Expert: Paul Andrew Anderson - 2/13/2012

Question
Hi!
I was speaking with a Muslim man a few days ago,and he was telling me that Jesus was not crucified. He said it says in the Bible that he wasn't crucified. Is it true? He also mentioned that Jesus was just a Prophet,not Lord, or son of God.He showed me these verses.But I couldn't understand what these meant-
He emailed me this_
Muslims believe that Jesus was not crucified. It was the plan of Jesus’ enemies to crucify him, but God saved him and raised him up to him, and the resemblance of Jesus was put over another man. Jesus’ enemies took this man and crucified him, thinking that he was Jesus.
Muslims say that Jesus was not crucified because in the Quran , it says in Chapter 4:157 that Jesus wasn’t crucified: “And their(Jews) boasting: ‘We killed Messiah Jesus, son of Mary, the Apostle of Allah,’ but they(Jews) killed him not , nor crucified him…and they did not kill him,for certain- rather God raised him to Himself.”. This is in accordance with what Jesus said (Matthew 10:24): “The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord.”
Suffering is often exaggerated in the Bible and termed “dead” as Paul said (I Corinthians 15:31): “I protest by your rejoicing which I have in Christ, I die daily” (i.e. I suffer daily). Here are some of the proofs:
1-On the cross he beseeched God for help (Matthew 27:46): “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” And in Luke 22:42: “Saying, Father if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.”(This cup is the cup of death.)
2-Jesus’ prayer not to die on the cross was accepted by God, according to Luke, Hebrews and James. Then how could he still die on the cross?(Luke 22:43): “And there appeared an angel assured unto him from heaven, strengthening him.” It means that an angel assured him that God would not leave him helpless. (Hebrew 5:7): “Who in the days of his flesh, when he (Jesus) had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared.”
Jesus’ prayers were heard, which means answered in a positive way by God. (James 5:16): “…The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” Jesus himself said (Matthew 7:7-10): “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock , and it shall be opened unto you;For everyone that asketh receiveth;and he that seeketh findeth, and to him who knocketh it shall be opened. Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread,will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent?”If all Jesus’ prayers were accepted by God, including not to die on the cross, how could he still die on the cross then?
3-If Jesus died on the cross, his blood would clot and no blood would gush out of his body when his side was pierced. But the gospel states that blood and water came out; (John 19:34): “But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water.”
4-His legs were not broken by the Roman soldiers (John 19:32-33): “Then came the soldiers, and brake the legs of the first, and of the other which was crucified with him. But when they came to Jesus, and saw that he was dead already, they brake not his legs.” Can you rely on these soldiers for pronouncing the death, or did they want to save Jesus as they found him innocent?
5-When the Pharisees asked Jesus for a sign of his true mission he answered (Matthew 12:40): “For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly, so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” Disregard now the time factor, which was also not three days and three nights but one day (Saturday, daytime only) and two nights (Friday night and Saturday night). So, was Jonas alive in the belly of the whale? YES.
Then Jesus was still alive as he prophesied.
6-Jesus himself stated that he didn’t die on the cross. Early Sunday morning Mary Magdalene went to the sepulcher, which was empty. She saw somebody standing who looked like a gardener. She recognized him after conversation to be Jesus and wanted to touch him. Jesus said(John 20:17): “Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father…” “Touch me not,” perhaps because the fresh wound would hurt him. “I am not yet ascended to my Father,” means that he was still alive, not dead yet, because if somebody dies, then he goes back to the Creator. This was the strongest proof admitted by Jesus himself.
