The historical Jesus, as told to us through the Gospels, makes claims about himself that contradict those of a mere Jewish prophet.
As C.S. Lewis famously argued in Mere Christianity, Volume 2, Chapter 3, a man who said what Jesus said could not be a prophet, plain and simple. He was either the eternal Son of God, as he claimed to be, or a madman at the behest of someone who thought he was a poached egg, or a demon from hell.
American apologist Josh McDowell, a master preacher, summed up the options in three words that all begin with the letter “L”: liar, lunatic, or Lord. Jesus was either the worst blasphemer in history (as Caiaphas and the Sanhedrin ruled), a madman who needed to be locked up (as Jesus' own family thought; see Mark 3:21), or a promise. He was either the Messiah or the Son of the living God. (as his disciples came to realize and believe).
No one at that time said he was just a prophet. Neither his friends nor enemies made such unsustainable claims. Furthermore, no one disputed that Jesus said this. made his claim. They either believed his words or used his words as evidence of his blasphemy and insanity. Those who heard his message either attacked him, ridiculed him, or worshiped him. What they didn't do was domesticate him as just a prophet.
This may not be particularly surprising to those of us who live on the other side of Easter, but those who lived at the time of Jesus used his presence in the world as a reason to would certainly have recognized the radical nature of Jesus' insistence on suspending the rules.
Lewis's argument is a powerful one, but it is based squarely on the claim that Jesus actually claimed to be the Son of God.
Fewer and fewer critics of the Gospels can get away with claiming that Jesus did not say what was supposedly given to him. The Gospels are too early to be dismissed as legends, as eyewitness accounts are too reliable. However, many people still try to distort the words of Jesus. to avoid their influence.
Still, as Lewis, McDowell, and others have shown, Jesus' claims are not so easily dismissed. The Gospel of John is filled with “I am” claims that Jesus associates with the God of the Old Testament, whose name is Yahweh (“I am”). “I am the bread of life” (John 6:35, throughout the ESV), “I am the light of the world” (John 8:12), “I am the door” [to salvation]” (John 10:9), “I am the Good Shepherd” (John 10:11), “I am the resurrection and the life” (John 11:25), “I am the way and the truth.” , the life” (John 14:6), and “I am the true vine” (John 15:1).
The “I am” claim reaches its climax when Jesus declares to skeptical religious leaders, “Before Abraham was born I am” (John 8:58). That the religious leaders recognized the blasphemy of Jesus' words is evident by their response: “They picked up stones and threw them at him” (John 8:59).
Jesus presents himself again and again as the revelation of God. To know Him is to know God. Not recognizing God is the same as not recognizing God. Therefore, in his last public address, Jesus said: “He who believes in Me does not believe in Me, but in him who sent me; and he who sees me sees him who sent me” (John 12:44-45). Earlier, he condemned the Pharisees for not recognizing who he was. “You do not know Me or My Father. If you knew Me, you would know My Father” (John 8:19).
That Jesus claimed equality with God is made clear in the fourth Gospel, but it is equally clear in the first, less “theological” Gospel of Mark. As soon as Jesus appears on the scene, he claims the right to forgive sins (Mark 2:5). This is a right that belongs only to God, who is the one who is wronged when we sin. That this is the case is proven by the fact that the teachers of the law recognized his claims as blasphemous (Mark 2:6-7).
Jesus' teachings, unlike what you would expect from a mere prophet, often focus on Jesus rather than God. And he will be ashamed when he comes in the glory of the Father with the holy angels” (Mark 8:38). In fact, he makes it clear that accepting himself is the same as accepting God. “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me receives not me, but he who sent me” (Mark 9:37).
Jesus said to those who leave their homes and families, for him They will receive a reward (Mark 10:29-30). Or, to put it more strongly, “Whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and for the gospel's sake will save it.” (Mark 8:35).
When Caiaphas asked Jesus if he was “Christ, the Son of the Blessed,” Jesus answered: “It is I, and you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of power, coming on the clouds of heaven.'' In response, Caiaphas tore his cloak and found Jesus guilty of blasphemy. I declare that we all agree in this judgment (Mark 14:61-63).
There are many other examples in Matthew and Luke where Jesus makes claims that would brand him a blasphemer or a megalomaniac if he was not actually the Son of God. Instead, I would like to end by considering three subtle claims to divinity that Lewis mentions in a lesser-known essay included in The God of the Wharf.
After explaining how Christ's claim to have the authority to forgive sins equates him with God, Lewis draws the reader's attention to an often overlooked passage with noteworthy implications.
Then there's the odd one that seems to have slipped in almost by accident. One day, as this man was sitting looking down on Jerusalem from the hill above it, a startling statement suddenly came to him: “I keep sending you prophets and wise men.'' [Matthew 23:34]. No one comments on it. And yet, quite suddenly, almost by accident, God claims to be the force that has sent wise men and leaders into the world for centuries.
In the Old Testament, it is Yahweh, and Yahweh alone, who sends prophets and wise men to teach and reprove his people. For Jesus to claim to be the sender is to identify himself with Yahweh. It is not human prophets who send prophets, but God, who created them. Moses, David, Isaiah, Daniel: none of these God's chosen leaders would have made such a claim. They are great, but they are the senders, not the senders.
None of these great men of faith would have made the shocking claims Lewis makes next.
There is another interesting remark. Almost all religions have obnoxious observances like fasting. This man suddenly said one day, “No one needs to fast while I am here.'' [Mark 2:18-20]. Who is this guy who says his mere presence suspends all normal rules? Who can say it's okay to suddenly take half a day off from school?
Here is a man who claims the right not only to follow the wind and the sea, but to redefine the very essence of Judaism, a faithful believer. This may not be particularly surprising to those of us who live on the other side of Easter, but those who lived at the time of Jesus used his presence in the world as a reason to would certainly have recognized the radical nature of Jesus' insistence on suspending the rules.
By emphasizing these two seemingly minor passages, Lewis shows that Jesus' claims to divinity were pervasive and underlie nearly everything Jesus said and did. But he doesn't stop there. Lewis then discovers evidence of Jesus' divinity in the things he did. do not have In his sermons and discourses he says:
Sometimes the statement puts forward the assumption that the person making the statement is completely innocent and without fault. This is my usual attitude. “All of you of whom I am speaking are sinners,” and God never insinuates that this same accusation could be brought against Him.
Neither Moses (Deuteronomy 32:50-52) nor David (Psalm 51:1-5) nor Isaiah (Isaiah 6:5) nor Daniel (Daniel 9:7-11) ever claimed to be sinless. . The same is true of the New Testament epistles. Paul (1 Timothy 1:15), James (James 3:1-2), Peter (1 Peter 2:24), and John (1 John 1:8-10) are all written there. Think of yourself as one of the sinners that Christ came to save. Among God's chosen vessels, Christ alone represents Himself as sinless.
If a preacher continually denounces the sins of his congregation, but never even hints that he is a fellow sinner, we believe that the preacher is full of pride and self-doubt about his own nature. You will conclude that you are being deceived. However, in the Gospels, Jesus comes across as humble and sane. He was not self-righteous like the Pharisees he exposed, nor was he resourceful and liberating like the demons.
Surely this man was the Son of God!
Editor's note: This essay was originally published as Worldview News Substack It has been republished with permission.
