Did Jesus Claim to be God

And he said to them, "O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?" And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself. — Luke 24:25-27

There are plenty of people who like to point out that Jesus never claimed to be God. Muslims are particularly vocal about this. In fact, I can confidently say that every Islamic apologetic book that I have read points out that Jesus never said, "I am God." Typically, these works will take it one step further by pointing out that Jesus, in fact, did the opposite. He would go out of his way to reiterate that he was simply a man. As example, Professor Shall Hameed references Mark 10:18 where Jesus said, " Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone," to support this position.¹ Biblical historian Bart Ehrman grants that the Gospel of John calls Jesus God, but Ehrman believes this is a unique claim among the Gospels. This exception is relevant for Ehrman because the Gospel of John was written after the synoptic Gospels. Thus, he concludes that the early church influenced the latter writings which elevated Jesus to God status.² In what follows we will put these accusations to the test by looking solely at the claims Jesus made about himself in relation to their Old Testament counterpart with the hope to further understand what caused the presumably later Biblical authors and the earliest Christian sources to openly call Jesus, God, even though he never said, "I am God."

At the outset it is fundamentally important to understand that Jesus uses Scripture to support himself and his ministry. This cannot be overlooked, Jesus cares much more about the fulfillment of scripture and doing "the will of him who sent him" (John 6:38) than boasting about who he was. This is seen when Jesus goes out of his way to silence demons who recognized him for who he was (Mark 1:34, see also Mark 5:7). Additionally, Jesus ignored the direct request of King Herod (Luke 23:9), and he gives seemingly vague answers to several other direct requests. As we briefly touched on in the opening, this is, after all, the defense given by those that hold to the argument, that, "Jesus never claimed to be God." However, what all the critics overlook is, just as concerning the law, Jesus came not to abolish it but to fulfill it (Matt. 5:17); likewise, Jesus came to completely fulfill all that was written concerning him (Luke 25:27, read above).

Plenty of people claimed to be the Messiah. See Acts 5:34-39 for a few contemporaries of Jesus, then Simon bar Kokhba after the fall of Jerusalem, and then Moses of Crete during the fall of Rome four hundred years later. Additionally, before the time of Jesus, there were messianic hopes surrounding the Maccabees. The list goes on and on. The point is a man wielding a sword promising to be the Chosen One was not overly unique. After all, the promise of the Chosen One is the point of the entire Old Testament! Many a crazy man claimed to be him. And know the people hoped that every victorious commander would ultimately be him. Why? Because the Messiah ushers in eternity, the eternal Messianic reign in the Gan, the Hebrew word for garden as well as Heaven. Eden restored.

Back to the topic of men claiming to be God. If we were to leave the Jewish people we see military commanders everywhere during every age claiming some divine embodiment as far back as the Pharaohs up unto the modern day Kim dynasty in North Korea and literally in every time and place on the earth in between from the Japanese emperors a hundred years ago to the Roman emperors two thousand years ago to the South American Inca emperors, who saw their reign abruptly end due to the Spanish arrival five hundred years ago.

No. Jesus did not decide to show up and claim to be just another one of the many before and after him that had a wild claim to make. Jesus was going to fulfill all that was written about him while simultaneously fulfilling all that was required of us in order that he could redeem us. And that was going to be the one and only true undeniable claim of divinity that the world had ever witnessed or would ever witness. Jesus chose to defend his Messiahship by showing that it was Scripture that bore witness about him. Who cares what man may proclaim, Jesus cared what the Word of God proclaimed.

Thus, on the road to Emmaus, Jesus showed that the Christ must suffer and enter his glory through the Scriptures. It is why Jesus condemns the Jews in John 5:39-40 stating, "You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life."

The Greek that John employs for 'bear witness' is the same used in the book of Hebrews concerning the "great cloud of witnesses" (Heb. 12:1-2).³ The "great cloud of witnesses" is not a stadium full of dead saved people cheering for us. That is perhaps the most laughable of inaccurate exegesis. The "great cloud of witnesses" are the saints recorded in Hebrews 11. The "heroes of the faith." Note the "therefore" that opens chapter 12. Those heroes of the faith bore witness of the Messiah's coming. While that is awesome, it does not end there. Jesus told his disciples, "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth" (Acts 1:8). It was the apostles then, it is us now who are called to bear witness that Jesus is the Messiah, just as the Old Testament did! (An interesting aside, God uses the Holy Spirit to bear witness that we are his, Acts 15:8.)