7- After the alleged crucifixion the disciples thought that he was not the same Jesus in body but spiritualized, because resurrected bodies are spiritualized.---How can we be so sure that resurrected bodies are spiritualized? Because that is what Jesus himself said in the Bible: that they are equal to angels. In Luke 20:34-36: “And answering said unto them,The children of the world marry, and are given in marriage. But they which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world and then resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage: Neither can they die any more for they are equal unto the angels; and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection.”
Then Jesus convinced them by letting them touch his hands and feet, that he was the same person. As they could not believe him yet, he asked for meat to show them that he still ate like any living individual. Read Luke 24:36-41: “And as they(the disciples) thus spake, Jesus himself stood in the midst of them, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you.But they were terrified and ftightened, and supposed that they had seen a sprit. And he said unto them, Why are ye troubled? And why do thoughts arise in your hearts? Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me , and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have. And when he had thus spoken,he showed them his hands and feet. And while they yet believed not for joy, and wondered, he said unto them, Have ye here any meat?...and he took it, and did eat before them.”
8-If you still believe that he died on the cross, then he was a false Prophet and accursed of God according to these passages(Deuteronomy 13:5): “And that prophet, or that dreamer  of dreams, shall be put to death..” (Deuteronomy 21: 22-23) “And if a man have committed a sin worthy of death, and he be put to death, and thou hang him on a tree, but thou shalt in any wise bury him that day;(for he that is hanged is accursed of God;)and thy land be not defiled, which the Lord thy God giveth thee for an inheritance.”
To believe in his death on the cross is to discredit his prophet hood. The Jews maintained to have killed Jesus on the cross and consequently portrayed him to be false in his claim to prophethood. Christians believe in the crucifixion necessary for their redemption of sin and consequently have to accept the accursedness of Jesus, too. This Christian belief opposes the Bible’s teaching in Hosea 6:6: “For I desired mercy and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt –offerings.” It also opposes Jesus’ own teaching (Matthew 9:13): “But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless.”
Why do some people still believe in the resurrection? It was Paul who taught the resurrection: (Acts 17:18): "... And some [Jews] said: 'What will this babbler say?' To others, He [Paul] seemeth to be a setter forth of strange gods, because he preached unto them Jesus and the resurrection." Paul, who never saw Jesus, also admitted that the resurrection was his gospel (II Timothy 2:8): "Remember that Jesus Christ of the seed of David was raised from the dead according to my gospel." He was also the first one to declare Jesus the Son of God: Acts 9:20: "And straightway he [Paul] preached Christ in the synagogues, that he is the Son of God.”
SO, Christianity is not a teaching of Prophet Jesus(Peace and blessings of God be upon him), but of Paul.
But we also know that Mark(16:19) mentioned that Jesus was raised up to heaven and sat on the right hand of God: “So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God.”As we have seen earlier, Mark 16:9-20, has been expunged in certain Bibles: The Revised Standard Version, The New American Standard Bible and The New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures of the Jehovah's Witnesses Church. If you still believe that Jesus is divine because he was raised up to heaven, why don't you accept the divinity of other prophets who were raised up to heaven? Like, Elijah: II Kings 2:1 1-12: "... and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. And Elisha saw it, and he cried ... And he saw him no more ..." Enoch was also taken by God to heaven: Genesis 5:24: "And Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him." This was also repeated in Hebrews 11:5: "By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death, and was not found, because God translated him, for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God."

