Value of the Testimony of Christ

Chapter XXII.—Value of the Testimony of Christ

The Messianic and doctrinal testimony of Christ is recommended to our acceptance by His extraordinary wisdom and sanctity. Some Rationalists (Harnack, Renan) hold that He was mistaken to some extent in His views, inasmuch as His supposed mission was due to vivid consciousness of His union with God.

I.—Christ’s testimony regarding His mission is emphatically taught as a doctrine to be believed by all.

From the beginning of His public life to the end, Christ expressly asserted that He had been sent by God to reveal to men doctrine necessary for salvation. Many critics of the Liberal School (Dalman, Wernle, etc.) acknowledge that Christ never appeared uncertain regarding His mission.

“He who heareth my word and believeth Him that sent me hath life everlasting” (John v. 24).

“He that believeth in me hath life everlasting” (John vi. 47).

“He that believeth in Him (the Son of God) is not judged. But he that doth not believe is already judged, because he believeth not in the name of the only-begotten Son of God” (John iii. 18).

“He that believeth and is baptised shall be saved: but he that believeth not shall be condemned” (Mark xvi. 16). In this last text the question is expressly about the necessity of believing the Divine mission of Christ, in whose name men are baptised. As St. Thomas notes, the Apostles understood that to suffer martyrdom rather than deny Christ was a duty (Quodlibet iv. q x. a 20). “He that shall deny Me before men, I will also deny him before my Father who is in heaven” (Matt. x. 33).

If Christ were deceived in this affirmation, the hallucination would have been perpetual, and would imply an enthusiasm equivalent to insanity. No sane man could persuade himself that he was a Divine ambassador, greater than all the prophets, in whom all must believe under pain of damnation, unless he had received from God most certain internal or external signs of His Divine mission. The possibility of such a pathological state is excluded by the consideration of Christ’s wisdom and sanctity.

II.—The wisdom of Christ excludes the possibility of error.

(a) All allow that Christ must be included amongst the wisest of men, as is clear from His doctrine and works. Surpassing all philosophers, He has given us a wonderful solution of essential problems regarding God, man and future life. He taught the highest mysteries, precepts and counsels with the greatest simplicity.

(b) The admiration which He aroused is noted several times in the Gospels. When a child of twelve years of age “all that heard him were astonished at his wisdom and his answers” (Luke ii. 47). After the Sermon on the Mount “the people were in admiration at his doctrine” (Matt. vii. 28). The ministers of the Pharisees, being sent to apprehend Him, said “never did man speak like this” (John vii. 46).

(c) His prudence and perspicacity are apparent in His answers to Pharisees and Sadducees. They asked questions regarding the woman taken in adultery (John viii. 7), the tribute due to Cæsar (Matt. xxii. 15-21), the resurrection (Matt. xxii. 23-32). Christ so answered that “neither durst any man from that day forth ask him any more questions” (Matt. xxii. 46).

(d) He judges all things with the greatest tranquillity of soul even when afflicted with deep injury (Matt. xii. 26).

(e) In all humility He shows the reason of His right judgment: “I cannot of myself do anything. As I hear, so I judge: my judgment is just, because I seek not my own will, but the will of Him that sent me” (John v. 30). “My doctrine is not mine, but His that sent me” (John vii. 16).

(f) Christ spoke with the authority of a supreme teacher when He said: “Amen, amen, I say to you, if any man keep my word, he shall not see death for ever” (John viii. 51). “I am the light of the world: he that followeth me walketh not in darkness” (John viii. 12). “I am the way, the truth and the life. No man cometh to the Father but by me” (John xiv. 6). “He was teaching as one having power and not as their scribes and Pharisees” (Matt. vii. 29).

III.—The sanctity of Christ confirms His testimony.

The lives of philosophers frequently fail to correspond with the ethical doctrine which they teach. In Christ Our Lord there was perfect harmony between His teaching and His life. Humility, magnanimity, meekness, fortitude, mercy, justice—all these virtues were conspicuous. Sanctity implies two characteristics: (a) absence of sin and of imperfection; (b) presence of the virtues and especially of firm and constant union with God.

(A) Christ was without sin or defect.

To the Jews who sought to kill Him, He could say: “which of you shall convince me of sin?” (John viii. 46). “The chief priests and the whole council sought false witness against Jesus that they might put Him to death, and they found not” (Matt. xxvi. 59, 60). The assertion of His Personality was regarded by the High Priest (owing to his prejudice) as equivalent to blasphemy (Matt. xxvi. 65). Judas said: “I have sinned in betraying innocent blood” (Matt. xxvii. 4). And Pilate said: “I am innocent of the blood of this just man: look you to it” (Matt. xxvii. 24).