Now, with that in mind, it is time for us to look at Jesus's claims about himself in relation to their Old Testament counterpart. Let us see if Jesus truly fulfilled all that was written about him in Moses and the Prophets. It is time to see if he will be found guilty or innocent. To do this we will review a few statements Jesus makes about himself as we quickly journey through his ministry.

Jesus's Baptism (Luke 3:21-23)

Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heavens were opened, and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form, like a dove; and a voice came from heaven, "You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased." Jesus, when he began his ministry, was about thirty years of age, being the son (as was supposed) of Joseph, the son of Heli.

Ok, I know, I said we were going to look at claims Jesus made about himself, but this is too good to pass up. Additionally, what better place to start our journey through his ministry than starting at the beginning. And as was commanded by Moses, Jesus begins his ministry with baptism. Some may ask, "Why did Jesus need to get baptized?" After all, "John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins" (Mark 1:4). Why would Jesus need baptism for forgiveness of sins? Remember, Jesus came to fulfill the law; in this case, the law concerning priests. As well as Isaiah 40 and Malachi 4.

Hebrew priests were baptized before beginning their ministry and according to Numbers 4 they need to be at least 30 years old (see verses 3, 23, 29, 35, 39, 43 and 47). Of course, some will point out that Numbers 8:24 states the age was 25. The scholarly work done on attempting to propose some explanations of this apparent discrepancy is extensive and would take up too much time to do it justice here, but I will provide a few of the more high-level positions for context.

One position believes that it was a deliberate change by scribes to soften King David's further reduction to twenty years old (see, 1 Chr. 23:27). Thus, they contend Numbers 8 at one point said thirty. They point to the Septuagint's use of 25 for Numbers 4 even though we just saw the Septuagint writers had to change it in seven places. Another position offers that Numbers 4 refers to priests that attended to the holy things and Numbers 8 refers to priest that were in a sense apprentices. They were able to assist rather than serve. For what it is worth, this is the position suggested by the ESV Study Bible's footnote regarding Numbers 8:23-26. The last position we will consider believes it has nothing to do with being a priest according to Moses, thus they look at the significance the Old Testament places on being 30 when one begins their ministry or office. Consider, Joseph was 30 when he became second in command to Pharaoh (Gen. 41:46), Saul and David both became king at the age of 30 (1 Sam. 13:1; 2 Sam. 5:4 respectively) and Ezekiel was called by God to be a prophet at age 30 (Ez. 1:1). Advocates of this position see no need for Jesus to obey the Levitical law because Jesus was not a Levite. He was and is a priest in the order of Melchizedek (c.f. Ps. 110:4; Heb. 7:17) an ageless priest that does not need to retire from service at the age of 50, by decree of Moses, for he will reign for eternity.

Each position is interesting and may I suggest each is right in their own way? Yes, there is significance to the age of thirty in the Old Testament. And Jesus as a priest in the order of Melchizedek did not need to obey the Levitical law. Perhaps there was an internship period before someone would be responsible for conducting the actual sacrifices, that would make sense. And even as a priest in the order of Melchizedek, Jesus still submitted fully to the Mosaic law. As he said in the Sermon on the Mount, "Truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished" (Matt. 5:18).

The Sabbath Reading (Luke 4:16-23)

Jesus quotes Isaiah (and a little bit of Psalms) before stating, " Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing" (v. 21). The reaction to this claim by Jesus is recounted in verses 28 and 29. "When they heard these things, all in the synagogue were filled with wrath. And they rose up and drove him out of the town and brought him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they could throw him down the cliff." Now this is interesting. Jesus read a few passages, mostly from Isaiah then says, "Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing." Then everyone wanted to kill him. It kind of makes you wonder what he read. Verses 18 and 19,

"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
    because he has anointed me
    to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives
    and recovering of sight to the blind,
    to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."

