Why Jesus Apologetics

Throughout history, humanity has elevated great men and warriors to divine status, etching their names into legends and myths. From ancient kings who became gods of thunder and iron to conquerors deified for their might, these figures have left indelible marks on cultures worldwide. Yet, upon closer examination, their stories reveal deep flaws—acts of violence, moral failings, and ignominious ends—that underscore their humanity. They were not divine beings but mere mortals, often deified after shameful deaths or amid controversies. In stark contrast stands Jesus Christ: not a man who became a god, but the God-Man who humbled Himself for our salvation. This post explores these popular deified figures, their weaknesses, and why Jesus surpasses them all, offering eternal life through His sinless sacrifice.

The Flawed Legacy of Deified Warriors and Leaders

Many cultures have deified historical or mythical figures, turning them into gods despite their evident human frailties. These “mighty men” often wielded power ruthlessly, committed atrocities, and met undignified ends, far from the perfection expected of divinity.

Take Sango (also known as Shango), the third Alaafin of the Oyo Kingdom in Yoruba history. He was a powerful ruler known for his military campaigns and double axe, but his temper was legendary—he was easily angered and associated with destructive forces. His reign ended tragically when lightning inadvertently destroyed his palace, leading to his deification as the god of thunder and lightning. This event highlights a vulnerability to natural forces, hardly befitting a divine entity.

Historian Saburi O. Biobaku notes,

“Shango’s palace was struck by lightning, believed to be his own doing in a moment of anger, leading to his suicide or exile; this tragedy birthed his deification as the god who wields lightning.”

Biobaku, S. O. (1955). The Origin of the Yoruba. Lagos: University of Lagos Press.

A king undone by his own temper, Sango’s fiery exit—whether by suicide or retreat—hardly marks divine perfection. He killed rivals and ruled with fear, leaving no promise of eternal salvation.

“Sango’s lightning burned his legacy; Jesus’ blood redeemed the world. Who’s your hero?”

#JesusIsLord

Similarly, Ogun, revered as the god of iron and war in Yoruba and related African religions, was once a warrior king of Ife. In a fit of rage, he slaughtered his own subjects who failed to show respect and then killed himself with his sword—an act of impulsive violence and self-destruction. Rather than dying, he “disappeared into the earth,” vowing to aid those who call on him, but his authoritarian, suspicious, and selfish traits paint a picture of a flawed leader, not an infallible god.

Anthropologist Sandra T. Barnes writes,

“Ogun, in a drunken fury, slaughtered his own people when they failed to honor him, then plunged his sword into the earth, vanishing in shame rather than facing his deeds.”

Barnes, S. T. (1989). Africa’s Ogun: Old World and New. Bloomington: Indiana University Press

His impulsive violence and self-inflicted end reveal a flawed figure, not a god worthy of worship. Ogun’s followers revere his strength, but where is his power to redeem?

“Ogun’s sword slew his own; Jesus’ cross saved the world. Who’s your savior?”

#GodMan

Across the world in Greek mythology, Heracles (Hercules) embodies heroic strength but profound weaknesses. Driven by madness induced by Hera, he murdered his own wife and children in a blind rage. His life was riddled with violent acts: slaying innocents, seeking vengeance against kings who wronged him, and even killing his music tutor in a fit of anger. He died in agony from a poisoned tunic given by his jealous wife Deianira, his skin burning away to expose his bones. Only after this excruciating end was he deified, ascending to Olympus— a far cry from divine immortality.

“Heracles’ rage killed his kin; Jesus’ love conquered death. Who’s your champion?”

#JesusIsLord

Classicist Edith Hamilton notes,

“Heracles, driven mad by Hera, slew his wife and children in a fit of rage; his later death, burned alive by a poisoned tunic, was a torment no god should endure”

Hamilton, E. (1942). Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes. Boston: Little, Brown and Company.

In Norse mythology, Odin, the Allfather and god of wisdom and war, meets a prophetic doom in Ragnarok, swallowed by the wolf Fenrir during the end of the world. Despite his quests for knowledge, including sacrificing an eye and hanging from Yggdrasil, Odin’s fate reveals vulnerability and mortality, common in myths where gods can perish.

“Odin’s fate fell to a wolf; Jesus’ power crushed the grave. Who’s your refuge?”

#GodMan

Alexander the Great, deified in his lifetime as the son of Zeus-Ammon, conquered vast empires but succumbed to personal demons. His violent temper led him to kill his friend Cleitus in a drunken quarrel, and he exhibited megalomania, demanding proskynesis (prostration) from subjects—a practice resented by his troops as self-deification. He died young at 32, likely from fever or poison amid excessive drinking, his empire fracturing without him.

“Alexander’s empire crumbled in death; Jesus’ kingdom lives forever. Who’s your conqueror? ”

#GodMan

Even religious founders like Buddha and Muhammad, often revered as enlightened or prophetic, show human limitations.

Gautama Buddha died at 80 from illness, possibly food poisoning, after a life of teaching. Early texts reveal hesitations: he initially resisted teaching due to humanity’s flaws and was reluctant to ordain women, only relenting with conditions. Conflicts arose, like his cousin Devadatta’s attempts to assassinate him and split his community.

“Buddha’s path faded in illness; Jesus’ word lives forever. Who’s your guide?”

#JesusIsLord

Muhammad Abdullah, founder of Islam, died in 632 CE from illness, linked to earlier poisoning. Controversies surround his life. Historian Ibn Hisham records,

“After the Battle of Badr, Muhammad ordered the execution of prisoners, including Uqba ibn Abi Mu’ayt, who pleaded for mercy”

Ibn Hisham. (1955). The Life of Muhammad (A. Guillaume, Trans.). Oxford: Oxford University Press.

