Jesus is God
John’s gospel records this incident between Jesus and the Jewish leaders of his day,
“The Jews answered him, “Aren’t we right in saying that you are a Samaritan and demon-possessed?”
“I am not possessed by a demon,” said Jesus, “but I honor my Father and you dishonor me.
I am not seeking glory for myself; but there is one who seeks it, and he is the judge.
I tell you the truth, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.”
At this the Jews exclaimed, “Now we know that you are demon-possessed! Abraham died and so did the prophets, yet you say that if anyone keeps your word, he will never taste death.
Are you greater than our father Abraham? He died, and so did the prophets. Who do you think you are?”
Jesus replied, “If I glorify myself, my glory means nothing. My Father, whom you claim as your God, is the one who glorifies me.
Though you do not know him, I know him. If I said I did not, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and keep his word.
Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad.”
“You are not yet fifty years old,” the Jews said to him, “and you have seen Abraham!”
“I tell you the truth,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!”
At this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds.”John 8:48-59.
Here we have a what one pastor I know said was “a rather heated discussion between Jesus and the Jewish leadership.
The Jewish leadership here claims Jesus to be a Samaritan, a group of people whom the Jews believed to be heretics and would have nothing to do with. They also said Jesus was demon possessed. To which Jesus replies,
“I am not possessed by a demon,” said Jesus, “but I honor my Father and you dishonor me.
I am not seeking glory for myself; but there is one who seeks it, and he is the judge.
I tell you the truth, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.” John 8:49-51.
The Jews however took exception to what Jesus said. They didn’t understand what Jesus was saying. He didn’t say he would stop physical death. But rather that He is offering eternal life to all who would believe in Him.
They asked Jesus if he was greater than Abraham and the prophets who died a physical death. To which Jesus replied,
Jesus replied, “If I glorify myself, my glory means nothing. My Father, whom you claim as your God, is the one who glorifies me.
Though you do not know him, I know him. If I said I did not, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and keep his word.
Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad. John 8:54-56.
This it seems made the Jewish leadership more upset. Jesus had accused them of not knowing God and saying that He himself was the Son of God. Not only that Jesus went on to make one other important statement, The apostle John recording,
“You are not yet fifty years old,” the Jews said to him, “and you have seen Abraham!”
“I tell you the truth,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!” John 8:57-58.
Jesus uses the phrase “I am”
This statement goes back to the Septuagint, ( the Greek Old Testament) where it translates Exodus 3:6,14 in which God identifies Himself as “I AM WHO I AM”
In using this phrase Jesus is saying He is God.
Upon hearing this John records,
“At this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds.”John 8:59.
Here yet again is a place in the New Testament that shows both sides of the argument for Jesus. It also shows how dangerous it was for Jesus to claim he was the Son of God the Saviour of mankind.
As C. S. Lewis puts it in his book Mere Christianity,
“I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept his claim to be God. That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic — on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg — or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God, but let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.” C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity.
Thus the choice is yours. Is Jesus demon possessed, a lunatic, or is He God incarnate, the Saviour of Mankind?
The Choice is yours.
Please think about it.
John’s gospel records this incident between Jesus and the Jewish leaders of his day,
“The Jews answered him, “Aren’t we right in saying that you are a Samaritan and demon-possessed?”
“I am not possessed by a demon,” said Jesus, “but I honor my Father and you dishonor me.
I am not seeking glory for myself; but there is one who seeks it, and he is the judge.
I tell you the truth, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.”
At this the Jews exclaimed, “Now we know that you are demon-possessed! Abraham died and so did the prophets, yet you say that if anyone keeps your word, he will never taste death.
Are you greater than our father Abraham? He died, and so did the prophets. Who do you think you are?”
Jesus replied, “If I glorify myself, my glory means nothing. My Father, whom you claim as your God, is the one who glorifies me.
Though you do not know him, I know him. If I said I did not, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and keep his word.
Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad.”
“You are not yet fifty years old,” the Jews said to him, “and you have seen Abraham!”
“I tell you the truth,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!”
At this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds.”John 8:48-59.
Here we have a what one pastor I know said was “a rather heated discussion between Jesus and the Jewish leadership.
The Jewish leadership here claims Jesus to be a Samaritan, a group of people whom the Jews believed to be heretics and would have nothing to do with. They also said Jesus was demon possessed. To which Jesus replies,
“I am not possessed by a demon,” said Jesus, “but I honor my Father and you dishonor me.
I am not seeking glory for myself; but there is one who seeks it, and he is the judge.
I tell you the truth, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.” John 8:49-51.
The Jews however took exception to what Jesus said. They didn’t understand what Jesus was saying. He didn’t say he would stop physical death. But rather that He is offering eternal life to all who would believe in Him.
They asked Jesus if he was greater than Abraham and the prophets who died a physical death. To which Jesus replied,
Jesus replied, “If I glorify myself, my glory means nothing. My Father, whom you claim as your God, is the one who glorifies me.
Though you do not know him, I know him. If I said I did not, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and keep his word.
Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad. John 8:54-56.
This it seems made the Jewish leadership more upset. Jesus had accused them of not knowing God and saying that He himself was the Son of God. Not only that Jesus went on to make one other important statement, The apostle John recording,
“You are not yet fifty years old,” the Jews said to him, “and you have seen Abraham!”
“I tell you the truth,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!” John 8:57-58.
Jesus uses the phrase “I am”
This statement goes back to the Septuagint, ( the Greek Old Testament) where it translates Exodus 3:6,14 in which God identifies Himself as “I AM WHO I AM”
In using this phrase Jesus is saying He is God.
Upon hearing this John records,
“At this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds.”John 8:59.
Here yet again is a place in the New Testament that shows both sides of the argument for Jesus. It also shows how dangerous it was for Jesus to claim he was the Son of God the Saviour of mankind.
As C. S. Lewis puts it in his book Mere Christianity,
“I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept his claim to be God. That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic — on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg — or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God, but let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.” C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity.
Thus the choice is yours. Is Jesus demon possessed, a lunatic, or is He God incarnate, the Saviour of Mankind?
The Choice is yours.
Please think about it.
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