Did Jesus Ever Say He Was God?

There’s this incredible mystery and power when Jesus speaks about being equal with God — he does it in ways that are subtle and profound but also bold and unmistakable. You really have to let the words sink in. Imagine being a first-century Jewish crowd, listening to someone say things that weren’t just spiritual wisdom, weren’t just radical claims, but outright statements that made Him one with Yahweh, the God of Israel — the Creator. I mean, for a fiercely monotheistic culture, that’s either blasphemy to the extreme, or it’s the most earth-shaking truth imaginable.

One of the big ones is John 10:30. Jesus straight-up says, “I and the Father are one”. Think about that for a second. It’s not some vague metaphor about alignment with God’s will, the way prophets might talk. It’s an outright claim of unity with God Himself — essence. It’s no wonder the Pharisees pick up stones to kill Him immediately (John 10:31–33). They tell Him, “We are not stoning you for any good work but for blasphemy because you, a mere man, claim to be God.” The cultural and theological weight of that statement is explosive. He wasn’t just implying equality; He was declaring it openly.

Then there’s John 8:58, one of my favorites because it’s just… wow. Jesus says to the religious leaders, “Before Abraham was, I AM.” Stop and let that hit you. I AM — the exact name God used for Himself when He spoke to Moses from the burning bush in Exodus 3:14. Jesus didn’t just say, “I existed before Abraham,” though that alone would’ve been extraordinary. He used the holiest name of God, YHWH, to describe Himself. That’d be like stepping into the Holy of Holies, claiming it as your own.

This theme only deepens in John 14:9, when Jesus tells Philip, “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.” Imagine the audacity of that claim if it weren’t true — “You’re looking at God when you look at me.” There’s no intermediary in His words, no hedging. He’s saying His very presence reveals God. And how about Mark 2, when Jesus heals the paralyzed man? Before He even performs the miracle, He says, “Son, your sins are forgiven” (Mark 2:5). The religious leaders are stunned because, as they say, “Who can forgive sins but God alone?” — and their theology was spot on. But here’s the kicker: Jesus doesn’t correct them. He goes on to heal the man as proof that He has authority on earth to forgive sins. It’s like Jesus keeps saying, “Oh, you think I’m just a teacher or a prophet? Let me show you who I truly am.”

Look at John 5:19–23, where Jesus says, “…whatever the Father does, the Son also does. For the Father loves the Son and shows Him all He does.” Then He takes it even further by saying, “…all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father.” That’s the key — it’s not just likeness with God. It’s not just similarity. Jesus demands the same honor due to God. Who else can make that demand but God Himself? Throughout history, even humans who made extravagant claims about being divine didn’t phrase it this way… so succinct, so rooted in the deep relationship of Father, Son, and Spirit.

It’s worth noting how often titles for God are attributed to Jesus. Isaiah called God the “Alpha and Omega” (Isaiah 44:6), the first and the last. And then Jesus, in Revelation 22:13, uses the same words: “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.” He’s claiming eternal, uncreated status — the characteristics of deity. You could dig so many layers deep here.

Even His miracles and resurrection point to this same truth. In John 11, when He raises Lazarus from the dead, He doesn’t just perform the miracle as a prophet might. He proclaims something insane: “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die” (John 11:25). It’s not just Jesus saying He has access to divine power — He’s declaring that in Himself is life, the actual source of all existence. No prophet ever claimed that. It chills me to even write it now.

For me, personally, one of the most overwhelming examples of Jesus equating Himself with God comes in Matthew 28:18–20, when He gives the Great Commission. He says, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” All authority. And it’s not just about giving instructions — notice how He ends it: “…baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” Jesus positions Himself in the divine triad, right there alongside God the Father and the Holy Spirit. Not beneath them. Not apart from them. There’s an equality in that phrasing that’s just breathtaking.

Philosophers and theologians have wrestled with these claims for centuries. Take C.S. Lewis, who famously said in Mere Christianity that Jesus doesn’t really leave room for Him being just a good moral teacher. “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 patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us.” Jesus is either a liar, a lunatic, or exactly who He claimed to be. It’s one of those things that forces you to make a choice.

Historically, this equality was what spurred so much of the early Church to stick to their faith even when it cost them their lives. They knew His claims went far beyond any prophet or teacher because He told them plain and clear. They weren’t dying because of vague spirituality — they were dying because they believed Jesus was fully God, as He said He was, and worthy of worship as such. Take the martyr Stephen in Acts 7 — his bold declaration of Jesus as the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God left no room for ambiguity.

Even outside of direct biblical text, this understanding of Jesus shapes art and literature in profound ways. Dante, in The Divine Comedy, portrays Jesus as the very manifestation of God’s love and justice. Flannery O’Connor once wrote that Jesus’ divinity is so overwhelming that people either recoil from it or surrender entirely, reflecting the kind of reaction His words triggered in the Gospels.

Ultimately, this isn’t just a theological or intellectual issue — it’s deeply spiritual and personal. When Jesus speaks about being one with God, forgiving sins, or having eternal authority, He’s echoing the divine heartbeat of the universe. This speaks to me because it says this God wants to be known, to be personal, and to step into the mess of humanity. That’s what Jesus makes so clear. These claims aren’t distant or abstract — they’re invitations to encounter the divine face-to-face. And that, honestly, might be the most staggering claim of all.

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