Who Is Jesus?
Kahlil Gibran’s multi-million seller book, The Prophet, was reviewed previously (11-15-20) and found to be lacking any correspondence to Biblical truths. What, therefore, could a reader expect from a sequel, Jesus The Son of Man, which was published five years later in 1928? The book is a kind of history of Jesus as seen through the eyes of those who knew or had met Him. Some of the descriptions pretend to be from the apostles, some come from personal acquaintances, and some reflect the views of those who despised Him.
Errors
Disregarding poetic license and figurative speech, the descriptions of Jesus, although flowery and generally complimentary, are at times inaccurate. Alleged words from James the son of Zebedee are followed by those of Anna, the mother of Mary, whose name and personage cannot be found in the Scriptures; Gibran may have some characters speaking from Catholic tradition. Her section begins thus: “Jesus the son of my daughter, was born here in Nazareth in the month of January” (7). What’s wrong with this picture? First of all, Jesus was born in Bethlehem, which Micah prophesied (5:2), and the inspired writers Matthew (2:1) and Luke (2:1-7) confirmed. Had Gibran never heard, “O Little Town of Bethlehem”? It was first published in 1906—22 years before his book. Nobody’s ever written a song called, “O Little Town of Nazareth”!
Second, no Scripture says Jesus was born in January—or any other month. We do know that the shepherds were out in the fields at night (Luke 2:8), which would indicate March, April, September, or October. Next, the author adds that “the night Jesus was born we were visited by men from the East.” Matthew records that such a visit came some time later (Matt. 2:1ff). These men from Persia (so Gibran informs us) could not find any rooms at the inn; so Anna let them stay with her. So, within the space of one page we find Jesus born in the wrong place in the wrong month—and being visited at the wrong time by men from Persia, who brought gold, frankincense, myrrh, and silver with them—and they lodged with Him (7). What are the odds that much else will be accurate?
Below are some questionable descriptions of Jesus.
As a child, he was aloof and hard to govern (8).
He proved to be “swifter of foot” than other lads (9).
He was “comely” (handsome) in appearance (10, 13, 159) despite Isaiah’s saying otherwise (Isa. 53:2).
“Men and women gazed at Him more than they listened to His argument” (10).
“I was taken by His voice and His gestures, but not by the substance of His speech” (128).
Jesus’ face “was like night without darkness” (107).
“…in His voice we heard a song unfathomable” (109).
The movement of His body was distinctive (12).
“Each part [of His body] seemed to love every other part” (13).
“…Jesus visited India…there the priests revealed to Him the knowledge of all that is hidden in the recesses of our flesh” (16). “And Jesus visited other lands in the east and in the west” (160).
Gibran portrays Jesus as being an extremely fun-loving fellow. “He would make merry with His listeners; He would tell jests and play upon words, and laugh with all the fulness of His heart…” (68). Another character says He “would only make merry with rogues and castaways” (76). A publican tells Him that He drinks wine “with the unclean at the inn,” which He acknowledges (81). Yet another person claims that His friends and disciples “knew His mirth and hear His laughter,” yet made “an image of His sorrow” to worship (133). Are they referring to a crucifix?
Gibran accuses Jesus of being “impatient” with hypocrites (171)—probably not the best adjective.
Not only is Jesus misrepresented; so are other Biblical figures. Peter, e.g., has (surprisingly) a 12-year-old daughter, Petronelah (20, 22). What a coincidence that she was named after her father, Simon, more than a decade before Jesus first called him Cephas (the Aramaic equivalent of the Greek Petros (Peter) (John 1:42). Gibran portrays Saul of Tarsus as being “bald of head and short of stature” (73), which probably springs from Catholic tradition; certainly, it is not in the Bible.
Other inaccuracies include Judas, the brother of Jesus, being called his cousin (86). Catholics originated this error in order to uphold the concept that Mary remained a virgin throughout her life. Joseph of Arimathea claims to have had a long talk with Jesus the day before He faced Pilate (104), which is technically possible, though it lacks evidence. The fictional John the Baptizer gives no evidence of having baptized anyone, but he does claim that “they shall be baptized in their tears until they are cleansed of their sins” (51). The Scriptures do not contain such a definition.
Judas and Forgiveness
Judas knows that he has done wrong in betraying Christ. Gibran assigns him the motive of disappointment in Jesus not fighting against Rome. “But He died a king. Why did He not live a king?” (176). Were the multitude of miracles that Jesus did—as well as those of Judas himself—too flimsy an amount of evidence? However, in spite of his egregious error, Judas claims that sin was not in his heart, adding: “…I know He will forgive me” (176).
No, Jesus will not forgive the sin of Judas. Perhaps Gibran was not paying attention when Jesus spoke these words: “…woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been good for that man if he had not been born” (Matt. 26:24).
In fact, the book ends with the words: And may God forgive us all (216). Such an expression comes forth from fantasy—not reality. Jesus said that many go to destruction and that few find life (Matt. 7:13-14), which means that the majority of people will not be forgiven. Wishful thinking will not make it so.
Other Bogus Claims
Adding to those already cited are the following. The book Gibran penned claims twice that Judas flung himself down from the summit of a high rock (178, 204). No, Judas went out and hanged himself (Matt. 27:5). Gibran describes no Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem with people strewing clothing and branches in Jesus’ path, shouting, “Hosanna” (Matt. 21:5-11). Instead, he claims that, when Jesus and the disciples came to Jerusalem, “a company of men and women hailed” them at the gate. Not quite the same, is it?