THE DOCTRINE OF THE DIVINITY OF PROPHET JESUS.
You insist that Jesus is Lord?
There is a verse in the Gospel according to John (1:1): “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
Since we can agree upon the fact that a Holy Scripture should not contain contradictions. If there are two conflicting verses, then only one can be true; both can never be true or both be wrong.

According to John l:1 Jesus is God. Then how many Gods are there? Two at least. This
contradicts many passages in the Bible: Deuteronomy 4:39: "... that the Lord He is God in
heaven above, and upon the earth beneath: there is none else"; Deuteronomy 6:4: "Hear, O
Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord", (Isaiah 43:10-11): "... that ye may know and
believe Me, and understand that I am He: before Me there was no God formed, neither
shall there be after Me. I, even I, am the Lord; and beside Me there is no savior"; (Isaiah
44:6): "Thus saith the Lord ... I am the first, and I am the last, and beside Me there is no
God"; (Isaiah 45:18): "For thus saith the Lord that created the heavens; God Himself that
formed the earth and made it; He hath established it, He created it not in vain, He formed it
to be inhabited: I am the Lord; and there is none else."
From Isaiah 45:18 alone we can conclude that God alone was the Creator and no one else, not even Jesus, participated in the creation.
See further: Deuteronomy 4:35; Exodus 8:10, II Samuel 7:22, I Kings 8:23; I Chronicles; Psalms 86:8, 89:6 and 113:5; Hosea 13:4; Zechariah 14:9.

But these are all in the Old Testament…Here are the verses in New Testament.
Read Mark 12:29, where it is recorded that Jesus himself said: "And Jesus
answered him: 'The first of all the commandments is: Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is
one Lord."'
I Corinthians 8:4: "... we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is none
other God but one"; (I Timothy 2:5): "For there is one God, and one mediator between
God and men, the man Christ Jesus." Look at the expression "the man Christ Jesus." Now
you can either say that John 1:1 is right and all these other verses are wrong, or vice versa.
But how can anybody make such a judgment?
Lets look at it from the Qur'anic point of view, which corresponds with what Jesus
himself said in the Bible. Jesus is mentioned several times in the Qur'an as a "Word from
Allah." In Surah 3:39: Then the angels called to him [Zechariah] while he was standing in
prayer in the chamber (saying): "Allah gives you glad tidings of John [the Baptist]
believing in a Word from Allah [Jesus, son of Mary], noble, keeping away from sexual
relations with women, a prophet, and one of the righteous."
In Surah 3:45: [Remember] when the angels said: "O Mary! Verily Allah gives you the glad
tidings of a Word from Him, his name will be Messiah Jesus, the son of Mary, held in
honor in this world and the Hereafter, and of those who are near to Allah." In both verses,
Jesus is called a "Word from Allah," by which is meant a Word coming from Allah or
belonging to Allah, in correspondence with I Corinthians 3:23: "And ye are Christ's; and
Christ is God's." John 1:1 should also have been written: "... and the Word was God's."
The mistake could have been in the translation from Aramaic to Greek, deliberately or not.
In the Greek language, Theos is God, while Theou means God's (see any Greek dictionary
or Bible, or Muhammad in the Bible by Prof. Abdul Ahad Dawud, former Bishop of
Uramiah, page 16). This difference of only one letter has major consequences.

But why is Jesus called the "Word of God" in both scriptures?
The creation of Jesus in Mary's womb was without sperm, for it was the result of the
decree of Allah: "Be" as mentioned in the Surah 3:47: She [Mary] said; "O, my Lord! How
shall I have a son when no man has touched me?" He said: "So [it will be], for Allah
creates what He will. When He has decreed something, He says to it only 'Be' and it is."
Christians say Jesus is God because he is filled with the Holy Spirit.
But there are other people who have been filled with the Holy Ghost? Are they also
divine? Look at Acts 11:24: "For he [Barnabas] was a good man, and full of the Holy
Ghost and of faith; and many people were added unto the Lord" and Acts 5:32: "And we
are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to
them that obey him." You should also read Acts 6:5; II Peter 1:21; II Timothy 1:14; I
Corinthians 2:16; Luke 1:41 . You may say Jesus was filled with the Holy Ghost while he was still in his mother’s womb. But the same was true with John the Baptist(Luke 1:13, 15): “But the angels said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elizabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John. For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother’s womb.”

Christians say Jesus is god because he could do miracles. He fed 5 thousand people with only five loaves and two fishes.
But the same was done by Elisha and Elijah. Elisha fed a hundred people with twenty
barley loaves and a few ears of corn, for II Kings 4:44 relates: "So he set it before them,
and they did eat, and left thereof, according to the word of the Lord." Elisha secured the
increase of a widow's oil and he said to her, in II Kings 4:7: "Go, sell the oil, and pay thy
debt, and live thou and thy children of the rest." See also I Kings 17:16: "And the barrel of
meal wasted not neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of the Lord, which
he speak by Elijah." Also I Kings 17:6: "And the ravens brought him [Elijah] bread and
flesh in the morning, bread and flesh in the evening; and he drank of the brook."

