Did Jesus claim to be God?
One of recurring themes of Jesus’
teaching was the explanation of who He was and why He was here. He didn’t leave
that issue open to conjecture. To people around Him, his most controversial and
confrontational statements concerned His claim to be God.
Jesus frequently spoke of His unique
origin, of having pre-existed in heaven before coming into this world. To the
hostile Jews He declared, "You are from below, I am from above; you are of
this world, I am not of this world" (John 8:23). In John 16:28 He told His
disciples, "I came forth from the Father and have come into the world; I
am leaving the world again and going to the Father."
Amazingly, Jesus assumed the
prerogatives of deity. He claimed to have control over the eternal destinies of
people (John 8:24; cf. Luke 12:8-9; John 5:22, 27-29), to have the power to
answer prayer (John 14:13-14), and to have the right to receive worship and
faith due to God alone (Matt. 21:16; John 14:1). He also assumed the ability to
forgive sins (Mark 2:5-11) - something that only God can do (v. 7).
Jesus also called God's angels (Gen.
28:12; Luke 12:8-9; 15:10; John 1:51) His angels (Matt. 13:41; 24:30-31); and
God's kingdom (Matt. 12:28; 19:24; 21:31; Mark 1:15; Luke 4:43; John 3:3) His
kingdom (Matt. 13:41; 16:28).
When a Samaritan woman said to Him,
"I know that Messiah is coming (He who is called Christ); when that One
comes, He will declare all things to us" (John 4:25) Jesus replied,
"I who speak to you am He" (v. 26). In His high-priestly prayer to
the Father, He referred to Himself as "Jesus Christ whom You have
sent" (John 17:3); "Christ" is the Greek equivalent of the
Hebrew word translated "Messiah." When asked at His trial by the high
priest, "Are You the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?" (Mark
14:61) Jesus replied simply, "I am" (v. 62). He also accepted,
without correction or amendment, the testimonies of Peter (Matt. 16:16-17),
Martha (John 11:27), and others (e.g., Matt. 9:27; 20:30-31) that He was the
Messiah. He was the One of whom Isaiah prophesied, "His name will be
called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of
Peace" (Isaiah 9:6).
The Lord's favorite description of
Himself was "Son of Man" (cf. Matt. 8:20; Mark 2:28; Luke 6:22; John
9:35-37). Although that title seems to stress His humanity, it also speaks of
His deity. Jesus' use of the term derives from Daniel 7:13-14, where the Son of
Man is on equal terms with God the Father, the Ancient of Days.
The Jews viewed themselves
collectively as sons of God. Jesus, however, claimed to be God's Son in a
unique sense. "All things have been handed over to Me by My Father,"
Jesus affirmed, "and no one knows the Son except the Father; nor does
anyone know the Father except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to
reveal Him" (Matt. 11:27). In John 5:25-26 He said, "Truly, truly, I
say to you, an hour is coming and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of
the Son of God, and those who hear will live. For just as the Father has life
in Himself, even so He gave to the Son also to have life in Himself."
After receiving word that Lazarus was ill Jesus said to the disciples,
"This sickness is not to end in death, but for the glory of God, so that
the Son of God may be glorified by it" (John 11:4). When asked at His trial,
"Are You the Son of God, then?" Jesus replied, "Yes, I am"
(Luke 22:70). Instead of rejecting the title, the Lord embraced it without
apology or embarrassment (Matt. 4:3, 6; 8:29; Mark 3:11-12; Luke 4:41; John
1:49-50; 11:27).
The hostile authorities clearly
understood that Jesus' use of the title Son of God was a claim to deity.
Otherwise, they would not have accused Him of blasphemy (John 10:46). In fact,
it was Jesus' claim to be the Son of God that led the Jews to demand His death:
"The Jews answered [Pilate], 'We have a law, and by that law He ought to
die because He made Himself out to be the Son of God'" (John 19:7). And in
John 5:18 "The Jews sought all the more to kill Him, because He not only
broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was His Father, making Himself equal
with God." Even while He was on the cross, some mocked Him, sneering,
"He trusts in God; let God rescue Him now, if He delights in Him; for He
said, 'I am the Son of God'" (Matt. 27:43).
Jesus further outraged the
unbelieving Jews by taking for Himself the covenant name of God, "I
am" (Yahweh). That name was so sacred to the Jews that they refused to
even pronounce it, lest they take it vain (Exod. 20:7). In John 8:24 Jesus
warned that those who refuse to believe He is “I am” will perish eternally. Later
in that chapter "Jesus said to [His hearers], 'Truly, truly, I say to you,
before Abraham was born, I am'" (v. 58). Unlike many modern deniers of His
deity, the Jews knew exactly what He was claiming, as their subsequent attempt
to stone Him for blasphemy makes clear (v. 59). In John 13:19 Jesus told His
disciples that when what He predicted came to pass, they would believe that He
is “I am”. Even His enemies, coming to arrest Him in
Gethsemane, were overwhelmed by His divine power and fell to the ground when
Jesus said "I am" (John 18:5-8).
All of the above lines of evidence
converge on one inescapable point: Jesus Christ claimed absolute equality with
God. Thus He could say, "I and the Father are one" (John 10:30).
Thus we can conclude that "in Him
dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily" (Col. 2:9), and we can
worship Him accordingly as "our great God and Saviour, Christ Jesus"
(Titus 2:13).
So if Jesus is God my question to you is - what are you going to do about it. He died to save you from your sins but he will come again as Judge in a coming day.
The advise of scripture is "Prepare to meet thy God"
So if Jesus is God my question to you is - what are you going to do about it. He died to save you from your sins but he will come again as Judge in a coming day.
The advise of scripture is "Prepare to meet thy God"
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