Jesus Lied

named after the Jesus Lied guy.

It's the question over John 18:20

20 Jesus answered him, I spake openly to the world; I ever taught in the synagogue, and in the temple, whither the Jews always resort; and in secret have I said nothing.John 18:20 NSV

So, first, WHAT does this passage mean?

• John 7:26: And here he is, speaking openly, and they say nothing to him! Can it be that the authorities really know that this is the Christ?

Based on John 7:26 the intent of the author is to equate or link the act of teaching in public with the priests, rabbis and government officials somehow agreeing with (in their own minds) that Jesus was the Christ. I.E. the implication is “they knew”. So, in John 18:20 the author is putting the insinuation into Jesus' mouth that “You know I am the Christ, so how can your accusation be true?”

• Isaiah 48:16: Draw near to me, hear this: from the beginning I have not spoken in secret, from the time it came to be I have been there.” And now the Lord God has sent me, and his Spirit.

Based on this verse the point is being emphasized that the character of Jesus is aligned with the character of God–because God does not do things in secret (Amos 3:7 God does nothing without revealing it to his prophets). So, this looks bad now, because why did Jesus say this? Was it done to insert this (i.e whole-cloth lie) to promote the character of Jesus OR was it incidental? The question arises because it's such an odd thing to say out of the blue when questioned about his teaching.

1. John 7:4: For no one works in secret if he seeks to be known openly. If you do these things, show yourself to the world.”
2. Luke 21:37: And every day he was teaching in the temple, but at night he went out and lodged on the mount called Olivet.
3. Matthew 4:23: And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people.
4. Luke 4:15: And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all.
5. Matthew 26:55: At that hour Jesus said to the crowds, “Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs to capture me? Day after day I sat in the temple teaching, and you did not seize me.
6. Matthew 9:35: And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction.
7. Isaiah 45:19: I did not speak in secret, in a land of darkness; I did not say to the offspring of Jacob, ‘Seek me in vain.’ I the Lord speak the truth; I declare what is right.
8. John 10:23-39: and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the colonnade of Solomon. So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.” Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father's name bear witness about me, but you do not believe because you are not among my sheep. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.
9. John 8:2: Early in the morning he came again to the temple. All the people came to him, and he sat down and taught them.
10. John 7:28: So Jesus proclaimed, as he taught in the temple, “You know me, and you know where I come from. But I have not come of my own accord. He who sent me is true, and him you do not know.
11. Luke 20:1-8: One day, as Jesus was teaching the people in the temple and preaching the gospel, the chief priests and the scribes with the elders came up and said to him, “Tell us by what authority you do these things, or who it is that gave you this authority.” He answered them, “I also will ask you a question. Now tell me, was the baptism of John from heaven or from man?” And they discussed it with one another, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say, ‘Why did you not believe him?’
12. Luke 19:45-47: And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold, saying to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a den of robbers.” And he was teaching daily in the temple. The chief priests and the scribes and the principal men of the people were seeking to destroy him,
13. Acts 26:26: For the king knows about these things, and to him I speak boldly. For I am persuaded that none of these things has escaped his notice, for this has not been done in a corner.
14. Psalm 40:9: I have told the glad news of deliverance in the great congregation; behold, I have not restrained my lips, as you know, O Lord. (speaks of the davicic covenant–a messiah will not restrain his lips)
15. Psalm 22:22: I will tell of your name to my brothers; in the midst of the congregation I will praise you:

Overall when these passages appear in the NT they appear to somehow insinuate against those who 'should have known', to implicate them in some manner– or to link Jesus with the old testament – but not as natural statements in the story.

The reason, then, is solely to implicate people who do not automatically believe Jesus:

1. John 15:22: If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have been guilty of sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin.
2. John 7:26: And here he is, speaking openly, and they say nothing to him! Can it be that the authorities really know that this is the Christ?
3. James 4:17: So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.

1. Matthew 13:11: And he answered them, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.
2. Matthew 19:11: But he said to them, “Not everyone can receive this saying, but only those to whom it is given.
3. James 1:5: If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.
4. Luke 8:10: he said, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God, but for others they are in parables, so that ‘seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.’
5. Mark 4:11: And he said to them, “To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside everything is in parables,
6. Matthew 13:34-35: All these things Jesus said to the crowds in parables; indeed, he said nothing to them without a parable. This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet: “I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter what has been hidden since the foundation of the world.”
7. Hebrews 5:11-14: About this we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.
8. John 16:12: “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.
9. 1 Corinthians 3:1-2: But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready,
10. Mark 4:34: He did not speak to them without a parable, but privately to his own disciples he explained everything.
11. John 16:25: “I have said these things to you in figures of speech. The hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figures of speech but will tell you plainly about the Father.
12. Luke 24:27: And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.
13. Mark 4:10 And when he was alone, those around him with the twelve asked him about the parables.
14. Matthew 15:15-20: But Peter said to him, “Explain the parable to us.” And he said, “Are you also still without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach and is expelled? But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander.
15. Matthew 13:36-43: Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples came to him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.” He answered, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, and the good seed is the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, and the enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the end of the age.
16. Luke 24:44-46: Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead,
17. Luke 8:9-10: And when his disciples asked him what this parable meant, he said, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God, but for others they are in parables, so that ‘seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.’
18. Mark 7:17-23: And when he had entered the house and left the people, his disciples asked him about the parable. And he said to them, “Then are you also without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile him, since it enters not his heart but his stomach, and is expelled?” (Thus he declared all foods clean.) And he said, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him. For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery,

1. Isaiah 48:16: Draw near to me, hear this: from the beginning I have not spoken in secret, from the time it came to be I have been there.” And now the Lord God has sent me, and his Spirit.
2. Isaiah 45:19: I did not speak in secret, in a land of darkness; I did not say to the offspring of Jacob, ‘Seek me in vain.’ I the Lord speak the truth; I declare what is right.
3. Amos 3:7 For the Lord God does nothing without revealing his secret to his servants the prophets.

The dichotomy is over Isaiah 6:8-10; “Isaiah's Commission from the Lord”.

8 And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am! Send me.” 9 And he said, “Go, and say to this people:

“‘Keep on hearing,[c] but do not understand; keep on seeing,[d] but do not perceive.’ 10 Make the heart of this people dull,[e]

  and their ears heavy,
  and blind their eyes;

lest they see with their eyes,

  and hear with their ears,

and understand with their hearts,

  and turn and be healed.”

Now, John (and Jesus) is aware of this dichotomy because he specifically says 'I taught openly (therefore you knew I was the Christ), and that this was specifically done so that 'Those who know can therefore be judged,' which is a central purpose of Jesus abrogating the law as the primary covenant. Therefore, when Jesus then taught 'because hearing they do not hear,' he is intending that the people do not understand SO THAT they do not 'turn and be healed'. But this is a surface level awareness; for example Jesus utterly fails to remember that he fulfilled this prophecy in Luke 4:18; “He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind,” (Isaiah 61:1).

1. Luke 4:18

Therefore, it is not just that jesus lied, but that he is utterly unaware of Old Testament prophecy AND of his own prophecy and fulfillment of prophecy. The book of John looks like a whole-cloth construct for the sole purpose of trying to connect Jesus to an apellation of the Old Testament– a version of it, that is patently spurious on it's face.

Conclusion, Jesus Lied.