Well I don't agree. I believe we have enough material to evaluate whether Jesus was a narcissist or not. Even though the Gospels are not totally accurate has historical documents, they do contain within them some of the things that Jesus actualy said such as:
Havent you read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? 4 He entered the house of God, and he and his companions ate the consecrated breadwhich was not lawful for them to do, but only for the priests. 5 Or havent you read in the Law that the priests on Sabbath duty in the temple desecrate the Sabbath and yet are innocent?
My Bible has this wording for the same verse 5: "Have you not read in the law how the priests on temple duty can break the sabbath rest without incurring guilt?"
6 I tell you that something greater than the temple is here. "
The next two verses clear it up for me:
12:7 "If you understood the meaning of the text, 'It is mercy I desire and not sacrifice,' you would not have condemned theses innocent men. 8 The Son of Man is indeed Lord of the sabbath."
My interpretation is that Jesus is pointing out that the purpose of the sabbath is not to fill some arbitrary requirement. It is a law whose purpose is to serve Love. Everyone needs a rest. The sabbath is a directive for people to take it for themselves, and to grant it to everyone (and everything, including animals) around them. It's only purpose is to serve the well-being of everyone by granting rest. Anyone who interprets it to mean that a person should require others to suffer with hunger in order to fulfill that law does not understand it.
Not even close to narcissism as far as I am concerned. I see wisdom in understanding and application of their law.
"38 Then some of the Pharisees and teachers of the law said to him, Teacher, we want to see a sign from you. 39 He answered, A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40 For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. 41 The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now something greater than Jonah is here. 42 The Queen of the South will rise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for she came from the ends of the earth to listen to Solomons wisdom, and now something greater than Solomon is here."
In these verses from Matt 12 Jesus compares himself to the Temple, King David, King Solomon and the Prophet Jonah and then deems himself as greater than all.
I still do not see narcissism here. Although Jonah did deliver his message to the people of Nineveh, and they repented and changed their ways as a result of it --Jonah was so bothered by the idea that God would forgive them and not destroy them that he wanted to die. Jonah wanted to see them punished. He was angry that they were being forgiven and being spared. There is not a very high level of understanding and love coming from Jonah. I do think that Jesus demonstrated being better than that, by teaching about forgiveness.
I think that reference to any great leader, king or otherwise, is only valuable if you are talking about the value of their message. Although Solomon was known to be wise, Jesus was attempting to teach the people something additonal that brought them up to a higher level of consciousness or understanding. It would be necessary for them to move forward with the wisdom of the past, but not hold onto only the teachings of the past.
I think his statements are accurate, not narcissistic -- unless you consider it narcissistic to point out that if we want to move forward in our understanding, we have to acknowledge that we didn't know it all in the past.
Is that grandiosity or what? Jesus definitely fits the first requirement