At the Passover meal, they all ate bread and “wine”; but afterward Jesus distributed “morsels of fish and pheasant” (195). Apparently, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John forgot to mention that aspect. It makes a person wonder if Israel ate fish and pheasant at that first Passover in Egypt.
In the section on the Sermon on the Mount, some of the beatitudes came out a little different than those listed in the Bible. “Blessed are the serene in Spirit,” the author writes. What happened to poor? Those who mourn has disappeared, along with the meek. They are blessed who hunger and thirst after righteousness, say the Scriptures, but Gibran changes it to truth and beauty, which indicates he had probably read Keats. He added a beatitude of being kindly.
Oddly enough—either in The Prophet or Jesus—Gibran never takes moral positions. He does not discuss lusting after women or unscriptural divorce (Matt. 5:27-28, 31-32). Hmm. But if someone is guilty of a crime, it’s our fault. Here’s what he says.
“You have been told that the murderer shall be put to the sword, that the thief shall be crucified, and the harlot stoned. But I say to you that you are not free from the wrongdoing of the murderer and the thief and the harlot, and when they are punished in the body your own spirit is darkened” (40).
“Remember this: a thief is a man in need, a liar is a man in fear….” “I would have you pity them all. Should they seek your house, see that you open your door…. If you do not accept them you shall not be free from whatever they have committed” (146).
Just in case anyone missed the point, Gibran makes it totally clear when he writes: “Verily no crime is committed by one man or one woman. All crimes are committed by all” (40). So, did we all betray Jesus? Did Jesus betray Himself? If so, how?
Most of us did not know that the night Jesus died “there were great tempests” (174). Really? The seven sayings of Jesus on the cross come to our attention from Barabbas, but he records them in the wrong order and adds words to what Jesus said (190). He also erroneously reports that Jesus endured the crucifixion for only one hour (190).
Strange “Wisdom”
When the author claims to have been born and died seven times (209), is he talking about reincarnation? What can he possibly mean by affirming, “Heaven and earth and hell too, are of man” (197)? Twice he offers a neighborly gesture: “Your neighbor is your unknown self made visible” (54). “Your neighbor is your other self dwelling behind a wall” (154). The implication presented is that we should love a neighbor who loves us not, covets our property, or even steals our possessions (154). Some will undoubtedly work on loving him—after filing a police report.
Gibran calls the sea, “our vast mother,” as in “The Prophet.” Yes, the sea “gave us birth,” and the mountain is “our elder brother” (70). And, there is “clay in us.” Reportedly, Jesus also taught, “my mother is the earth” (159). Confused? Maybe this one will prove easier: “Doubt is a pain too lonely to know that faith is his twin brother” (75).
The Nature of Jesus
Jesus, according to Gibran, is not the Son of God the way the Scriptures define Him. The author implies that Jesus was a created being. He has the apostle John say: “Jesus the Anointed was the first Word of God uttered unto man,” adding that “the Anointed One was His firstborn” (132), which seems to indicate that Jesus was the first being created; however, in the Scriptures firstborn means the pre-eminent one—not the first one actually born. Jesus was never created; He was part of the Godhead—in the beginning with God (John 1:1-2).
Second, the author tries to minimize the power of Jesus’ great miracles. One character comments: “He healed the sick, but in a manner unknown to our philosophers” (17). Another says: “Perchance blindness is but a dark thought that can be overcome by a burning thought. Perhaps a withered limb is but idleness that can be quickened by energy” (93). What tripe! In trying to explain the miracles, John the apostle is made to say: “We are all the miraculous gesture of the moment” (151). How different from the actual John who recorded the miracles, signs, and wonders in order to convince people that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God (20:30-31)!
One person says it was a mistake for the Galileans to try to make a god out of Jesus (112). He later affirms: “But the young Nazarene was not a god,” (113), and it was a pity they tried to make Him one (cf. 207). Gibran has Mary Magdalen say, “He was the Son of God even as we are the children of God; that He was born of a virgin even as we are born of the husbandless earth” (208).
And what about the resurrection of Christ? One character proclaims: “Jesus of Nazareth rose from the dead…” (126). However, she first said, “But He shall be slain only in the body. In the Spirit He shall rise and go forth…” (126). This description fits well with Jehovah’s Witness philosophy. They have taught that the body disintegrated but that His spirit arose. Acts 2:31 teaches that both Jesus’ body and spirit were raised from the dead. Later, Mary Magdalen avers that “Jesus conquered death, and rose from the grave a spirit and a power” (207). Jesus did not leave His body in the tomb. If He had, someone (perhaps one of the Roman guards) would have noticed it—and produced it in public so that everyone could see it, thus putting to an end the claims of His resurrection.
As anyone can see, Kahlil Gibran does not agree with the Scriptures hardly at all. And, therefore, we do not agree with his interpretation of who God is (see the front page) or who Jesus is. One bit of wisdom we cannot find fault with. A logician is the speaker in one of the small sections of the book. He makes an offhand comment of great interest. He claims that “all speech is worthless save when it discloses the truth” (76). We can say, “Amen,” to that—and leave the reader to consider what our opinion of this book is—in light of the fact that it so frequently on so many subjects denies the truth recorded in the Scriptures. Just saying….