Short answer
Yes. Muslims hold that Jesus was a sinless prophet of Allah (﷾). The Qur'an gives one picture of him in every verse: a holy son, blessed, kind to his mother, never arrogant, and a servant of Allah (﷾). The Bible gives two pictures that do not agree. It calls him without sin, and Christians say he is the God (﷾) who knows all things. Yet it shows him growing in wisdom, not knowing the day or the hour, and tempted, though God (﷾) cannot be tempted. Christians also say he is the Lord of the Old Testament, who does not repent. Yet the Bible says that Lord was sorry He had made Saul king. Islam's answer is that Jesus was a sinless prophet who, as a man, grew in wisdom and did not know the Hour. The words that make him God, and the harsh words, are the work of human writers, not his.
Full explanation
The Bible says he was perfect
Christians say Jesus was perfect, and the Bible gives them verses for it. Hebrews, a letter in the New Testament, says he was "in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin". John has the disciples say to him: "Now are we sure that thou knowest all things". Christians also say that Jesus is the Lord of the Old Testament. The Bible says of that Lord that "his understanding is infinite". It says that "God cannot be tempted with evil". It also says that God (﷾) "knoweth all things" (1 John 3:20). And it says that he is not a man, "that he should repent". That is one picture: sinless, all-knowing and unchanging. The next sections set it beside what else the Bible says. The two pictures do not agree.
“For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.”
“Now are we sure that thou knowest all things, and needest not that any man should ask thee: by this we believe that thou camest forth from God.”
“Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite.”
“Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:”
“For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things.”
“And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent: for he is not a man, that he should repent.”
He grew in wisdom
The Bible says that the Lord's "understanding is infinite". It also says that "Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man". Christians say it was his human nature that grew. But Luke says it of Jesus himself, and the verse never says "in his human nature". One person cannot both have infinite understanding and increase in wisdom.
“Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite.”
“And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man.”
He did not know the day or the hour
The disciples say to Jesus: "Now are we sure that thou knowest all things". Peter says: "Lord, thou knowest all things". Yet in Mark, Jesus says that no one knows the day or the hour of the end. Not even the angels know it, "neither the Son, but the Father". Christians say he knew all things as God (﷾) and did not know this as a man. But the verse says that the Son does not know, and it sets him apart from the Father, who does. One person cannot both know all things and not know. The page on whether Jesus knew the hour takes the verse in full.
“Now are we sure that thou knowest all things, and needest not that any man should ask thee: by this we believe that thou camest forth from God.”
“He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep.”
“But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father.”
He was tempted
James says that "God cannot be tempted with evil". Hebrews says that Jesus was "in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin". Matthew says he was "led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil". Christians say his human nature was tempted, not his divine nature. But the Bible says that Jesus himself was tempted. One person cannot both be tempted and be unable to be tempted.
“Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:”
“For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.”
“Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.”
None good but God (﷾)
A man called Jesus good. Jesus answered: "Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God." Luke gives the answer as "none is good, save one, that is, God". Christians say Jesus is God. Yet here he turns the word away from himself and gives it to God (﷾) alone.
“And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God.”
“And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? none is good, save one, that is, God.”
The fig tree
Mark and Matthew both tell of a fig tree with no fruit that withered at Jesus' word. Mark says the tree was found withered the next morning. Matthew says it withered "presently", and the disciples marvelled on the spot. Only Mark has "the time of figs was not yet"; Matthew does not. The two Gospels do not tell the same story. Muslims hold that Jesus, a sinless prophet, did nothing unjust; the clash lies in the writing.
“And seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves, he came, if haply he might find any thing thereon: and when he came to it, he found nothing but leaves; for the time of figs was not yet. And Jesus answered and said unto it, No man eat fruit of thee hereafter for ever. And his disciples heard it.”
“And in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots.”
“And when he saw a fig tree in the way, he came to it, and found nothing thereon, but leaves only, and said unto it, Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward for ever. And presently the fig tree withered away.”
“And when the disciples saw it, they marvelled, saying, How soon is the fig tree withered away!”
The Canaanite mother
In Matthew, a mother begs Jesus to heal her daughter. He does not answer her a word. He says he was sent to the lost sheep of Israel. That agrees with the Qur'an, which calls him a messenger to the Children of Israel. What sits badly is the manner Matthew gives him. He says it is not right to throw the children's bread to dogs, and he heals the girl only after the mother accepts the name. Muslims hold that Jesus never spoke so; the words are the writer's.
“And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil. But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send her away; for she crieth after us. But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me. But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children’s bread, and to cast it to dogs. And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table. Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.”