The holiest of men grieve over their sins and imperfections. Christ, though most humble, was not conscious of sin. His disciples, who knew His private and public life, knew Him in sadness and in joy, wrote: “Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth” (1 Peter ii. 22). “In Him there was no sin” (1 John iii. 5). “He knew not sin” (2 Cor. v. 21). He was “tempted in all things like we are, without sin” (Heb. iv. 15).

(B) Christ manifested the practice of all virtues in His life, even the practice of those virtues which seem diverse, and the virtues of Christ were heroic in degree.

(a) Charity and filial devotion of Christ towards God were most perfect: “I must be about my Father’s business” (Luke ii. 49). “My meat is to do the will of Him that sent Me, that I may perfect his work” (John iv. 34). “I do always the things that please him … I honour my Father … I seek not my own glory” (John viii. 29, 49, 50). Before His passion Christ prayed: “Father, the hour is come, glorify Thy Son, that Thy Son may glorify Thee… . I have glorified Thee on earth: I have finished the work which Thou gavest Me to do” (John xvii. 1-4). At the crisis of His sacrifice He prayed: “Father, if it be possible, let this chalice pass from Me, but not my will but Thine be done” (Matt. xxvi. 39). “He became obedient unto death, even to the death of the cross” (Philipp. ii. 8). His last words were: “Father, into Thy hands I commend my spirit” (Luke xxiii. 46).

In pseudo-mysticism, the false love of God often destroys the love due to men, and leads to spiritual pride. But in Christ, the love of all men is strengthened by His love of God.

(b) Charity and mercy towards men.

Christ’s charity was profound, universal, efficacious, and was directed chiefly towards the noblest part of man—his soul, made in the image of God and ordained for eternal life. He is the “shepherd of souls” and He knows them and leads them (John x. 3-14). He loves all—Jews, Gentiles, sinners, the poor, infirm, afflicted. Even Judas is His “friend.”

His charity is efficacious: “Greater love than this no man hath, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (John xv. 13). “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd giveth his life for his sheep” (John x. 11). “God so loved the world as to give His only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him may not perish, but may have life everlasting” (John iii. 16). “The Son of Man is not come to be ministered to, but to minister and to give His life a redemption for many” (Matt. xx. 28). “This is My body which is given for you … this is the chalice, the new testament in my blood, which shall be shed for you” (Luke xxii. 20). Christ said to the penitent thief: “This day thou shalt be with me in paradise” (Luke xxiii. 43), and to His torturers: “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do” (Luke xxiii. 34).

Christ’s charity never degenerated into weakness. With Christ fraternal correction is an act of charity (Matt. xviii. 15). He showed just and inflexible severity towards obstinate Pharisees (Matt. xxiii. 13-36), towards the sellers in the temple (John ii. 14, 15). In Christ severity of justice and immense mercy were united: “Mercy and truth have met each other; justice and peace have kissed” (Ps. lxxxiv. 11).

(c) Self-denial, humility, meekness of Christ.

“He who wishes to come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross and follow me” (Matt. xvi. 24). “Learn of me to be meek and humble of heart” (Matt. xi. 29). He lived for thirty years in obscurity; He forbade His miracles and His Transfiguration to be made known; He sought not His own glory, but the glory of His Father; He preached to the poor; He chose ignorant men for His Apostles; He washed their feet at the Last Supper. Together with this humility and meekness, He united dignity, magnanimity, perfect sincerity.

(d) Fortitude, perseverance, patience of Christ.

His firmness remained unshaken, even in the torture of His passion, wherein He manifested heroic patience, praying for His persecutors and recommending His soul to His Father. The Centurion said: “Truly he was a just man” (Luke xxiii. 47). “If the life and death of Socrates were those of a wise man, the life and death of Jesus were assuredly those of God” (Rousseau, Emile, Book IV, Profession of Faith of the Vicar of Savoy).

(e) The harmony and stability of heroic virtues in Christ constitute a moral miracle.

Sanctity is from God. The sanctity of Christ is superhuman. That one should manifest the exercise of all virtues in the highest degree—fortitude, meekness, love, justice, mercy—points to extraordinary help from God. Moreover to persevere unshaken in all heroic virtues is impossible without special intervention from God. The sanctity of Christ is miraculous.

God does not witness by miraculous intervention to that which is untrue. Hence the testimony of Christ that He is the ambassador of God is established by Divine authority, and commends itself to our belief.