Christians claim Jesus could heal leprosy.
So could Elisha, who told Naaman the leper to wash in the Jordan river. As recounted
in II Kings 5:14: "Then went he [Naaman] down and dipped himself seven times in
Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God [Elisha]: and his flesh came again like
unto a flesh of a little child, and he was clean."

And Jesus could cause a blind man to see again.
So could Elisha: II Kings 6:17: "And Elisha prayed, and said: 'Lord, I pray thee, open
his eyes, that he may see.' And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man: and he saw
..", II Kings 6:20: "And it came to pass, when they were come into Samaria, that Elisha
said: 'Lord, open the eyes of these men, that they may see.' And the Lord opened their
eyes, and they saw; and behold, they were in the midst of Samaria."
Elisha was also told to cause blindness: 11 Kings 6: 18: "And when they came down to
him, Elisha prayed unto the Lord, and said: 'Smite this people, I pray thee, with
blindness.' And he smote them with blindness according to the word of Elisha."

Jesus could also raise the dead.
Compare that with Elijah: I Kings 17:22: "And the Lord heard the voice of Elijah: and
the soul of the child came into him again, and he revived." Such a miracle was also
attributed to Elisha: II Kings 4:34: "And he [Elisha] went up, and lay upon the child, and
put his mouth upon his mouth, and his eyes upon his eyes, and his hands upon his hands,
and he stretched himself upon the child; and the flesh of the child waxed warm."
Even touching the bones of Elisha could restore a dead body to life: II Kings 13:21: "And it
came to Dass, as they were burying a man, that, behold, they spied a band of men; and
they cast the man into the sepulchre of Elisha: and when the man was let down, and
touched the bones of Elisha, he revived, and stood up on his feet."

Christians say Jesus walked upon the water, thus is divine.
We know that Moses stretched out his arms over the sea: Exodus 14:22: "And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground; and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left.

Jesus could cast out devils. Jesus himself admitted that other people could do it (Matthew 12:27 and Luke 11:19): “And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your children cast them out? Therefore shall they be your judges.
Also the disciples could cast out devils, as Jesus said: Matthew 7:22: "Many will say to me
in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name, and in thy name have cast out
devils, and in thy name done many wonderful works?"
Even false prophets would do wonders, as prophesied by Jesus himself: Matthew 24:24:
"For there shall arise false Christ, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and
wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect."

Christians argue that Elijah and Elisha did wonders through praying to the Lord.
Jesus also did the miracles with the grace of God, as he himself said: John 5:30: "I can
of mine own self do nothing ..." and Luke 11:2): "But if I with the finger of God cast out
devils, no doubt the Kingdom of God is come upon you."
All miracles performed by Jesus have been done by previous prophets, disciples, and even
unbelievers. On the other hand, Jesus could do no mighty work where there was unbelief:
Mark 6:5-6: "And he could there do no mighty work save that he laid his hands upon a few
sick folk, and healed them. and he marveled because of their unbelief. And he went around
about the villages, teaching."

Christians claim Jesus was resurrected three days after he “died”.
We already know his crucifixion was a myth, because there are so many controversies about
it. For now, I'll only say that this was said by Paul, who never saw Jesus alive: II Timothy
2:8: "Remember that Jesus Christ of the seed of David was raised from the dead according
to my gospel."
The gospel of resurrection in Mark 16:9-20 has also been removed in many Bibles. If it has
not been removed, it is printed in small print or between two brackets and with
commentary. See The Revised Standard version, The New American Standard Bible, and
The New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures of the Jehovah's Witnesses. Let me ask
you one thing: Did Jesus ever claim to be God or to say: "Here am I, your God, and
worship me?" No, but Christians insist he is God and man.