“"And (appoint him) a messenger to the Children of Israel, (with this message): "'I have come to you, with a Sign from your Lord, in that I make for you out of clay, as it were, the figure of a bird, and breathe into it, and it becomes a bird by Allah's leave: And I heal those born blind, and the lepers, and I quicken the dead, by Allah's leave; and I declare to you what ye eat, and what ye store in your houses. Surely therein is a Sign for you if ye did believe;”
Hate your father and mother
In Luke, no one can be Jesus' disciple unless he hates father, mother, wife, children, brothers and sisters. Matthew gives the same saying in a milder form: whoever loves father or mother more than him is not worthy of him. Luke has "hate" where Matthew has "love more". A reader who has only Luke is told to hate his parents.
“If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.”
“He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.”
The children in Revelation
Revelation, the last book of the New Testament, reports Jesus threatening a false prophetess. It has him say he will kill her children with death, so that all the churches will know who he is. God (﷾) says through the prophet Ezekiel that the son shall not bear the iniquity of the father. And when two disciples asked to call down fire on a village, Jesus turned and rebuked them. The early church itself doubted who wrote Revelation. Dionysius, a bishop of Alexandria in the third century, accepted that a holy man named John wrote it, but not John the disciple of Jesus.
“Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols. And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not. Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds. And I will kill her children with death; and all the churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works.”
“The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him.”
“And when his disciples James and John saw this, they said, Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elias did? But he turned, and rebuked them, and said, Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of.”
“Therefore that he was called John, and that this book is the work of one John, I do not deny. And I agree also that it is the work of a holy and inspired man. But I cannot readily admit that he was the apostle, the son of Zebedee, the brother of James, by whom the Gospel of John and the Catholic Epistle were written.”
Perfect does not mean God (﷾)
Christians say that being without sin shows Jesus is God. Islam agrees that Jesus was pure (Qur'an 19:19). But being without sin makes him a sinless servant, not God. Hebrews, the book that calls him sinless, says he learned obedience "by the things which he suffered". It says he prayed "with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death" (5:7-8). One who learns obedience and prays to be saved is not the God (﷾) he prays to. Muslims hold that Jesus' sinlessness makes him a perfect prophet, not God.
“For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.”
“Who in the days of his flesh, when he 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; Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered;”
“He said: "Nay, I am only a messenger from thy Lord, (to announce) to thee the gift of a holy son.”
If Jesus is the God of the Old Testament
Many Christians go further and say that Jesus is the LORD, the God (﷾) of the Old Testament. The page on whether the Bible calls Jesus Yahweh answers that claim. But take it as they put it. Then what the Old Testament says of the LORD is said of Jesus. Look at one chapter, 1 Samuel 15. The Lord says: "It repenteth me that I have set up Saul to be king". Samuel says: "the Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent: for he is not a man, that he should repent". The chapter ends: "the Lord repented that he had made Saul king over Israel".
“It repenteth me that I have set up Saul to be king: for he is turned back from following me, and hath not performed my commandments. And it grieved Samuel; and he cried unto the Lord all night.”
“And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent: for he is not a man, that he should repent.”
“And Samuel came no more to see Saul until the day of his death: nevertheless Samuel mourned for Saul: and the Lord repented that he had made Saul king over Israel.”
God's (﷾) regret does not fit his knowledge
Genesis says that "it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart". Yet Isaiah has God (﷾) "Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done". A God who knows the end from the beginning cannot regret what He did, because nothing can take Him by surprise. Christians say that "repented" is a human way of speaking about God (﷾). But in 1 Samuel 15:11 and Genesis 6:6, God (﷾) is sorry for His own past act. That is sorrow over a decision He made, which 15:29 denies of Him. A figure of speech does not explain why the Bible gives God (﷾) regret over His own acts. The page on whether God (﷾) changes His mind, according to the Bible, adds the Flood and the giving of the Son.
“And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.”
“Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:”
“It repenteth me that I have set up Saul to be king: for he is turned back from following me, and hath not performed my commandments. And it grieved Samuel; and he cried unto the Lord all night.”
“And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent: for he is not a man, that he should repent.”
What this means for a Christian
A Christian cannot hold both of these. One is that Jesus is the LORD of the Old Testament. The other is that he is perfect and unchanging. If Jesus is the LORD, the Old Testament's commands to kill women and children would be his commands too. So would its laws about women. Two other pages set them out: the Bible's commands to kill women and children, and how the Bible treats women.
“And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent: for he is not a man, that he should repent.”
“And Samuel came no more to see Saul until the day of his death: nevertheless Samuel mourned for Saul: and the Lord repented that he had made Saul king over Israel.”
