Where Did Jesus Say "I am God, Worship Me?"
The Case Against Jesus Claiming Deity
Who is Jesus? Surprisingly, Christians and Muslims have similar beliefs regarding Jesus’ identity, with a few crucial differences. We both believe that Jesus was born of a virgin, is the Messiah, was sinless, and performed many great miracles. The key difference is that Muslims believe that Jesus is not God but rather a prophet, who did not die on the cross, and therefore did not rise from the dead. Christians believe that Jesus is God in human form who died on the cross for mankind’s sins and then rose from the dead three days later. The issue of Jesus’ death and resurrection is covered in a separate article, but the topic of this article is to determine who Jesus claimed to be.
Muslims state that Jesus never claimed to be God, as a matter of fact, they frequently challenge Christians to find one verse in the Bible where Jesus said, “I am God, worship me.” They argue that if Jesus did not say this, he could not have claimed to be God. Muslim apologist Zakir Naik once said, “If anyone, if any Christian, can point out to me any single unequivocal statement from anywhere in the Bible, from any version, where Jesus Christ, peace be upon him, himself says unambiguously, unequivocally that I am God or where he says worship me, I am going to accept Christianity today.”
On top of this, Muslims cite verses that appear to contradict the notion that Jesus claimed to be God. Muslims are understandably confused about how Christians can come to the conclusion that Jesus is God when he made no such claim and even seemed to claim the opposite. Below are the verses that Muslims tend to cite that support their belief that Jesus never claimed divinity.
“The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.”
“For I did not speak on my own, but the Father who sent me commanded me to say all that I have spoken.”
“Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.”
“This, then, is how you should pray: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.”
“The Father is greater than I.”
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.”
“Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone.”
“For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
The Historical Setting
Before evaluating these and many more verses, we should briefly evaluate the cultural setting in which Jesus lived and ministered. This is important because Jesus was preaching to a particular group of people who had a particular historical background, religious views, and cultural values. Suppose someone tries to read the gospels, which record Jesus’ life, and they have no understanding of the culture Jesus was living in. In that case, they may misinterpret the meaning of certain parables, miracles, and teachings.
Jesus, his disciples, and his audience were Jews. They read from what is now the Old Testament, practiced Jewish feasts and customs, and anticipated the coming of the Messiah. It is through this Jewish lens that we must read and interpret Jesus’ claims about himself. It would be foolish to expect Jesus to make claims to 1st-century Jews that 21st-century Christians or Muslims would fully understand. We should ask ourselves, “How did Jesus’ audience interpret what he was saying about himself?”
Jesus and his audience had a deep understanding of the Old Testament. According to the Old Testament scriptures, the Messiah would arrive to save Israel from their enemies. The people in Jesus’ day were actively awaiting the arrival of the Messiah. The Messiah would be worshiped by all of humanity (Daniel 7:14), judge humanity (Isaiah 11:3-4), reign for all eternity (Daniel 7:27), create a New Heaven and New Earth (Isaiah 65:17), and ultimately be God in human form (Isaiah 9:6). Ironically, the Quran calls Jesus the Messiah 11 times. When Jesus claimed to be the Messiah, his audience understood that this was a claim of divinity.
When Jesus lived, the Jews were ruled by the Romans and had to endure constant political upheaval. The Jewish religious leaders feared the Romans and sought to maintain a good relationship with them. The Pharisees were one group of religious leaders who were more interested in spiritual issues and the Sadducees were another group of religious leaders who were more interested in political issues. The Pharisees were the group that took more interest in Jesus’ ministry and were constantly looking for ways to get rid of him.
Addressing the Critics' Case
Now that we have an understanding of the cultural, historical, and religious context of Jesus’ day, let’s begin addressing the arguments that Muslims use as evidence that Jesus claimed to be no more than a man.
Possibly the most glaring issue is that Muslims demand that Jesus use the exact words, “I am God, worship me.” They know that Jesus never used those exact words and therefore they have created a challenge that is impossible for them to lose. When Muslims ask Christians where Jesus said, “I am God, worship me,” they are usually not interested in what Jesus claimed about himself.
