Jesus never said he was God in the N.T

[NotWorthy]

John Hiner,

Good point! I think the point of the Gospels is that you can’t pin Jesus down on saying “I am God” in any one phrase. But if you know Him (i.e. know your Scriptures), you’ll know that He Truly is God!!!

 

[MH84]

One God expresses himself through three persons (one what, three who’s), but those three persons are eternally distinct.
God is one being with three natures.

“Jesus is God” running master list.
Consider the totality of what is said.

These are good but some you seem to have read to much into or put your own opinion into

Matthew 14:33
contrast this worship with Acts 10:25-26, Revelation 22:8-9, and Deuteronomy 5:8-9

**In Revelations 22:13 Here it seems the angel of God is saying " I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.
Could someone explain this to me. **

In 2 Kings 4:37 it reads: She went in and, falling at his feet (presumably Elisha), bowed down to the ground: and taking up her son went out.

Matthew 26:64-66
the audience understood this as a claim of deity in violation of Deuteronomy 5:6-7

Matthew 28:18
Jesus claims to have the authority of the God of heaven

Mark 2:5-12
Jesus takes for himself a privilege and power that is reserved to God alone

Luke 24:52
contrast this worship with Deuteronomy 5:6-9

John 1:1-14
Compare this to Genesis 1-2. Jesus is the God that created the universe.

**
The prologue to John’s Gospel sounds similar, but it does not strictly say that “Jesus created the universe”, but that through him all things came to be. **

John 2:19-21
Jesus claimed to rise from the dead under his own power. Contrast this with 1 Kings 17:17-24, 2 Kings 4:32-37, and Acts 9:32-42, where men of God raised the dead not by their power but by God’s power.

John 7:37-38 and 8:12
In the context of the Festival of Booths (verse 7:2) claims to be the source of “living water” and the “light of the world” are naked assertions of deity.

John 8:48-59
Jesus claims to be God’s glory, and he claims for himself the name by which Moses knew God

John 10:30-33
“The Father and I are one” [Greek, “one thing”] was understood by the audience as a claim to be the God of the Old Testament in violation of Deuteronomy 5:6-7.

John 10:38
Jesus and the Father are one, not two

John 14:8-11
Jesus and the Father are one, not two

John 20:28
contrast this with Deuteronomy 5:6-9

Acts 4:12
If Noah, Abraham, Jonah, and Moses read this, they would conclude that Jesus is their God.

**How did you get that?
For of all the names in the world given to men, this is the only one by which we can be saved. This saying by Peter does not undoubtledy declare the divinity of Christ, even though the name Jesus does mean “God Saves”. Oher people were called Jesus in ancient Israel. **

2 Corinthians 4:4
contrast this “image of God” language with Deuteronomy 5:8-9

Philippians 2:6-11
contrast this “being in very nature God” and “every knee shall bow” with Deuteronomy 5:6-9

Also, Isaiah 45:23: "By my own self I swear it; what comes from my mouth is truth, a word irrevocable: before me every knee shall bend, by me every tongue shall swear, saying, ‘From the Lord alone come victory and strength’."

Colossians 1:19 and 2:9
“fullness of the deity” implies that God did not hold back, which in turn implies that Jesus is God

Hebrews 1:1-14
creator, exact representation of God, radiance of God’s glory, sustainer, imprint of God’s very being, sits on the throne, accepts the worship of God’s angels, controls God’s angels, eternal – all of these imply that Jesus is the God of the Old Testament

James 2:19
there is only one God, not two

1 John 2:2
that Jesus died for the whole world implies that he is more than human, more than a prophet

1 John 2:13
existing from eternity past implies self-creation, a characteristic reserved to God alone

1 John 5:12 & 20
that Jesus is eternal life implies self-creation, a characteristic reserved to God alone

1 John 5:20
“Jesus is the true God”

You put your own thought into this passage.
From Jerusalem Bible: "…We know, too, that the Son of God has come, and has given us the power to know the true God. We are in the true God, as we are in his Son, Jesus Christ. This is the true God, this is eternal life.

 

[MH84]

John Hiner,

Good point! I think the point of the Gospels is that you can’t pin Jesus down on saying “I am God” in any one phrase. But if you know Him (i.e. know your Scriptures), you’ll know that He Truly is God!!!

