11. Jesus:
Liar, Lord or Lunatic
Who is Jesus
Christ? Two-thousand years ago in Jerusalem, the people of
Judea faced this question. Jesus came into conflict with the
Jewish and Roman authorities as he interacted in their world.
Jesus of Nazareth made some fantastic claims. He claimed to; be
the “Son of God”, to exist before Abraham, and to be the judge
of mankind. During his three and half years of ministry, the
person of Jesus became troublesome eventually leading to his
execution by Roman authorities. After his execution on a wooden
cross, (Crucifixion), his followers spread His message and
claims throughout the known world.
Today, two-thousand years later the world is still confronted
with the question, “Who is Jesus Christ?” Did he even exist?
Was he who he said he was? Alternatively, did others make
claims about him? Was Jesus God? Or was he lunatic or even worse
a liar?
Can
we examine the evidence about Jesus, using reason, logic and
facts and conclude His identity? We can examine the eyewitness
accounts of his followers, his claims and archeological
evidence. We can also examine what his Roman and Jewish critics
said about him. When we assemble this information, we can come
to a point of decision about who Jesus is.
History affirms
Jesus existence and his claims
Our
understanding of Jesus is not limited to the writings of early
Christians. We can consult Jewish and Romans claims about
Jesus. The most famous Jewish historian Josephus was born four
years after Jesus’ crucifixion in 37 AD; he wrote about Jesus,
his brother James and John the Baptist. Josephus writes:
“He
assembled the Sanhedrin of the judges and brought before them
the brother of Jesus who was called Christ, whose name was
James"
“Now, some of the Jews thought that the destruction of Herod’s
army came from God, and very justly, as a punishment of the what
he did against John, who was called the Baptist; fro Herod slew
him who was a good man and commanded the Jews to exercise
virtue...and so come to baptism .
Josephus also
writes about Jesus claim to the Christ apart from his record of
James’ death. This account is disputed because Josephus would
not have acknowledged Jesus as Messiah if He did not believe,
but F.F. Bruce feels Josephus is being sarcastic in his comments
about Jesus.
Now there was
about this time, Jesus, a wise man, if it be lawful to call him
a man, for he was a doer of wonderful works, a teacher of such
men as receive the truth with pleasure. He drew over to him
both many of the Jews and many of the Gentiles. He was Christ;
and when Pilate, at the suggestion of the principal men amongst
us, had condemned him to the cross, those that loved him at the
first did not forsake him. For he appeared to them alive again
the third day, as the divine prophets had foretold these and ten
thousand other wonderful things concerning him; and the tribe
of Christians, so named from him, are not extinct to this day.
The Jewish,
Babylonian Talmud, written between, 70 to 200 AD, says the
following about Jesus.
“On
the eve of Passover Yeshu was hanged. For forty days before the
execution took place, a herald went forth and cried, “He is
going forth to be stoned because he has practiced sorcery and
enticed Israel to apostasy. Any one who can say anything in his
favor let him come forward and plead on his behalf.” But since
nothing was brought forward in his favor he was hanged on the
eve of the Passover!” (Babylonian Talmud)
Pliny the Younger,
the Roman governor of Bithynia wrote about the followers of
Christ the following in his correspondece to Trajan the Roman
emperor.
“They were in the habit of meeting on a certain fixed day before
it was light, when they sang in alternate verses a hymn to
Christ, as a to a god, and bound themselves by solemn oath, not
to do any wicked deeds, but never to commit any fraud, theft or
adultery, never to falsify their word, nor deny a trust when
they should be called upon to deliver it up; after which it was
their custom to separate, and them then reassemble to partake of
food—but food of an ordinary and innocent kind” (Pliny the
Younger, L 10:96).
Lucian of
Samosata,
a writer dating about 165 AD wrote about Christians (Followers
of Christ) and their beliefs.
