1. Expected Testimony
Hundreds of prophecies from the Old Testament foretell in detail the birth, life, death and resurrection of the coming Messiah. These marks of identification point to and are precisely fulfilled in no one else but Jesus Christ of Nazareth.
2. Early Testimony
While most ancient documents are supported by a few surviving copies which date 500-1400 yrs. after the originals were written, the documents of the New Testament are supported by nearly 5,700 Greek manuscripts dated as early as 130 A.D. And we have good reason to believe that most or all of the books of the N.T. were written prior to 70 A.D.
3. Eyewitness Testimony
There is so much detailed eyewitness accounts in the N.T. passages that it's hard to believe they could be "made-up" stories. In fact, secular historical records and archaeology have confirmed over 30 people which are named in the N.T.
4. Embarrassing Testimony
When making up a story which includes them in the narrative, authors tend to paint themselves in a better light. They tend to bend the truth in order to make themselves look better than they actually are. But that's not what we find in the N.T. documents. The writers of the N.T. are dim-witted, uncaring, rebuked, selfish and cowardly.
5. Excruciating Testimony
Jesus repeatedly made blasphemous statements about who he was.
We have covered the first four points in previous posts. Today we will look at #5:
Excruciating Testimony
Jesus claimed to be God! In the Jewish culture, to make any kind of statement like this was blasphemous and punishable by death. And yet, incredibly, Jesus constantly made claims that He was or was equal to Father God.
1. Jesus claimed to be the Great I AM.
Exodus 3:14
John 8:58-59
2. Jesus claimed to be Yahweh (Lord).
O.T. Attribute N.T.
Psalm 23:1 Shepherd John 10:11
Isaiah 44:6 First and Last Revelation 1:17
Joel 3:12 Judge Matthew 25:31
3. Jesus claimed to be equal with God.
Mark 2:5-7
4. Jesus claimed to be one with God the Father.
John 10:30-33
5. Jesus claimed to be Messiah-God.
O.T. N.T.
Isaiah 9:6 John 4:25; Mark 14:61-62
6. Jesus claimed to be worthy of honor due only to God.
John 5:22-23
7. Jesus claimed to be worthy of worship and accepted it from:
a. The mother of James and John (Matthew 20:20)
b. The Gerasene demoniac (Mark 5:6)
c. A blind man (Mattew 28:17)
d. Doubting Thomas (John 20:28)
e. The women at the tomb (Matthew 28:9)
f. A Canaanite woman (Matthew 15:25)
g. His disciples (Matthew 14:33)
h. A healed leper (Matthew 8:2)
i. A rich young ruler (Matthew 9:18)
8. Jesus claimed to be equal in authority with God.
Matthew 24:35
Matthew 28:18
9. Jesus claimed to be the object of prayer like God.
John 14:13-14
So what do you think? Which one of these best describes Jesus:
Legend, Lord, Liar or Lunatic?
"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 a 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 patronising nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to."
---C.S. Lewis