Jesus never experienced an identity crisis, however he often sent his critics into a crisis because he was acutely self-aware.
In one encounter he so frustrates his detractors that in exasperation they ask, “Who do you think you are?” (John 8:53)
8 Things Jesus Knew About Himself
Over four decades of pastoral ministry, I’ve had a lot of people ask where in the Bible does Jesus say he is God? Here are a few starting points.
1. “If it is by the finger of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come to you.” (Luke 11:20) While this statement does not claim divinity, it amounts to a claim that he exorcised demons as the agent through which the authority of God enters history.
2. Jesus spoke to God with an apparently unheard of intimacy by using the Aramaic term Abba (“Papa”).
3. “Listen to me, all of you, and understand; there is nothing outside a person that by going in can defile, but the things that come out are what defile.” (Mark 7:14-15). Jesus relativized the Jewish dietary laws.
4. “The Sabbath was made for humankind, and not humankind for the Sabbath; so the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath” (Mark 2:27-28). Jesus is taking upon himself the authority to reinterpret the Sabbath laws.
5. “Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead.” (Matt. 8:22). Jesus is interpreting Mosaic Law. Proper burial of one’s relatives was one of the most sacred duties in Judaism (Gen. 50:5-6; Lev. 21:2-3).
Jesus is saying that following him took precedence even over any duty. The conclusion is that Jesus must have considered himself and his own teachings to have divine authority. He believed that hope had arrived in his own person and ministry.
6. Jesus took upon himself the divine prerogative to forgive sins. (Mark 2:5 10; Luke 7:48)
7. Jesus claimed to be the “Son of Man” who would judge all things and determine our final status before God.
8. Jesus claimed at the trial scene before Pilate to be “the Christ, the Son of the living God.” (Mark 14:61-62)
Mere Christianity
C.S. Lewis, in “Mere Christianity,” makes these statements, “A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic–on the level with a man who says he is a poached egg–or he would be the devil of hell.
You must take your choice. Either this was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse.
You can shut him up for a fool or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God.
But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us.”
What will you do with Jesus?
If you’re ready to become a follower of Jesus, you can use the prayer below, or your own words to ask Jesus to take control of your life and to fill you with His Spirit so that you can love God and others.
“Lord Jesus, I have tried to fill my life with many things that do not satisfy. I have hurt others and I have hurt You. I’m sorry. I believe that You died on the cross to spare me from the consequences I deserve. Thank You for Your sacrifice. I believe that You rose from the dead and I want to live for You: I know that You alone can change me. I want You to take control of my life, show me Your great love so that I can share it with the world. Amen.”
Have you made a decision to follow Jesus? Please leave a comment below or email me at bob.pb.jones@gmail.com
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