This is odd. His audience have been waiting their entire lives for the Messiah to show up. For countless generations before them, their ancestors have been waiting for the Messiah. If they heard Jesus saying, "your long-awaited military leader who is going to restore the reign of David has shown up?" Why did they try to throw him off a cliff? That makes no logical sense. Why weren't they dancing in the street? Roman rule was going down. Israel as suzerain would be restored and they would be able to witness it. No, that could not be the case. So, what did those in the synagogue hear when they heard Jesus say those words? Let us consider this question as we watch his ministry unfold.

Jesus Heals a Paralytic (Matthew 9:1-7)

And getting into a boat he crossed over and came to his own city. And behold, some people brought to him a paralytic, lying on a bed. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven." And behold, some of the scribes said to themselves, "This man is blaspheming." But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, "Why do you think evil in your hearts? For which is easier, to say, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Rise and walk'? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins"—he then said to the paralytic—"Rise, pick up your bed and go home." And he rose and went home.

There is so much there. Jesus begins with "Take heart." Three times the Gospels record the phrase. Each time it is someone who had the opportunity to meet Jesus. The paralytic here, once to a blind man, and once to a lady who said, "If I only touch his garment, I will be made well." Jesus continues, "My son"; could you imagine hearing that from Jesus? "Your sins are forgiven." That is so beautiful, but it is undeniably blasphemy from the lips of a mortal man. This is a huge divinity claim, but Jesus does not end there. No, he ups the ante. Saying, "but that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins, … Rise, pick up your bed and go home." Jesus just invoked his favorite title for himself, the Son of Man as in Daniel 7's Son of Man. Verses 13 and 14 read,

And behold, with the clouds of heaven
    there came one like a son of man,
and he came to the Ancient of Days
    and was presented before him.
And to him was given dominion
    and glory and a kingdom,
that all peoples, nations, and languages
    should serve him;
his dominion is an everlasting dominion,
    which shall not pass away,
and his kingdom one
    that shall not be destroyed.

Jesus seems to be telling them something that they were overlooking about the Son of Man. They knew his kingdom was an everlasting kingdom, but it appears they missed the fact that the Son of Man had the power to forgive sins. This is God alone territory.

Two Blind Men (Matthew 9:27-29)

Staying in the same chapter just a few verses later the narrative continues,

And as Jesus passed on from there, two blind men followed him, crying aloud, "Have mercy on us, Son of David." When he entered the house, the blind men came to him, and Jesus said to them, "Do you believe that I am able to do this?" They said to him, "Yes, Lord." Then he touched their eyes, saying, "According to your faith be it done to you."

"Have mercy on us, Son of David." This is another incredibly inappropriate title to use for merely a mortal man. Three times the Old Testament prophesied that David would have a son whose kingdom will be eternal (2 Sam. 7:12-13; 2 Chr. 13:5; Ps. 89:20-37). These two blind men could clearly see their eternal king walking toward them. And how does Jesus react? Does he deny or downplay the claim? No, instead his reply once again ups the ante. "Do you believe that I am able to do this?" He is asking if they had faith in him. Did they believe the words they just uttered or were they mere lip service? Is this a phony title or did they believe he is the Son of David and that he can open their eyes? "Yes, Lord," is their response. Then Jesus touched their eyes, saying, "According to your faith be it done to you." An incredible Gospel picture as he seamlessly links the titles Son of David with Son of Man, and thus links their prophecies, all while validating his claim by opening their blind eyes.

We will now jump over to John before concluding with Matthew and then Mark.

Jesus Calls Nathanael (John 1:43-51)

The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, "Follow me." Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael and said to him, "We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph." Nathanael said to him, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" Philip said to him, "Come and see."