One Bible, two pictures
This is a big contradiction, and it sits inside the Bible itself. One picture calls Jesus perfect, sinless, all-knowing and unchanging, and Christians add that he is the Lord of the Old Testament. The other picture shows him growing in wisdom, not knowing the day or the hour, and tempted. If he is that Lord, it also shows him sorry for his own past act. A Christian must either give up the first picture or explain away the second. The table sets the matching verses side by side, point by point. Muslims hold that Jesus was a sinless prophet who, as a man, grew in wisdom and did not know the Hour. The words that make him God, and the harsh words, are the work of human writers, not his. The Jesus of the Qur'an is the same in every verse.
“For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.”
“For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things.”
“Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite.”
“And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man.”
“But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father.”
“Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:”
“Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.”
“And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent: for he is not a man, that he should repent.”
“And Samuel came no more to see Saul until the day of his death: nevertheless Samuel mourned for Saul: and the Lord repented that he had made Saul king over Israel.”
“The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him.”
“Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children’s children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.”
| Point | The Bible says… | Yet the Bible also says… |
|---|---|---|
| Knowing all things | God (﷾) “knoweth all things” (1 John 3:20). | Of the day and the hour: “knoweth no man… neither the Son, but the Father” (Mark 13:32). |
| Temptation | “God cannot be tempted with evil” (James 1:13). | Jesus was “in all points tempted like as we are” (Hebrews 4:15), and “led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil” (Matthew 4:1). |
| Children and their fathers' sins | “The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father” (Ezekiel 18:20). | “visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, unto the third and to the fourth generation” (Exodus 34:7). |
| Wisdom | “his understanding is infinite” (Psalm 147:5). | “Jesus increased in wisdom” (Luke 2:52). |
Every quotation is from the King James Version. In each row, both statements are about the same point.
The Jesus of the Qur'an
Unlike the Bible, the Qur'an gives one picture of Jesus, and it never contradicts itself. The angel promises Maryam "the gift of a holy son". Jesus is "held in honour in this world and the Hereafter". He says: "I am indeed a servant of Allah: He hath given me revelation and made me a prophet". He says Allah (﷾) made him "blessed wheresoever I be", and "kind to my mother, and not overbearing or miserable". In every verse he is holy, blessed, dutiful and never arrogant. The Bible's Jesus is not the same in every verse.
“He said: "Nay, I am only a messenger from thy Lord, (to announce) to thee the gift of a holy son.”
“Behold! the angels said: "O Mary! Allah giveth thee glad tidings of a Word from Him: his name will be Christ Jesus, the son of Mary, held in honour in this world and the Hereafter and of (the company of) those nearest to Allah;”
“He said: "I am indeed a servant of Allah: He hath given me revelation and made me a prophet;”
“"And He hath made me blessed wheresoever I be, and hath enjoined on me Prayer and Charity as long as I live;”
“"(He) hath made me kind to my mother, and not overbearing or miserable;”
Where such words come from
Muslims hold that God (﷾) gave Jesus the true Injil (the Gospel revealed to him). They hold that the New Testament Gospels were written down and changed by men. They hold the same of the Torah given to Moses. Even in Jeremiah's day the prophet warned of "the false pen of the scribes". The Qur'an warns of those who write the Book with their own hands and then say it is from Allah (﷾).
““ ‘How do you say, “We are wise, and Yahweh’s law is with us?” But, behold, the false pen of the scribes has made that a lie.”
“Then woe to those who write the Book with their own hands, and then say:"This is from Allah," to traffic with it for miserable price!- Woe to them for what their hands do write, and for the gain they make thereby.”
Verse by verse
Luke 14:26 — Gospel of Luke, chapter 14, verse 26
“If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.”
Cited for
"Hate" is a Semitic figure of speech meaning "love less". Matthew 10:37 gives the sense: love Christ more than family.
The response
Even if "hate" is an idiom, it is the word Luke puts in Jesus' mouth. Matthew's own wording shows how easily it could have been given without it.
Where it lands — Whether idiom or not, Luke's words say "hate" where Matthew's say "love more"; a reader of Luke alone is told to hate his family.
Matthew 15:22-28 — Gospel of Matthew, chapter 15, verses 22-28
“And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil. But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send her away; for she crieth after us. But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me. But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children’s bread, and to cast it to dogs. And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table. Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.”
Cited for
Jesus was testing the woman, and the Greek word means little dogs, a milder word. He healed her daughter in the end.
The response
A smaller dog is still a dog. As Matthew tells it, he first ignored her, then refused her, and helped only after she accepted the name for her people. The Jesus of the Qur'an is not overbearing. It is hard to picture a messenger of mercy treating a mother in need this way.
Where it lands — The test reading does not remove the insult; it only explains why he healed her at the end.
Revelation 2:20-23 — Revelation of John, chapter 2, verses 20-23
“Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols. And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not. Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds. And I will kill her children with death; and all the churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works.”
Cited for
"Her children" means her followers, not her sons and daughters.