“The Christians, you know, worship a man to this day—the
distinguished personage who introduced their novel rites, and
was crucified on that account...You see, these misguided
creatures start with the general conviction that they are
immortal for all time, which explains the contempt of death and
voluntary self-devotion which are so common among them; and then
it was impressed on them by their original lawgiver that they
are all brothers from the moment that they are converted, and
deny the gods of Greece, and worship the crucified sage, and
live after his laws. All this they take quite on faith, with
the result that they despise all worldly goods alike, regarding
them merely as common property (Lucian of Samosata, DP,11-13)
Archelogical evidence and non-Christian records validate Jesus
did exist and that he claimed to be Messiah and was killed on
passover. Norman Geisler writes the following;
can be gathered from non-Christian documents about the person of
Jesus.
1.
Jesus was from Nazareth;
2.
he lived a wise and virtuous life;
3.
he was crucified in Palestine under Pontius Pilate during the
reign of Tiberius Caesar at Passover time, being considered the
Jewish king;
4.
he was believed by his disciples to have been raised from the
dead three days later;
5.
his enemies acknowledged that he performed unusual feats they
called “sorcery”;
6.
his small band of disciples multiplied rapidly, spreading even
as far as Rome;
7.
his disciples denied polytheism, lived moral lives, and
worshiped Christ as Divine.
We
can then ask, What did Jesus say about Himself and who was
he?. The disciples recorded Jesus words about Himself and his
claims in the Gospels and Epistles.
What did Jesus say about himself
1. The focus of the
Old Testament
During his ministry years Jesus made many claims about his
person and his identity. He claimed to be the central focus of
not only the New Testament scriptures but also the Old Testament
or the Hebrew scriptures.
39You
search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal
life; and these are they which testify of
Me.
40But you are not willing to come to Me that you may
have life. John 5:39-40
44Then
He said to them, “These are the words which I spoke to
you while I was still with you, that all things must be
fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the
Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me.” 45And
He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the
Scriptures. Luke 24:44-45
Not only did
Jesus declare Himself central to the writings of the Moses, the
Prophets and Psalms, He made very clear and precise declarations
about who He claimed to be.
2.
The Son of Man
The first use
of the “Son of Man” in a “Messianic” way is in the Book of
Daniel. Son of man means descendent of mankind. Daniel used
this term to describe and individual being brought before the
“Ancient of days”, God.
13 “I was watching in the night visions, And behold,
One like the Son of Man, Coming with the clouds
of heaven!
He came to the Ancient of Days, And they brought Him
near before Him.
14 Then 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 the one Which shall not be
destroyed. Daniel 7:13-14
The “Son of
Man” in Daniel is described as coming with the clouds of heaven,
being brought before God and ruling over the nations of the
earth for eternity. Jesus calls Himself the “Son of Man”
seventy-seven times in the New-Testament scriptures, and many
times in a Messianic context.
1.
6But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on
earth to forgive sins”—then He said to the paralytic, “Arise,
take up your bed, and go to your house.” Matthew 8:6
2.
41The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will
gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who
practice lawlessness, Matthew 13:41
3.
28Assuredly, I say to you, there are some standing here who
shall not taste death till they see the Son of Man coming
in His kingdom.” Matthew 16:28
4.
28So Jesus said to them, “Assuredly I say to you, that in the
regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of
His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve
thrones, judging the twelve tribes of
Israel.
Matthew 19:28
5.
30Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven,
and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will
see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with
power and great glory. Matthew 24:30
6.
31“When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the
holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne
of His glory. 32All the nations will be gathered
before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a
shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. Matthew
25:31-32
7.
26For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the
Son to have life in Himself, 27and has given Him
authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of
Man. John 5:26-27
8.
27Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food
which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man
will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him.”
John 6:27
From this
sampling of verses where Jesus addresses Himself as “Son of Man”
we can list several characteristics about His identity and
nature.