Let's pause here and recap. Thus far we have looked at several situations that simply do not add up with the reported first century Jewish mindset concerning their coming Messiah. To begin Jesus is baptized by John and anointed by the Holy Spirit—two acts in accordance with Mosaic law for one to serve in offices of priest, prophet, and king. In Luke Jesus said, "Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing." Essentially, he said, "I am he," which in their minds must have been more than a military or political leader claim as they immediately sought to kill him. He then accepts the titles Son of Man and Son of David. Now, John recounts how Philip found Nathanael and said, "We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote." In case you are new to the Bible. Philip is using a Biblical euphemism to say we have found the one that the Bible is about.

The story continues, "Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, 'Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!' Nathanael said to him, 'How do you know me?' Jesus answered him, 'Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.'"

Given that Jesus was not with Nathanael under the fig tree, this means he just made a claim of omniscience, which typically falls into the God category. However, while the author does not tell us what Nathanael was doing, thinking, or praying for under that fig tree, Jesus's words were powerful enough to prompt the reply, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!" It is worth reflecting on Nathanael's words, because under Jewish law what he just said carried a death sentence? It is easy to gloss over this detail, because as we have seen twice already Jesus once again ups the ante.

Jesus answers him, "Because I said to you, 'I saw you under the fig tree,' do you believe? You will see greater things than these." And he said to him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man" (vv. 50-51).

While in no way discounting Nathanael's titles of Son of God and King of Israel, Jesus refers to himself by his favorite title while harkening back to the patriarch Jacob, specifically Jacob's dream recorded in Genesis 28, famously referred to as Jacob's Ladder. To set the stage, remember back to Genesis 26, God promised Isaac,

"I will be with you and will bless you, for to you and to your offspring I will give all these lands, and I will establish the oath that I swore to Abraham your father. I will multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and will give to your offspring all these lands. And in your offspring all the nations of the earth shall be blessed" (vv 3b-4a).

This promise was for Isaac's offspring of which Esau was the rightful inheritor, yet he sold it to Jacob in Genesis 25. The question is, was God going to honor the transaction? Genesis 28 leaves no doubt via a dream.

And he dreamed, and behold, there was a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven. And behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it! And behold, the LORD stood above it and said, "I am the LORD, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac. The land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring. Your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south, and in you and your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed. Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you (Gen. 28: 12-15).

The fig tree incident was enough for Nathanael to know Jesus was in fact the one whom Moses in the Law and the prophets wrote about. Yet, Nathanael would see so much more. He would see that the Messiah was not just the eschatological King of Israel, but the actual ladder by which man would be restored to the Almighty. Scholars suggest that this ladder was potentially a ziggurat⁴ like the Tower of Babel. Ziggurats were structures with a temple at their base. The hope was to entice the gods to come down the ladder and into the temple or according to some scholars, for man to go up, but most of these scholars ignore or are unaware of the temple at the base. Either way, Jesus corrects the man-made attempt to restore the relationship to God by saying, I am the ladder. I alone am the ladder or bridge or portal by which man is restored to his Creator.

I Am the Good Shepherd (John 10)

The shepherd motif is incredibly rich throughout Scripture. It begins with Jacob's words in Genesis 49 and continues steadily until Jesus's words in John 10. I am in the process of writing an article exclusively on this topic so we will merely scratch the surface here.

Most of us are aware of the 23rd Psalm, "The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want." It is arguably the most beautiful chapter in the Bible, and it alone would be sufficient to give pause to Jesus's hearers, but for this article we will only consider John 10 in light of Ezekiel 34. Between Jacob and Jesus there are shepherds of God's people, aka priests, the religious leaders, and then there is the Shepherd of God's people, namely God himself.

Ezekiel 34 opens with a prophecy against the shepherds of Israel. The LORD inquires, "Ah, shepherds of Israel who have been feeding yourselves! Should not shepherds feed the sheep" (v. 2)? He then continues,

"You eat the fat, you clothe yourselves with the wool, you slaughter the fat ones, but you do not feed the sheep. The weak you have not strengthened, the sick you have not healed, the injured you have not bound up, the strayed you have not brought back, the lost you have not sought, and with force and harshness you have ruled them" (vv. 3-5).