But did he ever claim that? No!
Indeed, he prophesied that people would worship him uselessly and would believe in
doctrines made not by God but by man: Matthew 15:9: "But in vain they do worship me,
teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.
All doctrines of modern Christianity are made by men: the Trinity, the divine sonship of
Jesus, the divinity of Jesus Christ, and the doctrines Original Sin and Atonement. From Jesus’ own sayings, recorded in the NT, it’s clear that he never claimed divinity or identity to God: “I do nothing of myself” (John 8:28); “My Father is greater than I” (John 14:28); “the Lord our God is one Lord”(Mark 12:29); “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?(Mark 15:34); “Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit”(Luke 23:46).
“But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither  the Son, but the Father” (Mark 13:32). Jesus was called prophet, teacher from God, His servant, Messiah, and later was escalated to son of god, and then God Himself.

Let us now use our reason: how can a mortal woman give birth to God?
Jesus slept while God never sleeps: Psalms 121:4: "Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall
neither slumber nor sleep." God should be powerful—but how could people spit on him
and crucify him as the Bible alleges? How could Jesus be God if he worshipped God as
any other mortal: Luke 5:16: "And he withdrew himself into the wilderness, and prayed."
Jesus was tempted by Satan for forty days(Luke 4:1-13), but in James 1:13 it is said: "...
for God cannot be tempted with evil ..." How can Jesus be God, then? We can rationalize
further and further.
Some Christians say they have to accept it blindly.
But doesn’t that attitude contradict the Bible itself, which says that you have to prove it: I
Thessalonians 5:21: "Prove all things; hold fast that which is good."
It's really confusing, I should say.
But I Corinthians 14:33 says: "For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as
in all churches of the saints." Doctrines made by men create confusion.


The Doctrine of the  Divine Son-ship of Jesus

Is Jesus the Son of God?
Non-Muslims will reply in affirmative and cite these verses- Read in Matthew 3:17, when Jesus was baptized by John: "And lo a voice from heaven, saying" 'This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."'
But you should not accept the word "son" literally, because the Bible also refers to many
prophets and other people as sons and children of God. Read Exodus 4:22.
"And thou [Moses] shalt say unto Pharaoh: 'Thus saith the Lord, Israel is my son, even
my firstborn."'
Here is Jacob (Israel) His firstborn son. Read II Samuel 7:13-14 or I Chronicles 22:10.
"He [Solomon] shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his
kingdom for ever. I will be his father and he shall be My son."
It will be confusing if you read Jeremiah 31:9: "I am a father to Israel and Ephraim is
my firstborn." In Exodus 4:22 just now, Israel was called also called the firstborn. Who is
the real firstborn: Israel or Ephraim? Even common people can be children of God. Read
Deuteronomy 14:1-"Ye are the children of the Lord your God."


Christians say he is the only begotten son of God.
But long before Jesus was born, God said to David (Psalms 2:7): "I will declare the decree:
the Lord hath said unto me [David]: 'Thou art my son; this day have I begotten thee."' So
David is also God's begotten son. The meaning of "Son of God" is not literal but
metaphorical. It can be anyone who is beloved by God. Jesus also said that God is not only
his Father but also your Father (Matthew 5:45, 48)- "That ye may be the children of your Father" and "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.
You can see in many biblical passages that the phrase "Son of God" signifies love and
affection and neamess to God, and that it is not to be applied to Jesus alone. You will see
sons and daughters of God: II Connthians 6:18: "And will be a Father unto you, and ye
shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty." In view of these and other
passages in the Bible, there is no reason why Jesus should be regarded as the son of God
in a literal or unique sense.