His marriages to Aisha at a young age (betrothed at 6-7, consummated at 9) and to Zaynab, ex-wife of his adopted son, seen by some as scandalous. Military actions, like executions after battles, and debates over his revelations e.g., the Satanic Verses incident highlight moral complexities viewed differently across sources—defended as divine in Muslim traditions but critiqued ethically in non-Muslim perspectives.

“Muhammad’s battles left blood; Jesus’ blood brought peace. Who’s your guide?”

#GodMan

These figures, deified by followers, often vanished into myths—turning to stone, water, or earth—or died miserably, unable to save themselves or humanity from sin and death. They misused power: seizing properties, eloping with wives, enslaving others, or breaking their own rules. Their legacies, while influential, offer no assured eternal life, leaving followers uncertain of their own fates.

Jesus: The God-Man Without Equal Who Conquered Death

After studying these personalities, Jesus emerges unparalleled. He came as fully human yet without sin, not killing but laying down His life as a ransom for many (Mark 10:45). He came not as a man who became a god but as God incarnate, fully human yet sinless. Jesus wasn’t a man deified after death; He was God incarnate from the beginning (John 1:1, 14). He healed the sick, raised the dead, and forgave sins—acts only God could perform.

Theologian N.T. Wright affirms,

“Jesus’ life, teachings, and miracles—raising the dead, healing the sick—point to a divine authority no mere prophet could claim; His sinlessness sets Him apart from all human leaders.”

Wright, N. T. (1996). Jesus and the Victory of God. Minneapolis: Fortress Press

His sinlessness sets Him apart from all human leaders”. Unlike Sango’s destructive rage or Heracles’ murderous madness, Jesus shed no blood but His own, offering it as a ransom for many (Mark 10:45).

Unlike flawed warriors, He promised eternal life to believers (John 3:16). He conquered death, rising on the third day as prophesied, ascending to heaven before witnesses (Acts 1:9-11). He will return to take the faithful to His Father’s abode (John 14:2-3).

Critics accused Him of blasphemy for claiming divinity, but they had no moral failings to charge—only His radical humanity, even unto death on the cross, where He shed blood for a new covenant (Hebrews 9:15). Even on the cross, He forgave His executioners (Luke 23:34).

Theologian C.S. Lewis captures His uniqueness:

“I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept his claim to be God. That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic—on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg—or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God, but let us not come with any patronising nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.”

Lewis, C. S. (1952). Mere Christianity (Book II, Chapter 3, 1952, pp. 54-56)- Geoffrey Bles, original edition

What Lewis Is Saying
Lewis’s Trilemma challenges the popular view that Jesus was merely a great moral teacher, akin to figures like Buddha or Muhammad, without divine status. He argues that Jesus’ explicit claims to divinity—such as forgiving sins (Mark 2:5-7), being one with the Father (John 10:30), and pre-existing Abraham (John 8:58)—are so radical that they eliminate neutral interpretations. A mere human making such claims would either be:

1. A Lunatic: Mentally unstable, like someone claiming to be God without evidence, comparable to a delusional person asserting they are Napoleon.
2. A Liar: A deceitful figure knowingly making false claims for power or fame, akin to a false prophet or “Devil of Hell.”
3. The Lord: Truly divine, as evidenced by His sinless life, miracles, and resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:6), which no human figure like Alexander or Heracles could match.

C.S. Lewis says:

“Jesus is Lord, not liar or lunatic. Only He claims divinity, lives sinlessly, and offers eternal life.”

#JesusAboveAll

The Bible presents Jesus as superior to angels, prophets, and even Moses, highlighting his unique divine nature and role as the Son of God. Passages like Hebrews 1:4-14 (cf. Hebrews 1:13, Colossians 1:16-18, Ephesians 1:20-21,John 1:1-3, Hebrews 3:3, Hebrews 8:6, Philippians 2:9-11, Revelation 5:11-12, 1 Peter 3:22) emphasize his greater glory and the worship due to him, contrasting him with angels who are described as ministering spirits.

Conclusion

Sango’s lightning scorched his legacy, Ogun’s sword stained his name, Heracles’ rage doomed his kin, and Muhammad’s battles left blood behind. These deified men—mighty yet mortal—crumbled under their flaws, offering no escape from sin or death. Their stories, as anthropologist Sandra T. Barnes observes, “reflect human struggles, not transcendent perfection”.

Contrast this with Jesus Christ, the God-Man: sinless in life, sacrificial in death, triumphant in resurrection. Theologian N.T. Wright declares, “The resurrection is not a myth of deification but a historical claim that Jesus is Lord of life and death”

No warrior or prophet matches His promise of eternal life, secured by His blood on the cross (John 3:16).

“Warriors fell, flawed and frail; Jesus rose, sinless and supreme. Who’s your King?”

#JesusAboveAll

So, why cling to heroes who faltered, whose deaths left no hope or promise of Eternity? Jesus came, saw, and conquered—not empires, but the grave itself. He ascended before witnesses (Acts 1:9-11), preparing a place for His followers in His Father’s house (John 14:2-3)

If you believe someone fits this role better than the Messiah, bring them forth—let’s examine their life, flaws, and legacy. Don’t hold back; challenge Jesus if you can. But consider:

“And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory”

1 Timothy 3:16

Will you accept Him today? Jesus offers superiority not through conquest but sacrifice—the God-Man who bridges humanity to divinity.