Someone can claim to be God in many different ways. For example, in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, God is “the First and the Last.” Here is a question to ask Muslims, “Would Muhammad have called himself the First and the Last?” Muslims of course would say that Muhammad would never have called himself the First and the Last because God alone is the First and the Last (Surah 57:3). Muhammad was adamant that he was no more than a prophet of God, so he would never dare call himself the First and the Last. Therefore, Muslims must agree that there are ways to claim to be God without actually using the words, “I am God” or “Worship me.” Incidentally, Jesus called himself the First and the Last (Revelation 1:17).
Another glaring issue is that Muslims interpret Jesus’ words through their theology of God called tawhid, which is a unitarian form of monotheism. This means that they believe that God exists as one being and one person. If they were to interpret Jesus’ claims with a trinitarian perspective, they would better understand Jesus’ claims and statements.
Similarly, many issues arise because of a misunderstanding of the incarnation of Jesus. Jesus added a human nature to his divine nature at the incarnation. This puzzles Muslims (and most Christians) which creates confusion about some of Jesus’ claims. The nature of Jesus’ relationship to the Father during the incarnation might confuse some readers, such as when Jesus submitted to the Father. Muslims correctly ask, “How can God submit to anyone?” The answer rests in a proper understanding of the incarnation.
Finally, many of the verses that are used by Muslims are taken out of context and misinterpreted. We evaluate the verses that Muslims usually cite below.
Christians believe that God exists as one being in three persons: The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit. Therefore, Jesus saying there is only one God should not be used as evidence that Jesus did not claim to be God.
This statement is exactly what Trinitarians are saying: Jesus is distinct from the Father yet still called God. The Father is not the Son, the Son is not the Holy Spirit, and the Father is not the Holy Spirit. They are all distinct yet they are all equally God.
While taking on the form of a human, Jesus learned to be obedient to God (Hebrews 5:8). This means that he submitted to the will of the Father (John 6:38). The illustration of marriage might be helpful here. A wife is to submit to her husband but the wife does not lose her humanity in her submission (Ephesians 5:22). In the same way, The Son submits to the Father but he does not lose his deity.
Prayer is simply communication with God. Since Jesus is distinct from the Father, he spoke with him through prayer. The Son and the Father have had an eternal relationship that did not stop during Jesus’ incarnation. Prayer was necessary during the incarnation to maintain their relationship.
Jesus took on a lower position when he took on human flesh (Hebrews 2:9). This verse is saying that the Father is greater than Jesus in their roles but not in their essence.
This passage is frequently taken out of context by Muslims. Jesus is not telling people to refrain from calling him Lord, rather he warns them that calling him Lord is not enough to be saved. Christianity is not a religion, it is a relationship with Jesus.
Once again, the context of this verse is important to consider. Jesus was not saying that he is not good and therefore not God, he was testing a man who called him “good teacher” by making him realize the implications of that claim.
Jesus claiming to be the Son of Man in no way implies that he is just a man. This is a Messianic title that has great significance which will be addressed at the end of this article.
Why Not Be More Clear?
The question of course arises, “If Jesus is God, why didn’t he clearly state his deity so there would be no confusion?”
We already discussed the political upheaval in Israel during Jesus’ ministry. Jesus’ ministry only lasted three years and he was eventually arrested and killed because he was a threat to both the religious and political leaders. Early in his ministry, Jesus had to keep his identity secret to avoid any political charges against him. As his ministry progressed, Jesus became bolder in his statements which resulted in his arrest and death. Early in his ministry, Jesus urged the people he healed not to tell anyone about him (Mark 1:43-44, Mark 5:43, Mark 7:36, Matthew 12:16) and when some of them did, he had to leave the area (Mark 1:45). Jesus gave his disciples the same warning on multiple occasions (Mark 8:30, Mark 9:9) and even commanded the demons who he drove out not to speak because they knew who he was (Mark 1:34).
Despite trying to keep a low profile, Jesus still believed that he made his identity clear enough. At one point, the Jews asked him to plainly tell them if he was the Messiah (John 10:24). Jesus answered by saying that he did tell them but they did not believe him (John 10:25).
