[WT Sharpe]

I don't believe Jesus thought himself co-equal with God. That seems to have been a later addition to his teachings that I think, as a Jew, would have revolted him. His message was not about himself; it was about the coming Kingdom of God. John was the last Gospel to be written, it differs substantially from the synoptics, and it's record of the teachings of the historical Jesus are suspect. As time went on, the story just got better and better, but I believe the man Jesus was a far cry from the stories and oral traditions that grew up around him that were later preserved in the Gospels.

Muhammad even makes reference to even later Gospels, ones that didn't make the final cut, such as when he speaks of Jesus making a bird out of clay and bringing it to life as a sign.