In the last post, we introduced the subject of the humanity of Jesus. One can prove the deity of Jesus by showing how He talked and how He acted. Let’s continue to see how He talked as though He were deity.
His references to Himself indicated He was aware of His uniqueness. Other religious leaders point away from themselves and say, “That is the truth, so far as I perceive it; follow that.” Jesus says, “I am the truth; follow me!” His use of personal pronouns indicated His uniqueness (John 6:35; 8:12; 11:25-26; 14:6). He saw Himself as the object of prophecy. He read Isaiah 61:1-2 and claimed Isaiah was speaking of Him (Luke 4:16-21). He stated that Moses had spoken of Him (John 5:46). He claimed that the scriptures bore witness of Him (Luke 24:27, 44). He used the divine designation, “I AM” and affirmed His eternal nature and divine character (John 8:58; Exodus 3:4). He invited and even commanded men to come to Him (Matthew 11:28-30; John 6:35; 7:47). Even His disciples recognized His right to make demands of them. In their epistles, the apostles delighted to call themselves His slaves. He also made Himself out to be the proper object of man’s faith and love (John 3:36; 6:29; 8:24; Matthew 10:37; Luke 14:26).
His conversations are different from those of other men. To the uninitiated, they appear self-centered. However, this self-centered teaching was uttered by One who strongly taught humility in others. If Jesus were not who He claimed to be, He was either a wild egotist or insane. No preacher today would dare utter the kind of words as He.
Kyle Campbell