The Son of Man;
-
Has the
power to forgive sins
-
He has
command over the angels
-
He sits on
the throne as judge
-
He will
appear in the clouds with great glory and power
-
He will
judge the nations
-
He will
execute judgment
-
He will
give eternal life
As we can see
Jesus, use of the term “Son of Man” was not metaphorical in the
slightest but was “Messianic” and demonstrative of whom He
claimed to be. Many of the attributes of the Son of Man are
reserved for God Himself in the writings of the Old Testament.
3.
Son of God
Another term
Jesus used to describe Himself was “Son of God”. Was he using
this in a metaphorical sense or as a claim about His nature?
The term “Son of God” is Messianic in its context. When David
wanted to construct a Temple (A House) for the Lord at first
Nathan the prophet told David to go forward because the Lord is
with him. God then informed Nathan; David could not construct
His house because his hands were blood stained. However, David’s
son would construct a house for him.
David’s son (a
descendent of David) would also be called the “Son of God” and
will have an eternal kingdom.
12“When
your days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will
set up your seed after you, who will come from your body, and I
will establish his kingdom. 13He shall build a house
for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom
forever. 14I will be his Father, and he shall be
My son. If he commits iniquity, I will chasten him with the
rod of men and with the blows of the sons of men. 15But
My mercy shall not depart from him, as I took it from
Saul, whom I removed from before you. 16And your
house and your kingdom shall be established forever before
you. Your throne shall be established forever.”’” 2
Samuel 7:12-16
David’s son
Solomon did build an earthly temple but both the Temple and
kingdom were destroyed in the Babylonian invasion 587 BC.
Nathan was speaking of an eternal kingdom, not one like Saul’s.
For this reason the Messiah is seen as a descendent of David but
also the “Son of God”. The 2nd Psalm develops this
theme more in describing the Messiah who will be the “Son” of
God.
Psalm 2
1
Why do the nations rage,
And the people plot a vain thing?
2
The kings of the earth set themselves,
And the rulers take counsel together,
Against the LORD and against His
Anointed, saying,
3
“Let us break Their bonds in pieces
And cast away Their cords from us.”
4
He who sits in the heavens shall laugh;
The LORD shall hold them in derision.
5
Then He shall speak to them in His wrath,
And distress them in His deep
displeasure:
6
“Yet I have set My King
On My holy hill of Zion.”
7
“I will declare the decree:
The LORD has said to Me,
‘You are My Son,
Today I have begotten You.
8
Ask of Me, and I will give You
The nations for Your inheritance,
And the ends of the earth for
Your possession.
9
You shall break them with a rod of iron;
You shall dash them to pieces like a
potter’s vessel.’”
10
Now therefore, be wise, O kings;
Be instructed, you judges of the earth.
11
Serve the LORD with fear,
And rejoice with trembling.
12
Kiss the Son, lest He be
angry,
And you perish in the way,
When His wrath is kindled but a little.
Blessed are all those who put
their trust in Him.
|
The
coming of Moshiach has been likened to birth, for it is
Moshiach who is alluded to in the Psalm (2:7) "This day
I have begotten you." Birth, in essence, is the
revelation of an infant who had been concealed in its
mother's womb. With the coming of Moshiach, the
essential Four-Letter Name of G-d (Havaya), which is now
concealed in the self-obscuring contractions of the
Divine Name "Elokim," will likewise become manifest.
When a Jew stimulates the revelation of the Name
"Havaya" by his fulfillment of the mitzvot, he brings
nearer the self-revelation which will take place in time
to come. (Torah Ohr Hosafot of the Mitteler Rebbe, Rabbi
Dovber)
(Orthodox Jewish view on Psalm 2)
ç�éLØîÈ
maòsh?òyach
is the
Hebrew word for “Annointed”
The
Messiah will one day be King over the earth.
His
kingdom will be everlasting and worldwide as promised in
2 Samuel 7:12-16, Daniel 7:13-14,
His
kingdom will include the whole earth. Psalm 2:8,
Here we
are also told the same Messiah (Annointed) will be
addressed as “You are my Son”.
Here the
Messiah is also seen as in judgment over the Kings of
the Earth.