One may argue that he has no father. That is why he is the son of God.
Then you must also consider Adam as a son of God, for he had no father or mother. In
Luke 3:38, it is said "... Seth, who was the son of Adam, who was the son of God." Read
Hebrews 7:3-"Without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but made like unto the son of God; abideth a priest continually."
Who is he? The answer is in Hebrews 7:1: "Melchisedec, king of Salem, priest of the
most high God, who met Abraham ..." He is more unique than Jesus or Adam. Why is he
not considered a son of God or God Himself?

Muslims call him Jesus, the son of Mary.
No one will deny this, it is simple and nobody can deny it. Jesus called himself the son of man and refused to be called son of God. Read Luke 4:41- "And devils also came out of many, crying out, and saying: 'Thou art Christ, the Son of God. And he, rebuking them, suffered them not to speak, for they knew that he was Christ."
It is clear here that he refused to be called the son of God. He also refused such a
designation in Luke 9:20-21, and told his disciples not to refer to him that way.

Jesus who was the expected Messiah, a Prophet, was escalated from teacher to Son of God, Lord, and Finally God Himself. Read John 3:2: “The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we knew that thou art a teacher come from God…”(John 6:14): "Then those men, when they had seen the miracle that Jesus did, said: 'This is of a truth that prophet that should come into the world."' Jesus is also called a prophet in John 7:40; Matthew 21:11; Luke 7:16 and 24:19. In Acts 9:20, we read: "And straightway he [Paul] preached Christ in the synagogues, that he is the son of God." (You can conclude from here also that early Christians were still using synagogues, but later when Christianity deviated from the original teaching of Jesus, churches were established. Paul, Barnabas, and the Gentiles were expelled from the synagogues, as they were accused of blasphemy and pollution. See Acts 13:50, 17:18, and 21:28.). In Luke 2:11, it is said that: "For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord" and in John 1:1: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."

Can you explain these verses in detail? What does it really mean? I cannot explain it or comprehend it myself.
Thank you!
Maria

Answer
Greetings! This is a very long questionnaire; more of a sermon really: However, I admire and appreciate the effort and time you spent writing it; I will reciprocate. There are many questions embedded here (along with a scent of resentment), and yet, they are questions that humans have been pondering for millennia, so you are not the first one to think about any of them, or the emotions the topic evokes. Also, there is nothing wrong with an academic approach to biblical text; however, it was masterfully written in such as way – intentionally – to confound those who are not truly sincere about knowing God (Matthew 13).

Typically, this forum is based on one or two questions at a time. Still, I will say what I can on the topic, for it is a reasonable one. Rather than answering individual questions (which would take considerable time rewriting content, linked below), I will address the topic as one, and hopefully you will see the answers within it. Caveat: Rarely is anything written that can satisfy those bent on dismantling Christ-Crucified! Ultimately however, it is only God who can enlighten the human mind: But without faith, it is impossible to please God, for he who comes to God, must believe that He is, and that He rewards those who diligently seek Him. That reward is knowledge and wisdom, which often transcends the "pedantics of semantics" or the cocoon of the hominid brain isolated from the tether of God, the Indwelling: (See John's Gospel, chapters 14 through 17).

One common issue here, is (what I call) sound-bite theology; to extract one or two passages from one of the many books of the Old or New Testament, and then grafting it into another theme that one is trying to comprehend, validate or justify. Individual lines of scripture sound nice read alone; however, one must de-isolate them, and read the entire book to get the context of the employed single line. Still, you are not alone in trying to understand God from a mortal perspective. Knowing that God created everything, and that all thought that goes through the minds of all creation, can ever transcend what God already knew, it is thus, futile to try to explain what God can or cannot do from within Gods very creation. God is not the victim of creation, but rather, the Creator of it.  God is not trapped in time, or matter or space or energy, but rather, God is the creator of it. The predilection to anthropomorphize God is common among humans.