If we look at how Jesus’ audience reacted to his claims, it is obvious that they interpreted them to be claims of divinity. Jesus was accused of blasphemy on five occasions (Mark 2:6-7, Mark 14:64, John 5:18, John 8:59, John 10:33) and his opponents even tried stoning him for blasphemy two of those times (John 8:59, John 10:33).
Jesus Clearly Claiming to Be God
Jesus clearly claimed to be God on a number of occasions. When Satan was tempting Jesus in the wilderness, Jesus warned him not to test “the Lord your God” (Matthew 4:7). Jesus forgave the sins of a paralyzed man which caused the religious leaders to accuse him of blasphemy (Mark 2:5-7). Even the Quran says that only God can forgive our sins (Surah 3:135). On a different occasion, Jesus called God his father (John 5:17). The people wanted to kill him for making himself equal to God (John 5:18).
Jesus and a crowd were having a conversation about Abraham. They said to Jesus, “Abraham died and so did the prophets, yet you say that whoever obeys your word will never taste death. Are you greater than our father Abraham? He died, and so did the prophets. Who do you think you are?” (John 8:52-53). Jesus responded by saying, “Before Abraham was born, I am!” (John 8:58). This was a reference to Exodus 3 where Moses asked for God’s name and God replied, “I AM WHO I AM.” (Exodus 3:13-14). The people did not miss Jesus’ reference one bit, they tried to stone Jesus for blasphemy but he got away (John 8:59). Jesus referred to himself as “I am” eight more times as recorded in the gospel of John.
This is a great example of how Jesus made a claim of divinity that might get lost on us today, but his audience clearly understood. Jesus also called himself the “Bridegroom” (Isaiah 62:5, Matthew 25:1), “The Good Shepherd” (Psalm 23:1, John 10:11), “The Light of the World” (Psalm 27:1, John 8:12), “The Giver of Life” (Psalm 36:9, John 5:21), “The First and the Last” (Isaiah 44:6 Revelation 1:17), and “The Judge of Humanity” (Joel 3:12, John 5:27) which were titles of God in the Old Testament. On top of this, Jesus even altered the Commandments God gave to Moses. Jesus used the phrase, “You were told this… but I tell you this.” (e.g. Matthew 5:21-22). Jesus was not speaking on behalf of God as some people claim to do, He was giving new commandments to his followers on his own authority. Only God has the authority to change or update his commandments. Jesus even accepted worship during the triumphal entry (Luke 19:37-40) and from Thomas (John 20:28-29) even though only God deserves to be worshiped (Exodus 20:3-5).
Going back to John 10 when the people asked Jesus to plainly tell them that he is the Messiah. Jesus responded by telling them that he already told them plainly but they did not believe. If Jesus was just a prophet like Muslims believe, he would have made it clear at this moment that he is not God, instead, Jesus said, “I and the Father are one.” (John 10:30). Later he said, “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.” (John 14:9). There does not seem to be much room for doubt here. Jesus clearly claimed to be God in human form.
Jesus: The Son of Man
Finally, we turn to the gospel of Mark, the earliest and most trusted biography about Jesus. Throughout Jesus’ ministry, he referred to himself as the Son of Man. As we already pointed out, some critics read this title and think this is a clear claim from Jesus that he is just a man. But again, we need to read this through the lens of Jesus’ Jewish audience. When people heard Jesus call himself the Son of Man, they would have immediately wondered if he was saying he was just a man or if he was taking the title of the Son of Man written about in Daniel 7. This Son of Man comes on the clouds of heaven; he is given authority, glory, and sovereign power; all people worship him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away; and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed (Daniel 7:13-14). The title Son of Man refers to God in human flesh, and Jesus’ audience knew exactly what this title meant. So Jesus was either calling himself “Son of Man” to say that he was just a man, or he was taking the title of God who dwells in human form. Jesus waited until he was on trial before he finally revealed that he is the Son of Man described in Daniel 7 (Mark 14:62). It was at that moment that the religious leaders condemned him to death for blasphemy (Mark 14:63-64).
Jesus could not have made his identity any clearer: he is God in human form. Muslims have a decision to make. Will they continue arguing that Jesus never claimed to be God because he did not use the exact phrase, “I am God, worship me” or will they admit that Jesus claimed to be God just as Christians believe?
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