What kind of a man is this who claimed to be co-equal with God? In John 14:9, Jesus one day made this bold statement, "I and the Father are one. He that hath seen Me hath seen the Father." Hebrews 1:3 says: "He was created in the very expressed image of God." These passages are claiming that Jesus is not an ordinary man. They are saying that He is the physical representation of the heart of God. He told the Pharisees that he lived before Abraham who had died 2,000 years before. In his prayer in the garden, recorded in John 17:5, He prayed to the Father, "Restore unto Me the glory which I had with You before the world began." And in His reference to Abraham, who had been dead 2,000 years, He used the same words to identify Himself that God used to identify Himself to Moses. God said to Moses, “When you are asked who sent you, say that I Am sent you." Jesus looked at the Pharisees and said, "Before Abraham was, I Am." The Pharisees knew what He was saying and were so infuriated they tried to stone Him. When He healed the sick man of palsy He said, "Thy sins be forgiven thee." And to this the skeptic says, “Hey, hold it, nobody can forgive sins but God.” This is a true statement. For an ordinary man to claim the power to forgive is blasphemous. To believe such a man’s claim is stupid. Anyone can say anything. They are mere words. Recognizing this Jesus answered, "Is it easier to say to this man, take up your bed and walk or to say your sins are forgiven?" I can easily say to you “Your sins are forgiven” and how would you know if it were true, or not. Or even care that I said it because you do not believe me. But to say to someone who is a paralytic “Take up your bed and walk” gives validation to what was just said.

   What kind of a man is this who not only permitted people to worship Him but He encouraged it? When the superstitious people of Caesarea came upon Peter, Cornelius said to him, "Peter," (he had asked for someone to come to him) and he fell down at Peter's feet and began to worship him and Peter said in Acts 10, "Don't do that. I am a man just like you. Stand up, I'm only a man." Paul had the same experience in another city. They thought he was Zeus. Paul and Barnabas were doing some evangelistic work and they thought one was Hermes and one was Zeus. That they were Greek gods come down in the form of man. But Jesus never so much as rebuked anyone for falling down and worshiping him. Remember the first Palm Sunday recorded in the Scriptures. Jesus is entering into Jerusalem and the Pharisees get very upset about what is going on. They say, "Hey, Jesus, this mob is singing and rejoicing and carrying on all about you and singing your praises, why don't you just tell them to hush up?" And what is the response of Jesus? "Let me tell you something," He says, "If these people were to be quiet, what would happen? The stones would shout out.” 

   What kind of a man is this who on numerous occasions not only predicted his own death but the very manner and place it would occur? He told His disciples that it would be at Jerusalem and it would be by crucifixion. Not only that, but that He would rise again.

   What kind of a man is this who claimed the exclusive power to have saved men from sin and prepare them for heaven? John 10: 28: "I give unto them eternal life." John 10:7: "I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved." John 14:6: “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” Ordinary men, even prophets do not make statements like these!

   What kind of a man is this who claimed to be able to resurrect men from death and then He did it when He raised Lazarus? He promised, "I will raise them up at the last day." He said, "All that are in the grave shall hear my voice and come forth." John 11:25: "I am the resurrection and the life, he that believeth in, though he were dead, yet shall he live, and whosoever..." There is that beautiful word that John uses so often to say that we are all possible children of God--"...whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."

   What kind of a man is this who promised that his words would outlast the heavens and the earth? Matthew 24:35: "Heaven and earth shall pass away but my word shall not." We could go on and give you countless outstanding claims that He made about Himself. I think that this is probably enough to make the point. Jesus said enough about Himself and did enough in His earthly life to show Himself to be the Son of God. Only outright unbelief, or non-acceptance, can dismiss it.

Copyright by Al Bishop