I want to know why that would be the point of the Gospels. Isn’t the Gospels more about declaring the message of salvation to people of all types (eg literate, illiterate) through the church .

 

[scottm]

MH84:

These are good but some you seem to have read to much into or put your own opinion into

Instead of looking at them individually, look at the totality of what is communicated. Then, after that, go back and look at them individually.

First, big picture. Only after that are you in a position to come back for the details. This applies to interpreting any literature.

 

[Teflon93]

If you see a man wearing a uniform with a badge, a gun, and a nightstick walking down the street, is he a cop? How often do cops in uniform feel the need to say, “I am a police officer”?

Christ in fulfilling the Old Testament prophecies as he did, in conducting his ministry as he did, in speaking as he did donned the uniform of God as surely as that police officer does the uniform of the cop.

The multitudes who followed Jesus recognized him as the messiah, one in being with the Father. Why wouldn’t they? He wore the uniform.

 

[NotWorthy]

I want to know why that would be the point of the Gospels. Isn’t the Gospels more about declaring the message of salvation to people of all types (eg literate, illiterate) through the church .

By knowing the Gospels, I didn’t limit it to the literate. The Church spread the Gospel orally for numerous years as well as in writing.

But to know Jesus, is to understand that He is God. What difficulty are you having with this statement, I guess is my problem.

 

[papillon53]

I am the original poster to this thread. I want to thank y’all for your wonderful replies! Some extra information on the person who said 'Jesus never said he was God in the NT" She is from the Unitarian Church (if one can call that a church)… and she only believes in the Pentetuch (1st 5 books of the Bible). She does not believe the rest of the bible is inspired because Jesus never said He was God.

Pax Christi

 

[Gara3987]

How do you answer someone who tells you the reason they do not believe Jesus is God is because He never directly said in the New Testament that He was God? This person is not Jewish or part of any denomination. Jesus said, “I AM.” but it’s hard to convince someone who is not too familiar with the bible!

Any help appreciated.

Mark 12, 29-30

29 And Jesus answered him: The first commandment of all is, Hear, O Israel: the Lord thy God is one God. *

30* And thou shalt love the Lord thy God, with thy whole heart, and with thy whole soul, and with thy whole mind, and with thy whole strength. This is the first commandment.

&

Mark 12, 35-37

35 And Jesus answering, said, teaching in the temple: How do the scribes say, that Christ is the son of David?

36 For David himself saith by the Holy Ghost: The Lord said to my Lord, Sit on my right hand, until I make thy enemies thy footstool.

37 David therefore himself calleth him Lord, and whence is he then his son? And a great multitude heard him gladly.

** Basically Jesus says there is “one Lord” [Mk 12, 29-30] and yet says that he is “the Lord.” [Mk 12, 35-37]**

 

[papillon53]

Here’s what I’ve put together so far from all of your answers…

There is one God:
Deuteronomy 6:4 “Listen, Israel: Yahweh our God is the one, the only Yahweh.”

The Trinity of God is prefigured and declared.
The Trinity consists of three Persons:

The Hebrew word “Elohim” for God is used which is a plural noun…
Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created heaven and earth.

In Genesis 1:26; 3:22; 11:7 and Isaiah 6:8, the plural pronoun for “us” is used… That “Elohim” and “us” refer to more than two is WITHOUT question. In English, we only have two forms, singular and plural. In Hebrew, they have three forms: singular, dual, and plural. Dual is for two ONLY. In Hebrew, the dual form is used for things that come in pairs like eyes, ears, and hands. The word “Elohim” and the pronoun “us” are plural forms - definitely more than two - and must be referring to three or more (Father, Son, Holy Spirit).

Creation of man…
Genesis 1:26-27 Then God said: Let us make man in our image, after our likeness…so God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him, male and female he created them.”

