Jesus made mistakes

Reflection

The claim that Jesus made mistakes sits at odds with historic Christian teaching, which holds that Jesus lived a genuinely sinless life, tempted in every way as we are yet without sin (Hebrews 4:15). That is a bold claim, and it is fair for sceptics to press on it, asking what evidence supports such an extraordinary exception to universal human experience. The gospels present a Jesus who could be tired, frustrated, sorrowful and even angry, fully human in his emotional life, yet the New Testament consistently distinguishes those human responses from moral failure. Peter, who spent three years watching Jesus at close range, later wrote that he committed no sin and no deceit was found in his mouth (1 Peter 2:22), a striking testimony from someone with every opportunity to notice otherwise. Whatever specific claim any particular argument raises, it is worth examining against the actual gospel accounts rather than assumption alone.

Questions to sit with

• What specific claim have you heard about Jesus that you have never checked against the gospels themselves?
• Why do you think Jesus's sinlessness matters so much to classical Christian teaching?
• How do you distinguish between human emotion and moral failure in your own life?

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