Did Jesus claim to be God? Christians say yes, but skeptics argue Jesus never claimed this. Who did Jesus believe he was? What claims did he make about his identity? Can we make a definitive case that Jesus believed he was God? I think we can.
Notice, by the way, that there are more ways for Jesus to affirm his divinity than simply saying, “I am God.” With that in mind, note an interesting clue in Matthew’s Gospel that speaks clearly to Jesus’ identity, helping us to establish who Jesus believed he was.
After Jesus’ baptism, he was led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness and was tempted by the devil three times. For the third temptation, the devil took Jesus to a high mountain, showed him all the kingdoms of the world, and said, “All these things I will give You, if You fall down and worship me” (Matt. 4:9).
Jesus responded, “Go, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only’” (Matt. 4:10).
Jesus, quoting from Deuteronomy 6:13, affirms that God alone is to be worshiped and resists Satan by obeying that command.
Nothing strange so far, but as we investigate the rest of the book of Matthew, we encounter something odd.
Early in Jesus’ life, magi from the east come to see him. The following passages tell us why:
Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him. (Matt. 2:2)
After coming into the house they saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell to the ground and worshiped Him. (Matt. 2:11)
Worship? Why did the magi worship Jesus? Were Mary and Joseph okay with that? It seems odd they would be if they knew the command that worship was reserved for God alone.
Of course, sometimes parents do weird things. Maybe Mary and Joseph had a lapse in judgment. It’s not Jesus’ fault that his parents let the magi worship him.
But Jesus doesn’t get off the hook that easily. Look at what happens in Matthew 14:33 after Jesus walks on water:
And those who were in the boat worshiped Him, saying, “You are certainly God’s Son!”
What? Jesus allowed the disciples to worship him? I thought God alone deserved worship. You’d expect Jesus to rebuke his disciples for worshiping someone other than God. When you read the rest of this passage, though, you don’t find any such rebuke.
This event isn’t an isolated occurrence, either. Look at what Matthew 28:9 says about the women who found Jesus’ tomb empty:
And behold, Jesus met them and greeted them. And they came up and took hold of His feet and worshiped Him.
Once again, why doesn’t Jesus reject their worship if God alone is to be worshiped?
Matthew isn’t the only author who records Jesus accepting worship. John 9:38, Hebrews 1:6, and Revelation 5:11–14 all show Jesus being worshiped, too.
Here’s how the math adds up. In Matthew, Jesus says that only God should be worshiped. Yet the same Gospel records that he received worship three times and never rejected it. Therefore, Jesus thought it correct when others worshiped him. Therefore, Jesus thought he was God.
When someone says Jesus never claimed to be God, show them these passages in Matthew. After reading the verses for them, ask this one simple question—Why would Jesus allow his followers to worship him, without rebuke, if God alone is to be worshiped?