If I said I did not, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and keep his word. My Father, whom you claim as your God, is the one who glorifies me. Who do you think you are?” Jesus replied, “If I glorify myself, my glory means nothing. Are you greater than our father Abraham? He died, and so did the prophets. I tell you the truth, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.” At this the Jews exclaimed, “Now we know that you are demon-possessed! Abraham died and so did the prophets, yet you say that if anyone keeps your word, he will never taste death. I am not seeking glory for myself but there is one who seeks it, and he is the judge. “I am not possessed by a demon,” said Jesus, “but I honor my Father and you dishonor me. The Gospel of John tells us that on a day when the Pharisees were questioning the power, authority and teaching of Jesus, they actually accused Him of being demon possessed. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’“ (Exodus 3:14)įor generations following this interaction between God and Moses, the Israelites revered the name of God (“I AM”) as a precious title that was not to be slandered or given to anyone or anything other than God himself. When God first appeared to Moses in the burning bush, Moses was adept enough to ask God for His name. But His listeners sure understood what He meant. Now don’t get me wrong, Jesus didn’t use those exact words. Once I began to examine the Gospels for myself, I discovered my friends were wrong Jesus did say specifically that He was God. Jesus might have been a nice guy and a great teacher, but did he ever really claim to be God? I had atheist friends who knew more about the Gospels than I did, and they said that Jesus never claimed to be God in any of the New Testament accounts. You know, the wise sage from the past who was misunderstood and mythicized into something divine by leaders of a movement who were either mistaken or deceptive. As a skeptic, I was willing to accept a “nice guy” version of Jesus.
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