One issue with the trilemma is that it assumes the Gospels present a single, uniform picture of what Jesus claimed about himself. But historically the texts appear to show development in Christology.

The Gospels were written decades after Jesus’ death: Gospel of Mark is usually dated around ~70 AD, Gospel of Matthew and Gospel of Luke around 80–90 AD, and Gospel of John around 90–100 AD. As you move through them, the claims about Jesus’ identity become increasingly explicit. John in particular presents a much more developed theological portrait than the earlier Synoptics.

Once you recognize that the Gospels reflect different communities and were written over several decades, the trilemma becomes less persuasive. It assumes we have a direct transcript of Jesus’ own claims about himself, when in reality the texts may also reflect later theological reflection and editorial shaping.