We are
told to submit (Kiss the Son) for all will be blessed
who put their trust in Him
|
18“He
who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not
believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the
name of the only begotten Son of God. John 3:18
25Most
assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when
the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those
who hear will live. 26For as the Father has life in Himself, so
He has granted the Son to have life in Himself,
John 5:25-26
36do
you say of Him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the
world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son
of God’? John 10:36
4When Jesus
heard that, He said, “This sickness is not unto death, but for
the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified
through it.” John 11:4
When we examine
the title “Son of God”, we see that Jesus is not using the words
in metaphor but as descriptive. He is describing His claim to
be Messiah as well as what his role as will entail.
We can
summarize this from these verses where Jesus calls Himself “Son
of God”
-
Those who
believe in “Son of God” will not be condemned
-
The Son of
God will grant eternal life to all who hear His voice
-
The Son of
God was glorified through miracles
-
Jesus did
not consider it blaspheming to call Himself “Son of God”
Again as in the
title “Son of Man”, the title “Son of God” Jesus has claimed
prerogatives that belong to God alone. His glorification, his
ability to prevent condemnation and his granting eternal life
are attributes of God. In addition to claiming to be the
Messiah, did Jesus claim to be God?
4.
Jesus claims equality with the God
Jesus claims
about his identity and character are in the Gospels and
Epistles, specifically his relationship with God, His Father.
He claims a unique relationship with the Father unparalleled by
any other being.
4a. Knowledge
of God
27All things
have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son
except the Father. Nor does anyone know the Father except the
Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.
Matthew 11:27
-
Knowledge
of the Son is unique to the Father
-
Knowledge
of the Father is unique to the Son
-
The Son is
the only one who reveals the Father
4b. Honor due
the Father
7But
Jesus answered them, “My Father has been working until now, and
I have been working.”
18Therefore
the Jews sought all the more to kill Him, because He not only
broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was His Father,
making Himself equal with God. John 5:17-18
23that all
should honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He
who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent
Him.
24“Most
assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in
Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into
judgment, but has passed from death into life. John 5:23-24
19Then
they said to Him, “Where is Your Father?”
Jesus answered,
“You know neither Me nor My Father. If you had known Me, you
would have known My Father also.” John 8:19
25Jesus
answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works
that I do in My Father’s name, they bear witness of Me. 26But
you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as
I said to you. 27My sheep hear My voice, and I know
them, and they follow Me. 28And I give them eternal
life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch
them out of My hand. 29My Father, who has given
them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to
snatch them out of My Father’s hand. 30I
and My Father are one.”
31Then
the Jews took up stones again to stone Him. 32Jesus
answered them, “Many good works I have shown you from My Father.
For which of those works do you stone Me?”
33The
Jews answered Him, saying, “For a good work we do not stone You,
but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, make
Yourself God.” John 10:25-33
Jesus clearly
claimed equality with the Father, in John 5:23-24, He says, “all
should honor the Son just as they honor the Father”. The word
honor in the Greek is
timaoô (
ôéìÜù ).
Meaning to estimate or fix the value, Jesus tells us his value is equal
to that of the Father. In the context of this conversation, the
Jews are trying to kill Jesus for making Himself equal with
God. They understood completely what Jesus was saying, Jesus
was claiming equality with God. This point is again understood
in John 10:31 as the Jews take up stones to stone Jesus for
calling saying Him and the Father are one.
4c. The Name of
God
58Jesus
said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham
was, I AM.”
59Then
they took up stones to throw at Him; but Jesus hid Himself and
went out of the temple, going through the midst of
them, and so passed by. John 8:58-59a
When God
appeared to Moses in a burning bush, Moses asked God who shall I
say has sent me, and God gave Moses his name to tell the
children of Israel.
13Then Moses said to God, “Indeed, when I come to the
children of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has
sent me to you,’ and they say to me, ‘What is His name?’ what
shall I say to them?”
