Did Jesus Fail?

Ludwig Philipp Albert Schweitzer was a multitalented humanitarian best remembered for his work as a medical missionary in Africa. Sadly, he is also remembered by some as a man who used his God-given talents to undermine faith in the Christ of scripture.

In his book The Quest of the Historical Jesus (1906) Schweitzer argues that Jesus died in despair and disillusionment believing that God had failed him. He writes:

Before His arrest (Jesus) was overwhelmed with dread, and on the cross He closed His life with the words “My God! My God! Why hast Thou forsaken me?” This avowal cannot, without violence, be interpreted otherwise than as meaning that God had not aided Him in His aim and purpose as He had hoped. That shows that it had not been His purpose to suffer and die, but to establish an earthly kingdom and deliver the Jews from political oppression—and in that God’s help had failed Him.

But are we obliged to draw such conclusions from Jesus’ words in Matthew 27:46 and Mark 15:34? What of the OT prophecies concerning a suffering Messiah? What do we do with Jesus’ predictions of his suffering and death? How do we get an “earthly kingdom” from passages like Lk 17:20, 21 and Jn 18:36? Yes, Jesus’ words are challenging, but Schweitzer is wrong to conclude that the Jesus of scripture “never existed” (his words). When Jesus said, “It is finished” (Jn 19:30) He was declaring that His work was completed according to the predetermined plan of God. With this in mind let’s take another look at Jesus’ words. (Continued next month)