The response
The text does not say so. When two disciples asked to call down fire on a village, Jesus turned and rebuked them. Read as written, it threatens children for their mother's sin, which God (﷾) forbids through Ezekiel. The early church was not even sure who wrote the book.
Where it lands — Read as written, the verse threatens children for their mother's sin, which God (﷾) forbids through Ezekiel.
Perspectives
Mainstream Christian
Jesus was perfect and without sin because he is God the Son, the same Lord who spoke in the Old Testament. Each hard saying makes sense in context. Some are figures of speech, some describe the cost of following Christ, and some show his authority as Lord and Judge.
Christians say that Jesus was without sin, as Hebrews 4:15 says. Only God is without sin, they say, so Jesus is God.
Rebuttal
Hebrews 4:15 says he was tempted and without sin. It does not say that being without sin makes a person God. Islam agrees that Jesus was pure (Qur'an 19:19); that makes him a sinless servant, not God. Hebrews says he learned obedience "by the things which he suffered". It says he prayed "with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death" (5:7-8). One who learns obedience and prays to be saved is not the God (﷾) he prays to. And the same verse says Jesus was tempted, while James says God (﷾) cannot be tempted with evil.
Christians say that Luke 2:52, Mark 13:32 and Hebrews 4:15 describe his human nature. As God, they say, he knew all things and could not be tempted.
Rebuttal
None of these verses says "in his human nature". Luke says "Jesus increased in wisdom", Mark says "neither the Son", and Hebrews says he was "tempted like as we are". They say it of Jesus himself. John has the disciples say he "knowest all things", and James says God (﷾) cannot be tempted. One person cannot both know all things and not know, or be tempted and be unable to be tempted. The two-natures reading is the Church's, not the Bible's.
Christians say that "repented" is a human way of speaking about God, who does not change.
Rebuttal
In 1 Samuel 15:11 the Lord Himself is sorry for His own past act, "that I have set up Saul to be king". Genesis 6:6 says "it grieved him at his heart". That is sorrow over a decision He made, which 15:29 denies of Him. A figure of speech does not explain why the Bible gives God (﷾) regret over His own acts. And Isaiah says God (﷾) declares "the end from the beginning", so nothing He did could take Him by surprise.
Christians say that Jesus is Yahweh, the LORD of the Old Testament, and so the perfect God.
Rebuttal
The page on whether the Bible calls Jesus Yahweh takes each verse. But take the claim as made. In 1 Samuel 15:11 that Lord Himself is sorry for His own past act, "that I have set up Saul to be king". That is sorrow over a decision He made, which 15:29 denies of Him. If Jesus is that Lord, the Bible contradicts itself about him. A Christian cannot hold both that Jesus is that Lord and that he is perfect and unchanging. Peter says God (﷾) "hath made that same Jesus… both Lord and Christ" (Acts 2:36). One whom God (﷾) makes Lord is not the LORD who made him.
Christians read "hate" in Luke 14:26 as a Semitic way of saying "love less", as Matthew's version shows.
Rebuttal
Luke has "hate" where Matthew has "loveth father or mother more than me". "Hate" and "love more" do not say the same thing: a reader of Luke alone is told to hate his family.
Christians read Jesus' words to the Canaanite woman as a test that drew out her great faith.
Rebuttal
As Matthew tells it, the word is an insult, and calling it a test does not remove it. Muslims hold that Jesus, a sinless prophet, never spoke so to a pleading mother; the words are the writer's.
The Islamic perspective
Jesus was a sinless prophet who never acted unjustly or contradicted his own teaching. The Bible gives two pictures of him that do not agree. Muslims hold that, as a man, he grew in wisdom and did not know the Hour. The words that make him God, and the harsh words, are the work of human writers, not his.
The Bible says that God's (﷾) understanding is infinite and that God (﷾) knows all things. It says God (﷾) cannot be tempted, and that he is not a man, that he should repent. It says that the disciples were sure Jesus knows all things, and that he was without sin.
The Bible shows Jesus increasing in wisdom, not knowing the day or the hour, and being tempted.
Luke has Jesus tell his followers to hate their families, where Matthew has them love him more.
Revelation threatens the children. That conflicts with God's (﷾) rule in Ezekiel 18:20 that a son does not bear his father's sin.
If Jesus is the Lord of the Old Testament, the Bible contradicts itself about him. In 1 Samuel 15 that Lord is sorry that He made Saul king. Yet verse 29 says God (﷾) is not a man that He should repent.
The Qur'an describes Jesus the same way in every verse. He is holy, blessed, kind to his mother, not overbearing, and a servant of Allah (﷾).
The Qur'an warns of those who write the Book with their own hands and say it is from Allah (﷾). Jeremiah warned of the false pen of the scribes.