Can you hear the parallel of Jesus words from Isaiah before saying today this is fulfilled in your hearing? From there Ezekiel's prophecy has only darkness until God proclaims:

"I myself will search for my sheep and will seek them out. As a shepherd seeks out his flock when he is among his sheep that have been scattered, so will I seek out my sheep, and I will rescue them from all places where they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness. And I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries, and will bring them into their own land. And I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the ravines, and in all the inhabited places of the country. I will feed them with good pasture, and on the mountain heights of Israel shall be their grazing land. There they shall lie down in good grazing land, and on rich pasture they shall feed on the mountains of Israel. I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I myself will make them lie down," declares the LORD God. "I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, and the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them in justice" (vv. 11-16).

Recapping, the Almighty pronounces a judgment against the religious leaders then claims that he will be the Shepherd. Jesus does precisely the same thing in the first half of John 10 when he claims that he, himself, is the Good Shepherd. This is a wild claim of equality with the LORD God, so much so that verses 19 and 20 recount the division this exchange caused among the crowd. In verse 24 they finally ask, "How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly." Jesus responds, "I told you, and you do not believe."

Don't gloss over this. For Jesus, and anyone that understands the significance of the Shepherd motif, this is as direct as it gets. But mere words are not the proof, Jesus shows that he truly is the true Shepherd and not a hired hand, as he will lay down his life for the sheep (vv. 11, 15, 17, 18).

The divided crowd understood the significance of this claim, but once again Jesus capitalizes on the opportunity to up the ante once more with these cementing words, "I and the Father are one," which I hope you see is logically the same as his claim, "I am the Good Shepherd." As our brief journey through Jesus's ministry reaches its climax, we find Jesus condemning the teachers of the law on par with the likes of Ezekiel 34 and Zechariah 10 and 11, something God himself promised he himself would do.

We will now return to Matthew before concluding with Mark.

Seven Woes (Matthew 23)

In Matthew 23 Jesus gives his 'Seven Woes to the Scribes and Pharisees.' He concludes the Woes with the following:

"Therefore I send you prophets and wise men and scribes, some of whom you will kill and crucify, and some you will flog in your synagogues and persecute from town to town, so that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah the son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar. ... O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! (vv. 34-35, 37)

Then Jesus closes with the following two verses, "See, your house is left to you desolate. For I tell you, you will not see me again, until you say, 'Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord" (vv. 38, 39). "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord," is a direct quote from Psalm 118:26, but its richness is hidden in the Jewish usage of the Psalm. Psalms 113 and 118 comprise a single song affectionately titled the 'Egyptian Hallel' or simply the Hallel, the word from which we derive the English counter-part hallelujah. It is the 'Egyptian song of praising the LORD'. It is sung during the Passover meal. Specifically, it is the last song sang to conclude the Passover meal. It was sung to praise the LORD for rescuing his people from Egyptian bondage and concludes with the ultimate Messianic rescue.

Jesus prophesies that the next time the Scribes and Pharisees see him, they will hear Psalm 118 being sung about himself. Matthew 21, Mark 11, and John 12 all record that "they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, 'Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!'"

Additional point of interest; Matthew and Mark record that the disciples sang a hymn after the Passover meal (Matt. 26: 17-30; Mark 14:12-26). Neither say which hymn was sung, but according to first century Jewish tradition the 'Egyptian Hallel' would be the appropriate song. The disciples sang, then they leave for the Mount of Olives.

See this unfold. Jesus finishes his 'Woes to the Scribes and Pharisees' by saying they killed all the prophets, wise men and scribes that he, Jesus, sent to them (v. 34), then he proclaims, "truly, I say to you all of these things will come upon this generation" (v. 36), referring to the destruction of Jerusalem prophesied in chapters 24 and 25, then he expands it to "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, how often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing" (v. 37)! Lastly, he closes with Psalm 118, "You will not see me again, until you say, 'Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord'" (v. 39).