After the fall of Adam and Eve…
Genesis 3:22 Then Yahweh God said, “Now that the man has become like one of us in knowing good from evil, he must not be allowed to reach out his hand and pick from the tree of life too, and eat and live for ever!” (NJB)

Tower of Babel…
Genesis 11:4-7 “Come,” they said, “let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top reaching heaven. Let us make a name for ourselves, so that we do not get scattered all over the world.” Now Yahweh came down to see the city and the tower that the people had built. “So they are all a single people with a single language!” said Yahweh. “This is only the start of their undertakings! Now nothing they plan to do will be beyond them. Come, let us go down and confuse their language there, so that they cannot understand one another.” Yahweh scattered them thence all over the world, and they stopped building the city. NJB

Isaiah 6:8 I heard the Lord’s voice, saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am. Send me!” NJB

Talks of the three persons of God…
Isaiah 48:16 Come you near to me, hear you this; from the beginning I have not spoken in secret; from the time that it was, there am I: and now the Lord Yahweh has sent me, and his Spirit. NJB

Isaiah 61: In the beginning God created heaven and earth.

I AM

Jewish heritage was hesitant to use the name of God much like they knew they could not literally see God or they might die physically. Jews used the letters YHWH, taking out the vowels, for Yahewa, the Hebrew word for “I AM,.”, “I AM HE WHO IS”, “I AM WHO AM” OR I AM WHO I AM”.

These four letters YHWH are usually transliterated JHWH in German, French and Dutch, and YHWH in English. In English translations, it is often rendered in all capital letters as “LORD,” following Jewish tradition. The Hebrew language in its earlier written stages did not print vowels, only consonants. Thus “Jahveh” appeared “JHVH”.

Among the Jews after the destruction of Jerusalem (70 A.D.), the pronunciation of the Sacred Name was forbidden. From that time on in public reading whenever JHVH appeared in the text the reader did not say “Jahveh” but the Hebrew word “ADONAI” (Lord) or “ADONAI ELOHIM” (Lord God) or in Greek Kyrios.

Literally YHWH means, “He is.” It is the reply God gave to Moses when he asked him his name in Exodus 3:14 (see below). This identifies God as the absolute, eternal, all-powerful Being and the Jews during Jesus’ life would recognize that “I AM” would refer to their Lord God.

• Exodus 3:6 “I AM the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.” At this Moses covered his face, for he was afraid to look at God.
• Exodus 3:13-14 Moses then said to God, ‘Look, if I go to the Israelites and say to them, “The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,” and they say to me, “What is his name?” what am I to tell them?’ God said to Moses, ‘I am he who is.’ And he said, ‘This is what you are to say to the Israelites, “I am has sent me to you.”’ NJB It was by this name that Israelites were to know him as I AM.

Exodus 3:15 “This is what you shall tell the Israelites: I AM sent me to you.” NJB

 

[papillon53]

Jesus claims “I AM” nine times in John’s Gospel

1. John records that Jesus used the divine name, I AM, to tell us about Jesus’ divinity. He does not say, I am Jesus, but only I am. He trusts to their easily recognizing that he was the same who said to Moses, I am that I am…

John 6:20 The wind was strong, and the sea was getting rough. They had rowed three or four miles when they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming towards the boat. They were afraid, but he said, ‘It is I. Don’t be afraid.’

1. Various translations provide the pronoun ‘he’. However, in the Greek the phrase is simply ego eimi – I AM.
   John 8:24 I have told you already: You will die in your sins. Yes, if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.
2. John 8:28 So Jesus said: When you have lifted up the Son of man, then you will know that I am He and that I do nothing of my own accord. What I say is what the Father has taught me; [What does Jesus mean here by “lifted up the Son of man”? His crucifixion. See Mark 15:37-39 below]
   Mark 15:37-39 But Jesus gave a loud cry and breathed his last. And the veil of the Sanctuary was torn in two from top to bottom. The centurion, who was standing in front of him, had seen how he had died, and he said, ‘In truth this man was Son of God.’
3. Here Jesus makes one of the strongest claims of his deity:
   John 8:53-59 Are you greater than our father Abraham, who is dead? … Who are you claiming to be?’ Jesus answered: If I were to seek my own glory my glory would be worth nothing; in fact, my glory is conferred by the Father, by the one of whom you say, ‘He is our God,’ although you do not know him. But I know him, and if I were to say, ‘I do not know him,’ I should be a liar, as you yourselves are. But I do know him, and I keep his word. Your father Abraham rejoiced to think that he would see my Day; he saw it and was glad. The Jews then said, ‘You are not fifty yet, and you have seen Abraham!’ Jesus replied: In all truth I tell you, before Abraham ever was, I am. At this they picked up stones to throw at him; but Jesus hid himself and left the Temple. NJB

