ Yus Asaf ”) as a prophet of God and the Messiah of the Israelites as foretold by Moses.

Jesus Was Born of a Virgin

Ahmadi Muslims affirm the virgin birth of Jesus, recognizing Mary’s statement to the angel: “How can I have a child when no man has touched me and neither have I been unchaste?” (as described in the Qur’an 19:21).

Jesus Was the “Son of God”

Ahmadi Muslims refer to Jesus as the “Son of God,” affirming several passages from the Bible, including Psalm 2:7, Luke 3:38, and Mark 13:32. However, they don’t accept this term as an indication of Jesus’s divinity. Instead, they see it as an expression that applies to several Jewish and Christian figures in history.

Jesus Prayed in the Garden

Ahmadi Muslims acknowledge the gospel accounts of Jesus in the garden on the night before his trial, and Ahmad specifically quoted from Mark 14:36, Matthew 21:22, Matthew 7:7–9, and Luke 22:43.

Jesus Faced a Trial

Ahmad affirmed the trial of Jesus, reciting and describing passages from Matthew chapters 26 and 27.

Jesus Was Crucified

While acknowledging the gospel passages that describe the crucifixion, burial, and resurrection, Ahmad claimed that Jesus survived the attempted execution and was simply unconscious when he was removed from the cross. All the postcrucifixion appearances, according to Ahmadi Muslims, were encounters with the resuscitated Jesus prior to his teaching in India.

Ahmadi Muslims know something about Jesus from the writings of their master. The broad outline of Jesus’s life and ministry as described in the New Testament is mentioned and affirmed in the writings of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad:

But Ahmad did more than mention Jesus as a person from history. Jesus matters to Ahmadi Muslims because he provides the moral teaching Ahmad believed would ultimately reform Islam. Ahmad merged the teaching of Jesus into an Islamic worldview:

Jesus Is a Wise Teacher

Ahmadi Muslims acknowledge Jesus as a divinely wise teacher whose instruction is to be followed. In fact, the person (and teaching) of Jesus was the subject of Ahmad’s book and the impetus for blending the instruction of Jesus with traditional Muslim practices. Ahmadi Muslims believe Islam is the final dispensation for humankind but that it needs reform. They also believe Ahmad appeared as a spiritual and temporal leader to restore religion and justice, bearing qualities of Jesus that would revitalize Islam and provide the moral structure for peace.

Today twenty million Ahmadi Muslims in these regions of the world know something about Jesus: Ahmadis are yet another group to whom Jesus matters .

NEW AGE JESUS

The New Age movement became popular in occult and metaphysical religious communities at the end of the twentieth century. Leaders in the movement looked forward to a “new age” of love, enlightenment, personal transformation, and healing. New Age practitioners are typically engaged in tarot reading, astrology, yoga, meditation, or forms of Eastern mysticism to achieve personal, societal, or even planetary transformation. The movement is incredibly diverse and pluralistic, without central leadership or orthodoxy. It is a spiritual movement rather than an organized religion. This makes it difficult to articulate the role that Jesus plays with New Age believers, given that no two believers may agree completely.

The movement has waned in the twenty-first century, but for those who still look to it for inspiration, several recurrent notions continue to elevate Jesus as a person of interest. New Age believers often merge Jesus into the movement in these ways:

Jesus Is an Excellent Spiritual Example

Although New Agers reject the exclusive claims of world religions, they do venerate and elevate Jesus as an exemplar of human spirituality. In doing so, they often refer to the description of Jesus in the Gospels, affirming and mentioning details from these accounts along the way. New Age leader Helen Schucman found Jesus so inspiring that she claimed to have “channeled” him, and Deepak Chopra has described Jesus as embodying “the highest level of enlightenment,” or “God-consciousness.”

Jesus Is an Excellent Teacher

Many New Age believers admire and embrace Jesus’s teaching, especially as it relates to loving one’s enemies, the hypocrisy of the rich and religious leaders, the rights of women and children, and the treatment of the poor or oppressed. Many cite Jesus’s instruction in the Sermon on the Mount, affirming the content of the New Testament gospels and elevating the teaching of Jesus alongside that of other “cosmic Christs” such as the Buddha or Muhammad. In describing the “divinely inspired” teaching of Jesus, Chopra said, “The words of Jesus, no matter how you read them or which version, ring with a truth that is very profound.”