Think about this, as the disciples are singing Psalm 118, with the literal fulfillment of Psalm 118, the Scribes and Pharisees are simultaneously procuring soldiers to arrest and kill Jesus, exactly what Jesus accused them of doing to the prophets that went before him. And if that was not enough, verses 22 and 23 of the same chapter state: "The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. This is the LORD's doing; it is marvelous in our eyes." Jesus claims himself to be that cornerstone. Each synoptic Gospel records Jesus making this claim directly after the Parable of the Wicked Tenants (Matt. 21:42, Mark 12:10-11, Luke 20:17). Jesus did not randomly add, "The stone that the builders rejected has become this cornerstone." This too is part of Psalm 118.

I pray you see this. Jesus quotes the ending of the Egyptian Hallel. There are a few Hallels in the book of Psalms. Again, Hallel is the Hebrew word from which we have hallelujah. They are songs of praise to the LORD. As for the Egyptian Hallel, "Alfred Eldersheim notes how the sages found five themes in the Hallel that fit with [Passover]: 'According to the Talmud, the Hallel recorded five things, the coming out of Egypt, the dividing of the sea, the giving of the law, the resurrection of the dead and the lot of the Messiah.'"⁵ The lot of the Messiah is the lot of the Son of Man found in Daniel's eternal kingdom. As well, the lot of the Messiah is the lot of the Son of David prophesied in three different books. Lastly, the lot of the Messiah is the lot of the Son of God. "The Lord says to my Lord: 'Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool'" (Psalm 110:1).

Jesus gives seven woes to the Jewish authorities, then he says it was he who sent the prophets that they read about, aka he is eternal, but more, who sent the prophets in the Old Testament? In another article I show that it was the Word of the LORD that did so, and Jesus was claiming to be him. He was and is the Word of the LORD. Furthermore, he condemns the Jewish religious authorities as being responsible for killing those prophets. Then he pronounces an Old Testament judgment upon them. "See, your house is left to you desolate." Then the ultimate crescendo he says, "You will not see me again, until you say, 'Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord." He quotes Psalm 118:26, the final part about the lot of the Messiah. The verse reads,

Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!
    We bless you from the house of the Lord.

The next thing recorded in Matthew is the Passover; Jesus quotes the Hallel while living it. But what is more interesting is what came before those seven woes. The exchange that started this whole narrative. Matthew 21 tells us of his triumphal entry:

They brought the donkey and the colt and put on them their cloaks, and he sat on them. Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, "Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!" And when he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, "Who is this?" And the crowds said, "This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee" (7-10).

Matthew immediately has Jesus cleansing the temple. The next day he curses a fig tree, then heads directly into the lions' den. He heads straight to the chief priests and begins debating, then preaching, then the seven woes. The crowd cried, "Hosanna," just as was prophesied and the Sanhedrin rejected it just as was prophesied, and thus the sheep they were commanded to protect and feed, they scattered, just as was prophesied. The Passover song, the Egyptian Hallel, was fulfilled by the true Passover Lamb.

This brings us to the last culminating scene in this brief journey of Jesus's life. His trial, the final act, before he crushes sin and death.

Jesus before the High Priest (Mark 14)

I need you to listen to what Mark 14:60-65 says, and then I will need you to hear what the Messiah says in Isaiah 50. Isaiah allows us to hear the thoughts and mindset of the Messiah as these events are unfolding in Mark 14.

And the high priest stood up in the midst and asked Jesus, "Have you no answer to make? What is it that these men testify against you?" But he remained silent and made no answer. Again the high priest asked him, "Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?" And Jesus said, "I am, and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven." And the high priest tore his garments and said, "What further witnesses do we need? You have heard his blasphemy. What is your decision?" And they all condemned him as deserving death. And some began to spit on him and to cover his face and to strike him, saying to him, "Prophesy!" And the guards received him with blows.

From there the book of Mark spends only 26 verses in a rush to the crucifixion. The immediate verses after the ones we just heard tell of Peter's denial, then Jesus is before Pilate, then Jesus is mocked, and then Jesus is crucified. Now, listen to what Jesus is thinking as he is living this.

I gave my back to those who strike,
    and my cheeks to those who pull out the beard;
I hid not my face
    from disgrace and spitting.