Before Abraham came into being, I AM. This and John 10:30 are Jesus’ clear self-pronouncements of his divinity. It was very clear to the Judeans exactly what Jesus’ claim was, because they immediately took up stones to put him to death (verse 59) for blasphemy. Claiming to be God and, specifically, pronouncing God’s name (as Jesus had just done) were punishable by death. The Jews executed anyone blaspheming the Name, and Jesus had actually used I AM in reference to himself. See Leviticus 24:13-16 below regarding stoning.

Leviticus 24:13-16 “Yahweh spoke to Moses and said: 'Take the man who pronounced the curse outside the camp. All those who heard him must then lay their hands on his head, and the whole community must then stone him. Then say to the Israelites: "Anyone who curses his God will bear the consequences of his sin, and anyone who blasphemes the name of Yahweh will be put to death; the whole community will stone him; be he alien or native-born, if he blasphemes the Name, he will be put to death.” (NJB)

1. John 13:19 I tell you this now, before it happens, so that when it does happen you may believe that I am He.
2. John 18:4-5 Knowing everything that was to happen to him, Jesus came forward and said, 'Who are you looking for? They answered, ‘Jesus the Nazarene.’ He said, ‘I am he.’ Now Judas the traitor was standing among them.

Christ’s foreknowledge is point out, both to prove his divinity and to show his readiness to suffer. For, though aware of the sufferings he was to endure, he did not seek to escape from them. Now that his hour was come, went forth from the enclosure of the garden to meet them.

What happens to the cohort of Roman soldiers?
7. John 18:6 When Jesus said to them, ‘I am he,’ they moved back and fell on the ground.
The reaction of falling back in confusion at Jesus’ answer is not simply spontaneous astonishment. The adversaries of Jesus are prostrate on their face before his majesty, and so there can be little doubt that John intends “I AM” as a divine name.

1. John 18:8 Jesus replied, ‘I have told you that I am he. If I am the one you are looking for, let these others go.’

Jesus had his disciples released to fulfill what he had said earlier:
John 6:39 [Jesus said] And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day.

Whether or not Jesus directly said he was God in so many words, the I AM references seem to have been both intended as such by him and understood rightly as such by those around. What else could he have meant even by saying he existed before Abraham in any event? And that change from past to (eternal) present tense in the middle of the sentence makes sense no other way. Did the Jews understand what Jesus was saying? It sure looks like it, for they tried to kill him immediately after this. Jesus called himself I AM and because the Jewish people, being familiar with the Old Testament, knew that meant Yahewa, the God of Israel. That’s why they picked up stones… because Jesus was blaspheming the name of Yahewa and was claiming to be God. Compare his statement to God’s in Exodus 3:14 above: Why is this important? God said to Moses, “Tell them I AM sent you”. God said to Moses, ‘I AM WHO I AM.’ And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel, `I AM has sent me to you.’” Also see Leviticus 24:13-16 above regarding stoning.

 

[papillon53]

What does the word Christ mean?
The term “anointed one” comes from the Hebrew word messiah or the Greek word Christ. In John chapter 17, verse 3 we find the only recorded instance, anywhere in the Gospels, that Jesus refers to himself as “Jesus Christ”. Here he refers to himself by his name as a man and by his messianic title:

John 17: 1-9 “After saying this, Jesus raised his eyes to heaven and said: Father, the hour has come: glorify your Son so that your Son may glorify you; so that, just as you have given him power over all humanity, he may give eternal life to all those you have entrusted to him. And eternal life is this: to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. I have glorified you on earth by finishing the work that you gave me to do. Now, Father, glorify me with that glory I had with you before ever the world existed. I have revealed your name to those whom you took from the world to give me. They were yours and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. Now at last they have recognized that all you have given me comes from you for I have given them the teaching you gave to me, and they have indeed accepted it and know for certain that I came from you, and have believed that it was you who sent me. It is for them that I pray. I am not praying for the world but for those you have given me, because they belong to you.” (NJB)