What sets Jesus Christ apart from all the other religions of men , was the fact that Jesus brought an end to religion, on the cross. This upset many people, because religion (then and today) was a way for men to have power and control over other men, without already being wealthy, politically connected, heir to a throne, or being a huge and mighty soldier. In other words, it was the exceptional who ruled, and the rest followed (nothing new there). The entity of religion however, gave power to most anyone, especially if they could sell it those seeking a followship. Also, human nature seeks justice as fairness, and vengeance when wronged. The idea of a passive, non-violent, love your enemies, savior heroin, was not a popular theme, even among the Jews, and definitely not among warrior nations: People typically want their heroes to be warriors who slay the bad guys!

The followers of Jesus were not macho; they did not get rich and famous, but in fact, went the other way; they lost nearly everything in this higher calling. It was this call to live on earth, in diametric opposition to the natural world, which the bulk of humanity (self-professing Christians included) opposes and is offended by. Today of course, there are millions who adulterate the word of God, and the lingering power of religion, tempts many to take mammon (money) from the hands of others; however, they are not true Disciples of Christ. They are tithe-dependent servants of mammon who exploit God for personal gain, to feed consumer addiction and/or their egos. You will not get anything worthy from these people. Summarily: All religionists (those employed by religions) are frauds because they do not labor with their own hands, to gain base needs sustainably from the natural world, and live contented lifestyles.

Still, Muslims are not alone in opposing the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ; because it is the human experience that someone who has died, cannot return back to life; to be corporeal again. This would require a supernatural intervention, which lends proof that Christianity is "the true religion." Because the Godless are still trapped by (and in) their nature, competitivism in religion is just another topic to take sides over (the "mine's better than yours" primal mentality). Hence, the need to tear down this core aspect of Jesus Christ (and Christianity) is thus, a logical step. If anyone were to try to destabilize Christianity, the first and best place to start, would be at the cross. The need to find a way to attenuate that sacrifice is crucial to gutting the core of Christ's life.

For the preaching of the cross is foolishness to those being lost, but to us being saved, it is the power of God. For it is written: "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and I will set aside the understanding of the perceiving ones." Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the lawyer of this world? Has not God made foolish, the wisdom of this world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world by wisdom did not know God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save those who believe: For the Jews asks for a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block, and to the Greeks foolishness. But to them, the called-out ones, both Jews and Greeks, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God. Because the foolish thing of God is wiser than men, and the weak thing of God is stronger than men. For you see your calling, brothers, that not many wise men according to the flesh are called, not many mighty, not many noble. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God has chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; and God has chosen the base things of the world, and things which are despised, and things which are not, in order to bring to nothing things that are; so that no flesh should glory in His presence. (1st Corinthians 1:18-29, xrf: Proverbs 14)

There is much history here as well. The Jewish people were not liked by their neighbors, including the Arabic side (mostly North Africa and the gulf region). There was a clash of cultural identity; one with a whole different set of traditions, language and history; in other words, they were being bigoted. Where the two cultures met, there was infusion, but farther away the disparities widened. Indeed; anywhere on earth that Christianity has flourished; there, the culture absorbed it, but added to it, from its own cultural traditions. In the case of the first and second century Arabs (Gentiles or non-Jews), the idea that God would use a Jew to bring about the salvation of all humanity was (and still is) very offensive, but not so much from any religious perspective (since Arabs were predominantly polytheistic, BC), but rather, from a racial, ethnic, social and cultural perspective. Therefore, they spent about a century imitating and eventually counterfeiting Christianity.  

The message of God becoming a mortal and then dying mercilessly for the sins of humanity is a powerful and compelling story, and many Arabic people were turning to Christ in the 1st century. However, still others were adamantly opposed: they wanted a warrior hero who was also of their own people, and so they created one. Understanding the history; the chain of events, is helpful in putting all these pieces together concisely. Other resources to consume:

http://sakina.wikidot.com/arabian-deities
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arab_people
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abbasid_Caliphate
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture_shock
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christology
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transfiguration_of_Jesus
http://PaulAndrewAnderson.webs.com/Indwelling.html
http://PaulAndrewAnderson.webs.com/Scripture.html