Was Jesus Crazy When He Claimed to Be the Son of God?
Interview #7: Gary R. Collins, Ph.D.
- People with psychological difficulties may have thinking disorders—they can’t carry on a logical conversation, they’ll jump to faulty conclusions, they’re irrational. We don’t see this in Jesus. He spoke clearly, powerfully, and eloquently. He was brilliant and had absolutely amazing insights into human nature.
- Jesus was loving, but didn’t let his compassion immobilize him; he didn’t have a bloated ego, even though he was often surrounded by adoring crowds; he maintained balance despite an often demanding lifestyle; he always knew what he was doing and where he was going; he cared deeply about people, including women and children, who weren’t seen as being important back then; he was able to accept people while not merely winking at their sin; he responded to individuals based on where they were at and what they uniquely needed.
Jesus the Hypnotist
- Was Jesus a master hypnotist, capable of convincing people under his spell to believe in his exorcisms, his transfiguration, and even his healings?
- Not everybody is equally susceptible to hypnosis. Jesus performed many miracles in front of large crowds of people. There would have been my people present resistant to hypnosis.
- Hypnosis generally doesn’t work on people who are skeptics and doubters. So how did Jesus hypnotize his brother James, who doubted him but later preached the gospel? Or Saul of Tarsus, the opponent of Christianity who later became the leader of the early church?
- Hypnosis does not explain the empty tomb.
- Hypnosis doesn’t last very long. If Jesus tricked people into believing that he had healed a man, eventually they would have found out the truth.
Jesus the Exorcist
- Is it rational to believe that evil spirits are responsible for some illnesses and bizarre behavior?
- We live in a society that believes in angels. There are spiritual forces out there, and it’s not too hard to conclude that some might be malevolent.
- When you see God working, sometimes those forces are more active, and that’s what was probably going on in the time of Jesus.
There are two equal and opposite errors we can fall into concerning demons. One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe, and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them. They themselves are pleased with both errors.
C.S. Lewis