Jesus affirms Simon Peter when he said Jesus was Christ, the Son of the living God:
Matthew 16:16-17: “Then Simon Peter spoke up and said, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’ Jesus replied, 'Simon son of Jonah, you are a blessed man! Because it was no human agency that revealed this to you but my Father in heaven.” (NJB)

What does the phrase Son of God mean?
Christ is called ‘Son of God’ scores of times in the NT. The Judeans sought to kill Jesus because he called himself equal with God (see John 5:18 below). …In Jewish usage the term ‘son of …’ did not generally imply any subordination, but rather equality and identity of nature.

Thus Bar Kochba, who led the Jewish revolt 132-135 A. D. in the reign of Hadrian, was called by a name which means ‘Son of the star.’ It is supposed that he took this name to identify himself as the very star predicted in Numbers 24:17. The name Son of Consolation (Acts 4:36) doubtless means ‘The Consoler.’ ‘Sons of Thunder’ (Mark 3:17) probably means ‘Thunderous Men.’

The expression “Son of God” is used in the NT as a description of Christ’s deity. For example, in JN 5:17 [see below] Jesus says, “My Father is working until now and I Myself am working. For this cause therefore the Jews were seeking all the more to kill Him, because He not only was breaking the Sabbath but also was calling God His own Father, making Himself equal with God.” The Jews understood that to be God’s Son was to be equal to God. Notice Jesus does not correct their reasoning, but presents a stunning defense of His claim in John 5:19-47.

John 5:5-18 “The man went back and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had cured him. It was because he did things like this on the Sabbath that the Jews began to harass Jesus. His answer to them was, ‘My Father still goes on working, and I am at work, too.’ But that only made the Jews even more intent on killing him, because not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he spoke of God as his own Father and so made himself God’s equal. To this Jesus replied: In all truth I tell you, by himself the Son can do nothing; he can do only what he sees the Father doing: and whatever the Father does the Son does too.

The Jews to whom Jesus speaks with understand His claim to be the Son of God as a direct claim to deity, and, as before, Jesus does not try to correct their reasoning, but again presents a defense of His claim.
John 10:30-39 “The Father and I are one. The Jews fetched stones to stone him, so Jesus said to them, ‘I have shown you many good works from my Father; for which of these are you stoning me?’ The Jews answered him, ‘We are stoning you, not for doing a good work, but for blasphemy; though you are only a man, you claim to be God.’… Yet to someone whom the Father has consecrated and sent into the world you say, ‘You are blaspheming’ because I said, ‘I am Son of God.’ If I am not doing my Father’s work, there is no need to believe me; but if I am doing it, then even if you refuse to believe in me, at least believe in the work I do; then you will know for certain that the Father is in me and I am in the Father. They again wanted to arrest him then, but he eluded their clutches. He went back again to the far side of the Jordan to the district where John had been baptizing at first and he stayed there. Many people who came to him said, ‘John gave no signs, but all he said about this man was true’; and many of them believed in him.” – I think this is the one of the best Scriptural evidence for Jesus referring to himself as God. The Bible references of “I AM” in the NT are good supporting evidence for JN 10:30: “The Father and I are one” (NJB).

 

[papillon53]

What does the phrase Son of man mean?
‘Son of Man’ as applied constantly in the New Testament, essentially means ‘The Representative of Man.’ Thus for Christ to say, ‘I am the Son of God’ (JN 10.36) was understood by his contemporaries as identifying himself as God, equal with the Father, in an unqualified sense".

Once one realizes that Jesus continually refers to Himself as “the Son of Man,” it becomes clear that Matthew 12:8 is an explicit statement by Jesus that he is not only God, but the very God who created the world and is a direct statement of Jesus’ divinity. He said that He was God the Creator from the Book of Genesis (the Lord of the Sabbath):
Matthew 12:7-8 [Jesus said] If you had known what these words mean, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent. For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath."

