Greetings! When I was studying in Mexico I took a few religion classes because I knew they would be discussion based, and the discussions would interest me (fluency practice). At one point in a class, the professor (who normally remained very unbiased) said that “Jesus never claimed to be God, He always referred to Himself as ‘Son of Man.” Which I knew, it was a reference to Ezekiel. This troubled me, but for some reason, I had nothing to say, just inward protest. Over the years I’ve looked for the answers to this question in the Bible. Here’s what I’ve found.
As a little background, the Jews were waiting for a Messiah, a champion, a second “Moses” or “David” type to deliver them from all oppression, and establish the kingdom of God among them. To my knowledge they didn’t expect the Messiah to be God, but they did expect Him to come in power, not meekness. Israel at this point is being occupied by Rome, and the Jewish Leader (Harod) is a sell-out and a puppet to Rome. Enter Jesus. Born supernaturally to a virgin. Persecuted by a power hungry king at infancy, and raised in the working class in a Podunk town. Then He turns 33. Fasts for 40 days, is visited and tempted by a fallen angel, passes the temptation, then begins His ministry. Skipping to the parts that pertain to our topic.
Jesus, when criticized for picking and eating grain (doing “work”) on the Jewish sabbath, replies that He is greater than the Jewish synagogue (the way that the Jewish people would interact with God) and that He is the Lord of the sabbath. Matthew 12
Also, Jesus, when He is brought a paralytic to lay hands on him, Jesus first tells the man to “take heart, for your sins are forgiven.” And the Jewish religious leaders who were skeptical of Jesus said “He’s blaspheming!” For only God, through the shedding of sacrificial blood, can forgive sins. Jesus replies “But I want to prove to you that the Son of Man has the power to forgive sins.” so He said to him “get up, take your mat and go home.” Then the man was healed, got up and went home. Matthew 9
Jesus then, when Phillip, one of His disciples asks Jesus to show him God the Father, Jesus responds: ““Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me?” John 14
And then in an argument with the Pharisees, the Jewish priests at the time that didn’t like Jesus because He was not one of them, yet taught with more authority and clarity than they did, and He also had more of a following, did more miracles, and they felt His mercy toward “sinners” was disrespectful to the law of Moses – the Pharisees accuse Him of being a halfblood and demon possessed, and Jesus denies these accusations retorting that “whoever obeys my words shall never taste death.” This only strengthened the convictions over Jesus’ accusers, they respond: “Now we know that you are demon-possessed! Abraham (the Patriarch of the Jewish faith) died and so did the prophets, yet you say that whoever obeys your word will never taste death. Are you greater than our father Abraham? He died, and so did the prophets. Who do you think you are?”
Jesus replied, “If I glorify myself, my glory means nothing. My Father, whom you claim as your God, is the one who glorifies me. Though you do not know him, I know him. If I said I did not, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and obey his word. Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad.”
“You are not yet fifty years old,” they said to him, “and you have seen Abraham!”
“Very truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I AM!” At this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds.
This is a blatant one. God spoke His identity to Moses through the burning bush as the account in the Old Testament book of Exodus tells, He tells Moses that He is the “I AM.” Exodus 3
Also, if we are too removed from the Jewish context to grasp what Jesus was claiming, let us take note of the Pharisees’ response to Jesus; “they picked up stones to kill Him.” They understood clearly what He was claiming.
Jesus does this again when the religious leaders’ hatred for Him finally drives them to arrest Him. They bring guards to the garden where Jesus is praying, and Jesus asks them who they are looking for. The guard responds “Jesus of Nazareth.” Jesus tells them “I AM.” And at His utterance they all fall to the ground stunned. For this Reason Jesus asks them again “Who are you seeking??” They tell Him again, and He responds again “I told you, I AM.” John 18
Fast forward to Jesus’ makeshift trial. When He is brought to Pontius Pilate, the Roman regent over the area, and the Pharisees state their offense at Jesus to him, one complaint is that “He claims to be King of the Jews.” When Pilate asks Jesus “are you the king of the Jews?” Jesus responds “You yourself have said it.” Luke 23
In John 17 Jesus prays: “Now, Father, glorify Me in Your presence with that glory I had with You before the world existed.”
There are many other places in the epistles (Letters written by and to the early Church) where Jesus’ divinity is confirmed, but I wanted to address simply what Jesus said about Himself.
Blessings friends,
May the Lord bless you and keep you, and make His face to shine upon you and give you Peace, in Jesus Christ the magnificent champion of men and Heaven. 🙂
surely goodness and mercy 