Even those who generally reject established world religions make “room” for Jesus in their worldview, embracing Jesus as an example and source of truth as they attempt to merge him into a New Age form of spirituality:

JESUS, ACCORDING TO EVERYONE ELSE

Jesus’s impact on global faith systems cannot be overestimated. Modern religions mention or merge Jesus into their teachings, and ancient religions often modified their beliefs to reflect Jesus’s influence. Along the way, these religions continue to exalt Jesus and provide us with information to reconstruct his story.

Even if every New Testament were destroyed, we could still reconstruct a lot of information about Jesus from the scripture and statements of competing religious systems.

The result would be an impressive and robust description of Jesus, and it comes from non-Christian religious leaders and believers. If you wanted to remove any trace of Jesus from human history, you’d also have to scrub the scriptures and statements of religious people all over the world. These non-Christians consider Jesus a divinely wise teacher, a model of morality, a sadhu , acharya , bodhisattva , “guru,” “manifestation,” or prophet of God. Jesus matters to billions of religious people, even if they don’t claim a Christian identity.

JESUS AS A WORLDWIDE PHENOMENON

Consider, for example, the number of people whom Jesus of Nazareth has influenced or affected in some way. The Pew Research Center has been keeping a tally and projection on religious believers from an estimated 7.7 billion people who populate the planet today. How many know something about Jesus from their respective religious worldviews? Let’s start with the non-Christians we’ve described so far:

1.16 billion Hindus

1 million Hare Krishnas

506 million Buddhists

1.9 billion Muslims

5 million Bahá’ís

20 million Ahmadi Muslims

If we add the 2.3 billion global Christians to this group, 5.89 billion people are affected today—to some extent—by the person and teaching of Jesus. Think about that for a moment. Virtually every corner of the known world has heard about Jesus in one way or another. This collective map combines the prior maps of each religious worldview. The map now represents those areas where Jesus could be known, even if people in these regions had no access to a New Testament:

Jesus matters to people all over the globe, even to people who’ve never read the Gospels. If all the Christian Bibles were destroyed, we’d still be able to reconstruct the story of Jesus from the scriptures, writings, and statements of non-Christian religions and their leaders.

For people interested in God, spirituality, or religion, Jesus is a great place to start, given that he is the common thread in so many religious systems and spiritual worldviews. Jesus matters to people who seek transcendent truths.

THE ONE-DIRECTIONAL INFLUENCER

“I’m hearing this verse in a different way now.” Susie had just finished reading the Gospels and recalled an oft-quoted verse from the gospel of John: “Jesus said, ‘No one comes to the Father except through me.’ ”

“How does it seem different?” I asked. Susie knew I had been researching how other religions perceived Jesus, and I had been updating her along the way.

“Jesus doesn’t make room for other religions, other gods, or other . . . paths . He doesn’t accommodate them in any way. He never even refers to them.”

OBJECTION: THINKING JESUS IS THE ONLY WAY TO GOD IS NARROW-MINDED

Christians don’t claim Jesus is the only way to God. Jesus claimed he was the only way to God. He said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). That’s an exclusive claim, but what if it’s true? Doctors claim isoniazid is the only cure for tuberculosis. That’s also an exclusive claim. Are they being narrow-minded? What if their claim is simply true? Isn’t it more important to investigate the claim than to dismiss it out of hand because you think it’s narrow-minded?

Susie’s observation was strikingly true. While the person of Jesus impressed the leaders of other religious worldviews, the gods, goddesses, prophets, mystics, and religious leaders of these faith systems failed to impress Jesus. Many of these world religions preceded Christianity, yet none of the New Testament writers mentioned their names or merged their claims.

In the years since Christianity was established, many other world religions emerged. While these worldviews all acknowledged Jesus in some way, Christianity didn’t modify its claims to embrace their prophets, “manifestations,” or deities.

The religions of the world made room for Jesus, but Jesus never budged. His teaching mattered to the other religions, but Krishna, the Buddha, Muhammad, Bahá’u’lláh, and Ahmad combined didn’t have a similar impact on Christianity. That , I thought, was remarkable.

“Maybe it’s because the other religions aren’t true,” said Susie after a long pause.

And there it was: the relationship between what’s true and what matters . I found myself back at the beginning, remembering my first church visit, wondering how a pastor could think Jesus mattered.

Maybe it was because the pastor knew something about the fuse and the fallout of the Common Era. Maybe he knew Christianity was true.

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