The word translated as “Lord” here is the same in the Greek as in this verse:
Matthew 11:25.“At that time Jesus answered and said: I confess to thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them to the little ones,”

It is also the same as the Greek word used by the translators of the Septuagint in this verse:
Exodus 20:10" But on the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: thou shalt do no work on it, thou nor thy son, nor thy daughter, nor thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy beast, nor the stranger that is within thy gates"

Jesus Christ Claims to be God

Basically Jesus says there is “one Lord” [Mk 12, 29-30] and yet says that he is “the Lord.” [Mk 12, 35-37]:
Mark 12:29-30 Jesus replied, 'This is the first: Listen, Israel, the Lord our God is the one, only Lord, and you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength. NJB
Mark 12:35-37 While teaching in the Temple, Jesus said, ‘How can the scribes maintain that the Christ is the son of David? David himself, moved by the Holy Spirit, said: The Lord declared to my Lord, take your seat at my right hand till I have made your enemies your footstool. David himself calls him Lord; in what way then can he be his son?’ And the great crowd listened to him with delight.

More to come soon…I’m looking for critiques, errors, suggestions!

 

[Mattjolley]

How do you answer someone who tells you the reason they do not believe Jesus is God is because He never directly said in the New Testament that He was God? This person is not Jewish or part of any denomination. Jesus said, “I AM.” but it’s hard to convince someone who is not too familiar with the bible!

Any help appreciated.

What about Mark 14:61-62
drbo.org/cgi-bin/d?b=drb&bk=48&ch=14&l=62

Apologies if its already been mentioned, but I only read the first few replies and it was conspicuously absent!

Matt

 

[papillon53]

**Jesus does not deny being the Son of God, Lord and God, etc.:

John 1: 47-51 “When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, “Here is a true Israelite, in whom there is nothing false.” “How do you know me?” Nathanael asked. Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.” Then Nathanael declared, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel.” Jesus said, “You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You shall see greater things than that.” He then added, “I tell you the truth, you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.” NJB

John 20:27-29 Then he [Jesus] spoke to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here; look, here are my hands. Give me your hand; put it into my side. Do not be unbelieving any more but believe.’ Thomas replied, ‘My Lord and my God!’ Jesus said to him: You believe because you can see me. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe.
contrast this with Deuteronomy 5:6-9 above

Mark 3:11-12 And the unclean spirits, when they saw him, fell down before him: and they cried, saying: You are the Son of God. And he strictly charged them that they should not make him known.

Matthew 16:16-17 Simon Peter answered and said: You are Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answering, said to him: Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jona: because flesh and blood has not revealed it to you, but my Father who is in heaven.

 

[papillon53]

THE TRINITY MANIFESTED AT JESUS’ BAPTISM AND THE TRANSFIGURATION

The Gospels report that at two solemn n\moments, the Baptism and the Transfiguration of Christ, the voice of the Father designates Jesus his “beloved Son.” Jesus calls himself the “only Son of God,” (John 3:16) and by this title affirms his eternal preexistence. He asks for faith in “the name of the only Son of God.”(John 3:18).

1. This passage describes the event of Jesus’ baptism. Seen in this is God the Holy Spirit descending on God the Son while God the Father proclaims his pleasure in and bears witness to Jesus his Son…

Matthew 3:16-17 ‘And when Jesus had been baptized he at once came up from the water, and suddenly the heavens opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming down on him. And suddenly there was a voice from heaven, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved; my favor rests on him.’ (NJB)

1. Celebrated from the fifth century in the Eastern church, the Transfiguration was introduced into the Western calendar in 1457. The Gospel tells about Peter’s proclamation of Jesus as the Messiah, Jesus led the earliest followers up a mountain to reveal his place before the Father. The Apostles Peter, James and John saw the transformed Jesus in conversation with Moses and Elijah and the sound of a heavenly voice proclaiming divine approval of “my beloved Son.” It serves as a message of hope to earthly disciples who have just heard Jesus proclaim his coming death by crucifixion. Jesus asked his disciples, “Who do you say I am?” Simon Peter responded, “You are the Christ!”…

