DID JESUS CLAIM TO BE GOD?

Firstly, I would like to punctuate the importance of the question as it can be put right in the epicenter of the Christian belief. It doesn’t surprise me to hear from almost every single religion around the globe, that they can believe in and accept almost everything about the live and the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth but His Divine nature. Some could even agree to some Divine inspiration, but never his Divine nature.

 Between the most used terms referring to the person of Jesus, I could nominate: Teacher, Rabbi, Master, Leader, Prophet, Light of The World, and so many others that most of the people wouldn’t have any problem accepting and believing in it. The Problem begins with the ultimate question: Is He the Messiah? Is He the Christ? Is He claiming to be God? That’s the fundamental discrepancy that disconnect all the Christians from the rest of the World. Believing in the Divine nature of Jesus Christ represents the detachment from all the other religious worldviews. That’s what makes Christianity one of the most exclusive religions in the face of the earth. Completely believing in teachings of Jesus Christ would make impossible to also entirely believe in any other religion. That’s why a Christian Buddhist, or a Christian Muslin is not a rational possibility. Some could say that there beliefs are mixed between some religions, but that would ultimately imply in a completely new and personalized religion. Where the original worldviews doesn’t exist anymore, because when mixed they gave birth to a new one.

Now that the importance of the subject was highlighted, Let’s see some declarations made by the Jesus of Nazareth Himself:

“No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man.”  - John 3:13 (ESV)

“When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, “Why does this fellow talk like that? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?” Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, and he said to them, “Why are you thinking these things? Which is easier: to say to this paralyzed man, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat and walk’? But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the man, “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!” - Mark 2:5-12 (NIV)

“Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” - Luke 19:9-10 (NIV)

“Then a teacher of the law came to him and said, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” - Matthew 8:19-20 (NIV)

“For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” - Mark 10:45 (NIV)

“Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal.” - John 6:27 (ESV)

“When they came together in Galilee, he said to them, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men. They will kill him, and on the third day he will be raised to life.” And the disciples were filled with grief.” - Matthew 17:22-23

  Those are just some of the many passages where we have a citation about Him. Jesus continually made reference to the one called “The Son of Man” referring to Himself. The term appears close to a hundred times in the Old Testament, Around eighty times only in the gospels and another couple times in the rest of the New Testament. The terminology is a direct reference to a prophecy delivered by Daniel in the Old Testament:

“In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.” - Daniel 7:13-14 (NIV)

How do we know the Son of Man was Divine? How can we be sure He is someone with God’s own nature in Him? It’s more simple than it appears. Although the term makes reference to someone who has the form of a human, the same prophecy says He would receive authority, glory, sovereign power and everlasting dominion, meaning that his Kingdom will never be destroyed. All of those declarations crowning this “man” an everlasting and almighty King implicates that He would incredibly share Gods own Power, Position and Glory. In addition the prophecy also says He would receive worship, but the third commandment of God`s own Law in Exodus 20 clearly shows that all the worship should only be given to The One and Only Almighty Creator of The Universe. The Great I Am.

“You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them…” - Exodus 20:4a (NIV)

The same Bible also says that God would never share His glory with anyone:

“I am the LORD; that is my name! I will not yield my glory to another or my praise to idols.” - Isaiah 42:8 (NIV)

Wich bears the point, This “Son of Man” could only be God. That’s the fundament of the amazing prophecy of the Messiah. The Chosen One! However, there is still one more interesting fact about Isaiah 42. On this passage Isaiah is also talking about the Chosen One, The Messiah (Anointed One), The Ruler, The Son of Man. it seems to me that God was making sure that everyone knew about the Divine Nature of the Christ.

Acknowledging the possibility of dissatisfaction by some more skeptical, I will let you with the own words of Jesus before the Sanhedrin that got Him brutally executed by His own people afterwards:

Then the high priest stood up before them and asked Jesus, “Are you not going to answer? What is this testimony that these men are bringing against you?” But Jesus remained silent and gave no answer. Again the high priest asked him, “Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?” “I am,” said Jesus. “And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven. The high priest tore his clothes. “Why do we need any more witnesses?” he asked. “You have heard the blasphemy. What do you think?” They all condemned him as worthy of death. - Mark 14:60-64 (NIV)

The High Priest, the Pharisees, the Sadducees, the Scribes, the Disciples of Jesus… You know what all of them had in common? They all understood and came to the same conclusion that He was claiming to be the Messiah, The Son of Man, The Blessed One. Regardless of believing in Him or not, although they took completely different positions on the declaration, it was the same premise. The people that saw with there own eyes and heard with there own ears, are the people saying He claimed to be more than a simple Teacher. Trying to infer that He never stated to be more, is the same of saying every single person physically around Him at the time got the wrong message and only now centuries later, you got it right.