14And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And He said, “Thus
you shall say to the children of
Israel,
‘I AM
has sent me to you.’” Exodus 3:13-14
“I AM WHO I AM”
means self existent one, God’s person and character is
demonstrated in His name, His existence does not depend on
anyone or thing. (äå?äé?,
a
combination of the tetragrammaton
(YHWH)
with the vowels of
Aêdhoônaôy,
transliterated
as
Yehoôwaôh,
but read aloud by the Hebrews
aõdhoônaôy). Jesus,
in the Temple, understood what He was saying and his audience
understood what He was saying when Jesus said before Abraham
was, “I AM”. Jesus was calling Himself
Yehoôwaôh,for this reason they took up stones to kill him. The
name for God is written as LORD in the Jewish scriptures.
4d.Claim to
Deity
1“Let
not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also
in Me. John 14:1
8Philip
said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for
us.”
9Jesus
said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not
known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father;
so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? John 14:8-9
Jesus before
Passover is meeting with His disciples and is talking about what
is expected, and He then informs them that belief in Him is
related to their belief in God. Phillip then asked to see the
Father, Jesus responds that to see Him is to see the Father. In
both verses Jesus is clearly equivocating Himself with God.
4e. Common
ownership of all things with God
15All
things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He
will take of Mine and declare it to you. John
16:15
Jesus is
claiming possession of what all the Father has, unless, Jesus is
God this would be a blasphemous statement.
5.
Jesus claimed prerogative that belonged only to God
5a. Forgiving
Sins
5For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’
or to say, ‘Arise and walk’? 6But that you may know
that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins”—then He
said to the paralytic, “Arise, take up your bed, and go to your
house.” Matthew 9:5-6
5When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, your
sins are forgiven you.”
6And some of the scribes were sitting there and reasoning in their
hearts, 7“Why does this Man speak blasphemies
like this? Who can forgive sins but God alone?” Mark 2:5-7
47Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are
forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven,
the same loves little.”
48Then He said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”
49And those who sat at the table with Him began to say to themselves,
“Who is this who even forgives sins?” Luke7:47-49
The
ability to forgive an offense requires that the one offended
release the party from the offense. For example, if someone
steals money from someone in a distant city and a couple years
later feels bad about the offense and comes to you and asks you
to forgivness. You could feel sorry and even have compassion
for the person but unless the money was yours or you are
connected to the offense, your forgiveness is meaningless. The
offended party is the only one who can forgive.
For this reason, the Jews viewed Jesus’ statement,
“Son, your sins are forgiven you” as blasphemous. They asked the
right question, “Who is this who even forgives sins?” The whole
purpose of the sacrifice, priesthood and
Temple
was for the atonement of sins. Moreover, here, Jesus says, “Your
sins are forgiven”.
27‘And if a person sins unintentionally, then he
shall bring a female goat in its first year as a sin offering.
28 So the priest shall make atonement for the person who sins
unintentionally, when he sins unintentionally before the LORD,
to make atonement for him; and it shall be forgiven him. Numbers
15:27-28
Since God is creator and owner of the Earth, sin intentional or
unintentional is an offense to God. And atonement must be made
for this offense.
-
Unless
Jesus was God, He had no right to forgive sins
-
Only the
one sinned against can forgive
-
The Jews
understood what Jesus was implying by “Forgiving sins”
5b. Greater
then the
Temple
5Or have you not
read in the law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple
profane the Sabbath, and are blameless? 6Yet I say to you that
in this place there is One greater than the temple. Matthew 12;5
Jesus is with
his disciples in a grain field on the Sabbath, and they have
picked grain. Accused by the Pharisees of breaking the Sabbath,
He then informs them, “One greater then the
Temple
is here”. The Temple location, Mt. Moriah, was “Most Holy”
spot. On Moriah, sacrifices were brought, for the Priesthood to
administer atonement for sins against God.
-
Jesus
declared Himself greater then the
Temple.
-
Unless
Jesus is God this would be blasphemous.
