According to Christian doctrine, Jesus is fully God and fully man. He is the Mediator between God and humanity, and He is the only Path to salvation. But did Jesus even claim to be God? In this article, we will discover that Jesus not only claimed to be God, but He did so in a variety of ways.
First, we will look at how He claimed to be the fulfillment of prophecy about the coming heavenly Messiah. Then, we will look at His explicit claims to have heavenly origin. Next, we will discuss the ways in which Jesus claimed the name of God for Himself. Then, we will see that Jesus participated in actions that were exclusively reserved for God. Finally, we will conclude by looking at how His claims were indeed received by those around Him as having been claims of divinity.
Jesus as the fulfillment of Daniel’s messianic prophecy
Daniel 7:13-14 is a prophecy about the coming Messiah: “With the clouds of heaven there came one like a Son of Man … and to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom … that shall not be destroyed.” This passage describes the future Messiah who would come to save the world from their sins, the fulfillment of the promised Messiah of Genesis 3:15. Daniel explains that this coming King would come in human form, yet at the same time be among the clouds of heaven, implying that He would also be connected to heaven and be divine.
In Matthew 26:63-65, Jesus is on trial. The high priest directly asks Jesus if He is the Son of God, and Jesus responds by claiming this title from Daniel 7 for Himself. He says, “I tell you, from now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.” By claiming this title, Jesus was claiming to be the divine Man who had come to save the world. He was claiming to be God. And the reaction of the high priest confirms this because he tore his robes and declared that Jesus had committed blasphemy.
Jesus’ claim to have heavenly origin
All through the Gospels, Jesus declares that He came down from heaven and was sent by His Father. But the sixth chapter of John makes this claim undeniably clear. Within a span of 25 verses, Jesus says six times that He came down from heaven:
– John 6:33 says, “For the Bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”
– John 6:38 says, “For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of Him who sent me.”
– John 6:41 says, “I am the Bread that came down from heaven.”
– John 6:50 says, “This is the Bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die.”
– John 6:51 says, “I am the living Bread that came down from heaven”
– John 6:58 says, “This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like the bread that the fathers ate, and died. Whoever feeds on this Bread will live forever.”
No one after reading this could deny the fact that Jesus claimed to have come from heaven. But Jesus goes even further than claiming heavenly origin. He claims that He not only came from heaven but that He alone is the Way back to heaven, declaring that “no one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6).
Jesus claimed the name of God for Himself
Jesus openly declared that He and the Father existed in the same essence when He said “I and the Father are one,” (John 10:30). But Jesus was even more direct in His claim to divinity when He equated Himself with the title of “I am” that God used when speaking to Moses at the burning bush. In Exodus 3:14, God revealed that His name was, “I am that I am.” Then in John 8:56-59, Jesus says, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.”
Jesus could have easily used the word “was.” But He intentionally chose to use the present tense in order to communicate clearly the fact that He was claiming to be the same “I am” from Exodus. Once again, the Jews who heard this knew that Jesus was claiming to be God because, according to verse 59, “they picked up stones to throw at him.”
Beyond claiming this truth once, He claimed it seven more times throughout the Gospel of John. Jesus said, “‘I am’ the Bread of Life” (6:35), “the Light of the World” (8:12), “the Door” (10:7), and “the Good Shepherd” (10:11). He also said, “‘I am’ the Resurrection and the Life” (11:25), “the Way, the Truth, and the Life” (14:6), and “the True Vine” (15:1). Undoubtedly, Jesus wanted people to know that He was claiming to be the “Great I am.”
Jesus acted in ways that were reserved for God alone
Jesus declared on several occasions that He was God, and His contemporaries clearly understood the claim that He was making. But Jesus didn’t stop with merely affirming this truth with His mouth. He also affirmed it with His actions. One particular action that stands out was when Jesus healed the lame man that had been lowered through the roof.
In this passage, Jesus recognizes the faith of the friends and declares, “Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven,” (Matthew 9:2). Immediately, the Pharisees begin thinking in their hearts that Jesus has committed blasphemy because only God is able to forgive sins. Jesus knows that they are thinking this and responds by healing the lame man in order to demonstrate that He has the authority to forgive sins as well. He claimed to be God and He acted accordingly.
Stay connected