Christ isn’t being “cagey” and He certainly isn’t trying to get out from a death sentence (”Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour.” - does that sound like someone trying to “beat the rap” or cop a plea to you? He isn’t playing games. He isn’t avoiding the question. He isn’t worried about losing His followers; He told them they would forsake Him! You are demanding that He provide a very specific answer, “I am the king of the Jews,” and as He doesn’t use those words, you conclude He is being disingenuous. Perhaps it is as simple as this: He won’t say “Yes, I am the king of the Jews,” because He is more than that—He is the King of Kings!
Now, as you’ve acknowledged, you believe He is, for all intents and purposes, a man-made invention piled upon an actual historical figure...my question is this: Where’s the flaw? Where’s the human error in His character? Where’s the lie, the ulterior motive, the shading of the truth, the malice aforethought, the lust, the greed, the avarice, the streak of pride that would, should, must accompany any human character, as all humans are flawed? Where’s the error? Where’s the sin? Where’s the point in “the myth” that indicates this is simply a human creation drummed up to provide people with someone to believe in?
You said to someone elsewhere that you are an English teacher. Well, so am I, and one thing I usually find myself doing in the classroom with my AP students is to try to reconcile plot flaws, character weaknesses that invariably crop up in stories written by (and about) humans. I’m sure you’ve found yourself dealing with some of those same blemishes in the stories you’ve taught. Where’s the blemish on Christ?
He's being asked a direct, YES or NO question, and is refusing to answer. Of course that is being cagey. But I'm not blaming him for it: crucifixion's a nasty way to go. But if he's not trying to avoid the death sentence, the simplest thing in the world would be to say, YES, I am the Son of God. Because that is what he was accused of claiming.
Now, as you’ve acknowledged, you believe He is, for all intents and purposes, a man-made invention piled upon an actual historical figure...my question is this: Where’s the flaw? Where’s the human error in His character? Where’s the lie, the ulterior motive, the shading of the truth, the malice aforethought, the lust, the greed, the avarice, the streak of pride that would, should, must accompany any human character, as all humans are flawed? Where’s the error? Where’s the sin? Where’s the point in “the myth” that indicates this is simply a human creation drummed up to provide people with someone to believe in?
I have little idea what character flaws he may have had. We'll never know; he died 2000 years ago. I just think he was a man positioning himself for a dangerous job: that of united Jews to rise up against the Romans in order to re-establish an independent kingdom of Israel. He may have been a nice guy, a bad guy, a proud man... who knows. When we read the Bible, we can't really say we are reading what actually happened. We are reading the accounts of the followers of his disciples, 60-80 years later. We can only try to infer what he meant to them from what stories they told. The stories suggest that his followers believed him to be a potential king of Israel. Now, the followers of his followers must have come to a different conclusion, given that he did not come back and save them from Rome. So they would have to take the stories of the disciples and reinterpret them to explain his never coming back.
I’m sure you’ve found yourself dealing with some of those same blemishes in the stories you’ve taught. Where’s the blemish on Christ?
It's hard to say. If I were to try and write a characterization paper on him, though, I'd probably focus on Judas' comments just before the betrayal, and note that Judas was dissatisfied with Jesus getting his feet massaged with some expensive oil, and commented that it should have been sold and the money given to the poor. This suggests to me that as he grew more famous, Jesus may have become less aesthetic and more materialistic. Also, his comment to the woman whose daughter was sick ("I am here for the lost lambs of God") and dismissive ("Go home, your daughter is healed" -- of course we never see her again so chances are he was just blowing her off) suggest a gathering arrogance. But again, I don't know. He died a long time ago.