5c. Lord of the
Sabbath
(See also Luke
6:1-11, Mark 2:23-3:6)
7But if you had
known what this means, ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice,’£ you
would not have condemned the guiltless. 8For the Son of Man is
Lord even of the Sabbath.” Matthew 12:7-8
The Sabbath was
a command from God, given to Moses for the children of Israel.
Here Jesus tells the Pharisees that he is Lord even of the
Sabbath. Since the Sabbath is LORD’s possession, how can Jesus,
the “Son of Man” be Lord of the Sabbath? This would only be
possible if Jesus is God.
8“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9Six days you
shall labor and do all your work, 10but the seventh day is the
Sabbath of the LORD your God. In it you shall do no work: you,
nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your
female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within
your gates. 11For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the
earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh
day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed
it. Exodus 20:8-11
-
Unless
Jesus is God, he cannot be LORD of the Sabbath
5d. Accepts
worship from others
2And behold, a
leper came and worshiped Him, saying, “Lord, if You are
willing, You can make me clean.” Matthew 8:2
35Jesus heard
that they had cast him out; and when He had found him, He said
to him, “Do you believe in the Son of God?”
36He answered
and said, “Who is He, Lord, that I may believe in Him?”
37And Jesus said
to him, “You have both seen Him and it is He who is talking with
you.”
38Then he said,
“Lord, I believe!” And he worshiped Him. John 9:35-38
31And
immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and
said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” 32And
when they got into the boat, the wind ceased.
33Then those who
were in the boat £came and worshiped Him, saying, “Truly
You are the Son of God.” Matthew 14:31-33
27Then He said
to Thomas, “Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and
reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be
unbelieving, but believing.”
28And Thomas
answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!”
29Jesus said to
him, £“Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed.
Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
John 20:27-29
When Peter met
Cornelius (Act
10:25-26), Cornelius fell at Peter’s feet in worship.
Peter promptly informed him, “Stand up, I am only a man
myself”. In the book of Revelation (19:10)
we see John who falls at the feet of an angel to worship, but
the angel quickly responds, “Do not do it! I am a fellow servant
with you and with your brothers who hold to the testimony of
Jesus. Worship God” The word for worship is
proskuneo
meaning to
kiss, or prostrate oneself in homage.
Unlike Peter or the angel, Jesus never rejected worship
(proskuneo) when it was offered to Him as the Son of God or in
any context. Unless Jesus is God, He has no right to receive
worship.
13But you shall destroy their altars, break their sacred
pillars, and cut down their wooden images 14(for you shall
worship no other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a
jealous God), Exodus 34:14
-
Only God
has the right to be worshipped
-
Jesus was
worshipped as the Son of God
-
Jesus has
no right to receive worship unless Jesus is God
6.
New Testament writers viewed Jesus as God
6a. Jesus
is called God
5of whom are the
fathers and from whom, according to the flesh, Christ came, who
is over all, the eternally blessed God. Amen. Romans 9:5
13looking for
the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and
Savior Jesus Christ, Titus 2:13
6who, being
in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be
equal with God, 7but made Himself of no reputation, taking
the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.
8And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and
became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the
cross. 9Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him
the name which is above every name, 10that at the name of
Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of
those on earth, and of those under the earth, 11and that
every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to
the glory of God the Father. Philipians 2:6-11
Paul in
Philippians describes the pre-incarnate Jesus as being in the
form of God, but taking on flesh and appearing as a man. Paul
in his description of Jesus reiterates the point by saying
equality with God was not robbery for Jesus. Paul then
references Isaiah 45:23 in connection to the name of Jesus.
23 I have sworn by Myself; The word has gone out
of My mouth in righteousness, And shall not return,
That to Me every knee shall bow, Every tongue shall take an
oath. Isaiah 45:23
In Isaiah, the
LORD declares to Him, “Every knee shall bow” and “Every tongue
shall take an oath”. Paul applies this verse in Isaiah to
Jesus, reaffirming his earlier statement about Jesus being God
before his incarnation.
6b. Jesus
is creator of all things
15He is the
image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.