But the Lord God helps me;
    therefore I have not been disgraced;
therefore I have set my face like a flint,
    and I know that I shall not be put to shame.
    He who vindicates me is near.
Who will contend with me?
    Let us stand up together.
Who is my adversary?
    Let him come near to me.
Behold, the Lord God helps me;
    who will declare me guilty?
Behold, all of them will wear out like a garment;
    the moth will eat them up. (6-9)

Isaiah 50 opens with, "Thus says the Lord: 'Where is your mother's certificate of divorce, with which I sent her away?'" It opens with a judgment against Israel and closes with the words of the Messiah. The author is juxtaposing the obedience of the Messiah against the unfaithful children of Israel. Jesus, the obedient Son.

Amos 3:7 tells us, "For the Lord God does nothing without revealing his secret to his servants the prophets." Then Jesus fulfilled all that was written about him. Beginning with Moses and all the Prophets. He lived out all that the Scriptures said concerning him. And he knew that he could do it because he knew that his Father, the Lord God, would help him. And he knew that in so doing it "Who will declare him guilty?" No one, because it was his Father vindicating him. And as he cried out, "It is finished," (John 19:30) "Behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom" (Matt. 27:51).

Conclusion

It is God's redemptive story because God knew it was the only way, and God knew it would work because he was going to do it! He knew our sins would be defeated and his Son would rise back to his rightful seat beside the Father. Thus, Jesus prayed, "And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed" (John 17:5). The Father and Son knew how close they were to completing their plan to defeat sin and death. The Father and Son knew how close they were to being reunited with each other. The Father and Son knew how close they were to being reunited with us.

John the Baptist proclaimed at the very beginning of the Christ's ministry, "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" (John 1:29). Like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent (Is. 53:7), so Jesus was the Lamb who was slain before the foundation of the world (Rev. 13:8). Jesus left his throne in glory to redeem his image bearers. These are so much more than deity claims, these are claims of equality yet distinction with the Father. These are Trinity claims.

Tertullian, the early Christian apologist that coined the term, "Trinity," said the following concerning the Father and the Son, "But when you confessed both gods to be divine, you confessed them both to be supreme. Nothing will you be able to take away from either of them; nothing will you be able to add. By allowing their divinity, you have denied their diversity."⁶ This is what the people heard and tragically this is what the people rejected. Sadly, today this is what Bart Ehrman and the Muslim apologists hear yet reject as well. The biblical authors, however, did not reject. They built upon it.

John explains why his Gospel openly calls Jesus, "God.” In chapter 11 John tells us that when Jesus raised Lazarus everyone was believing in him. By chapter 12 the chief priests made a plot to kill Lazarus with Jesus (v. 10). Verse 12 tells us the next day was the Triumphal Entry. So many people were believing in Jesus that verse 19 records, "So the Pharisees said to one another, 'You see that you are gaining nothing. Look, the world has gone after him.'" Here John gives us his reason for openly calling Jesus God. Verse 16 reads, "His disciples did not understand these things at first, but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written about him and had been done to him."

Norman Geisler notes in his book Inerrancy, "There is a remarkable interchangeability of the terms God and scripture in certain New Testament passages. We find that 'scripture' is sometimes used where one might expect 'God,' and 'God' is used where one might expect 'scripture'"⁷ As an example he points to Romans 9:17 and Galatians 3:8. B.B. Warfield wrote, "Without apparent misgiving they [the New Testament authors] take over Old Testament passages and apply them to Father, Son and Spirit indifferently."⁸ Romans 10:13 is a great example of this as Paul quotes from Joel 2 while writing about Jesus when he penned, "For 'everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.'"

As you would imagine, there is quite a bit of scholarly work on the New Testament authors' application of Old Testament Yahweh passages that are applied to Jesus Christ the Lord. Yet for this article we can end here. The crux is that the Godhead devised a redemption plan, the Godhead prophesied how the redemption plan would transpire, and the Godhead perfectly adhered to the redemptive plan.

"Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father" (Phil. 2:9-11).

Therefore, our forefathers at Nicea proclaimed, in adherence to the Scriptures,

We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth, of all that is seen and unseen.

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,

God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God, begotten not made, one in being with the Father.
Through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven.⁹

FOOTNOTES