Did Jesus Claim to Be God?

Did Jesus Claim to Be God?

Matthew 10:40–42

A convincing piece of evidence of Jesus’ divinity is his self-perception, revealed in statements like Matthew 10:40, in which he claims that he and God are one in the same. The Gospels record many statements made by Jesus that confirm he knew of his divinity; however, some interpreters claim that Jesus never intended to make such shocking statements. Do Jesus’ words really confirm that he thought he was God?

On many occasions, Jesus made claims with unprecedented authority. Although God communicated his message through many prophets in the Old Testament, they all knew that their teachings were not their own; they were merely messengers (see Isaiah 44:24–26; Haggai 1:13). Jesus, however, knew he was more than God’s messenger. Ten times in Matthew, Jesus corrected misunderstandings of the law or overruled Jewish custom by his own authority, saying, “But I tell you” (see, for example, Matthew 5:22,28,32). As seen in Matthew 10:40, Jesus equated himself with God. He also knew that the Father had given him authority, and he claimed that authority (see John 5:25–27; 10:17–18; 17:2).