Who Did Jesus Claim To Be?
Examining what Jesus said about Himself.
Jesus asked His disciples, “Who do you say I am?” The impact of His life begs the same question to you today—who do you say Jesus is? But perhaps the answer resides in what Jesus said about Himself. There is plenty of evidence of Christ’s divinity in Scripture, such as His miracles, but let’s zero in on what Jesus claimed about Himself:
He claimed that He was Lord of the Sabbath with the authority over it (Mark 2:23-28).
He took the divine name “I AM” for Himself (John 8:58, from Exodus 3:14).
He said that the way to the Father is through Him (Matthew 11:27, John 14:1-7).
He made Himself equal with God (John 5:18).
He claimed that whoever saw Him saw the Father (John 14:9).
When He was given the opportunity to correct people treating Him as if He were God, He didn’t (Matthew 26:63-65, John 19:7-10).
He claimed to have descended from heaven (John 3:13).
He claimed to have the power to raise himself from the dead (John 2:19, 10:17-18).
He claimed to be replacing the temple (John 2:19-21), which was the place known to house God’s presence and the forgiveness of sins.
He claimed to share “glory” with God before the world existed (John 17:5).
He claimed to be sent from Heaven (John 6:38, John 4:34, John 3:13).
He claimed He would send His angels (Matthew 13:41, Luke 12:8-9).
He claimed the authority to forgive sins (Mark 2:5).
He assumed the authority to judge the world (Mark 14:62) and that one’s attitude toward Him would impact the end of their life (Matthew 10:32-33).
He claimed to be perfectly sinless (John 8:46).
He claimed that to know Him was to know God (John 8:19), to see Him was to see God (John 12:45), and to receive Him was to receive God (Mark 9:37).
He claimed, “I and the Father are one” (John 10:29-33), which was not lost on Jewish listeners, who responded, “You, a mere man, claim to be God” (verse 33).
In His teachings, He consistently demonstrated authority over the Law, or Torah, most notably in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7).
Now that you’ve seen the powerful words ascribed to Jesus—who do you say He is?
For more Who Is This Man? Series resources, click here.