16For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and
that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones
or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were
created through Him and for Him. 17And He is before all
things, and in Him all things consist. Colossians
1:15-17
9For in Him
dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; 10and you are
complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.
Colossians 2:9
1In
the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and
the Word was God. 2He was in the beginning with
God. 3All things were made through Him, and
without Him nothing was made that was made. 14And the Word
became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the
glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and
truth.
John 1:1-3,14
3who being the
brightness of His glory and the express image of His person,
and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had
£by Himself purged £our sins, sat down at the right hand of the
Majesty on high, Hebrews 1:3
6c. God
commands the angels to worship Jesus
6But
when He again brings the firstborn into the world, He says:
“Let all the angels of God worship Him.”
7And
of the angels He says:
“Who makes His angels spirits
And His ministers a flame of fire.”
In Hebrews, the
author through the Holy Spirit informs us at the birth of Jesus,
the angels were told to worship (Proskuneo) the Son, when Jesus
was brought into the world. Unless Jesus was God, this would
break God’s own commands.
6d. The
Father calls Jesus God
8But
to the Son He says:
“Your throne, O God, is forever and ever;
A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of
Your kingdom.
9
You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness;
Therefore God, Your God, has anointed
You
With the oil of gladness more than Your companions.”
10And:
“You, Lord, in the beginning laid the foundation of
the earth,
And the heavens are the work of Your hands.
11
They will perish, but You remain;
And they will all grow old like a garment;
12
Like a cloak You will fold them up,
And they will be changed.
But You are the same,
And Your years will not fail.” Hebrews 1:8-12
Quoting from
Psalm 45:6-7, the author of Hebrews applies these verses to
Father’s declaration about the Son, calling Him God. This is
reiterated with the words, “throne”, “forever”, ‘scepter” and
“kingdom”. Still further, quoting from Psalm 102:25-27, which
refers to the LORD, Hebrew’s, applies this verse to the “Son”
who laid the foundations.
So we need to
conclude three points about Jesus when we ask the question, “Who
is Jesus?”
1 Jesus is a historical figure who claimed to be more then
just a man
2 Jesus claimed to the Messiah and the Son of God.
3
Jesus was either Lord, Liar or Lunatic
Title/Attribute |
As used
of Yahweh |
As used
of Jesus |
YHWH |
Exodus
3:14
Deuteronomy 32:39
Isaiah
43:10 |
John
8:24
John
8:58
John
18:5 |
Giver of
Life |
Genesis
2:7
Deuteronomy 32:39
1 Samuel
2:6 |
John
5:21
John
10:28
John
11:25 |
Forgiver
of Sin |
Exodus
34:6-7
Nehemiah
9:17
Daniel
9:9 |
Mark
2:1-12
Acts
26:18
Colossians 2:13 |
Omnipresent |
Psalms
139:7-12
Proverbs
15:3 |
Matthew
18:20
Matthew
28:20 |
Omniscient |
1 Kings
8:39
Jeremiah
17:9-10, 16 |
Matthew
11:27
Luke
5:4-6
John
2:25; 16:30
John
21:17
Acts
1:24 |
Omnipotent |
Isaiah
40:10-31
Isaiah
45:5-13, 18 |
Matthew
28:18
Mark
1:29-34
John
10:18 |
Preexistent |
Genesis
1:1 |
John
1:15, 30
John
3:13, 31-32
John
6:62;
16:28
John
17:5 |
Eternal |
Psalms
102:26-27
Habakkuk
3:6 |
Isaiah
9:6
Micah
5:2
John
8:58 |
Immutable |
Numbers
23:19 |
Hebrews
13:8 |
ðñïóêõíÝù
proskuneoô
pros-koo-neh'-o
From G4314 and probably a derivative of G2965 (meaning
to kiss, like a dog licking his master’s
hand); to fawn or crouch to, that
is, (literally or figuratively) prostrate
oneself in homage (do reverence to,
adore):—worship.
|