Once again God the Father bears witness to Jesus his Son
Matthew 17:1-9 Six days later, Jesus [Son of God] took with him Peter and James and his brother John and led them up a high mountain by themselves. There in their presence he was transfigured: his face shone like the sun and his clothes became as dazzling as light. And suddenly Moses and Elijah appeared to them; they were talking with him. Then Peter spoke to Jesus. ‘Lord,’ he said, ‘it is wonderful for us to be here; if you want me to, I will make three shelters here, one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.’ He was still speaking when suddenly a bright cloud covered them with shadow [Holy Spirit], and suddenly from the cloud there came a voice which said, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved; he enjoys my favor. Listen to him.’ [God the Father] When they heard this, the disciples fell on their faces, overcome with fear. But Jesus came up and touched them, saying, ‘Stand up, do not be afraid.’ And when they raised their eyes they saw no one but Jesus. As they came down from the mountain Jesus gave them this order, ‘Tell no one about this vision until the Son of man has risen from the dead.’

In the Old Covenant, where did God dwell?

EXODUS 40:38: So the cloud of the Lord was over the tabernacle by day, and fire was in the cloud by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel during all their travels.

NUMBERS 7:89: When Moses entered the Tent of Meeting to speak with the Lord, he heard the voice speaking to him from between the two cherubim above the atonement cover on the ark of the Testimony. And he spoke with him.

 

[papillon53]

Worship only God

Deuteronomy 5:6-7 I am Yahweh your God who brought you out of Egypt, out of the place of slave-labor. You will have no gods other than me. NJB

Deuteronomy 5:8-9 You must not make yourselves any image or any likeness of anything in heaven above or on earth beneath or in the waters under the earth; you must not bow down to these gods or serve them. For I, Yahweh your God, am a jealous God and I punish the parents fault in the children, the grandchildren and the great grandchildren, among those who hate me; NJB

John 10:30-33 “The Father and I are one” [Greek, “one thing”] was understood by the audience as a claim to be the God of the Old Testament in violation of Deuteronomy 5:6-7 [above]

Matthew 26:64-66 Jesus answered him, ‘It is you who say it. But, I tell you that from this time onward you will see the Son of man seated at the right hand of the Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.’ Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, ‘He has blasphemed. What need of witnesses have we now? There! You have just heard the blasphemy. What is your opinion?’ They answered, ‘He deserves to die.’ NJB [the audience understood this as a claim of deity in violation of…Deuteronomy 5:6-7 above

Luke 24:52 They worshipped him [the risen Jesus] and then went back to Jerusalem full of joy; [contrast this worship with Deuteronomy 5:6-9 above]

Matthew 14:33 The men in the boat bowed down before him [Jesus] and said, ‘Truly, you are the Son of God.’ NJB [Contrast this with Deuteronomy 5:8-9 above, Acts 10:25-26, and Revelation 22:8-9 below] The apostles weren’t rebuked.

Luke 24:52 - as Jesus ascended into heaven, the apostles worshiped Him.

John 9:38 - the blind man who was cured by Jesus worshiped Him.

John 20:28 Jesus accepts Thomas’ statement “My Lord and my God!” Literally, “the Lord of me and the God of me!”

Acts 10:25-26 and as Peter reached the house Cornelius went out to meet him, fell at his feet and did him reverence. But Peter helped him up. ‘Stand up,’ he said, ’ after all, I am only a man!’ NJB Peter doesn’t allow Cornelius to worship him.

Revelation 22:8-9 I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. When I had heard and seen them all, I knelt at the feet of the angel who had shown them to me, to worship him; but he said, ‘Do no such thing: I am your fellow-servant and the fellow-servant of your brothers the prophets and those who keep the message of this book. God alone you must worship.’ NJB

Matt. 2:2,11 - the magi who came to see the newborn Jesus came to worship Him.

Matt. 8:2 - a leper came to Jesus and worshiped Him without rebuke.

Matt. 28:9 - Jesus’ disciples took His feet and worshiped Him without rebuke.

Matt. 28:17 - Jesus’ disciples saw Him and then worshiped Him.

Mark 5:6 the man with the unclean spirit ran to Jesus and worshiped Him.

Luke 1:11 - Mary accepts Elizabeth’s declaration “the Mother of my Lord” = the Mother of my God (Elizabeth used the word “Adonai” which means “Lord God”).