Did Jesus Claim to be God in the Synoptics?

Probably the most famous argument in Christian apologetics is the so-called “Trilemma Argument”.  It notes how Jesus’ claim to divinity in the New Testament forces a limited number of choices upon us.

One common way around this argument is to assert that Jesus is not really presented as divine in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke.  It sounds something like this:

“All that stuff about Jesus claiming to be God comes from the Gospel of John, which was written long after the original Jesus story had become the subject of myth.  The other, earlier Gospels contain none of these portrayals of a divine messiah.  In those he is just a miracle-working prophet.”

So today I wanted to respond to this by going through five ways Jesus claimed to be God – or was presented as God - in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke.

5: Rewriting the Scriptures

The Sermon on the Mount is widely considered the cornerstone of Jesus’ preaching ministry.  In it, Jesus repeats a pattern of saying, “You have heard it said…" followed by a common idiom ... "...But I say…”  -  then He’d issue a new commandment.

Here is an example:

“It has been said, ‘Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce’. But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexually perverse unions, makes her the victim of adultery, and anyone who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.” – Matthew 5:31-32

 Well, where had the Jews heard that?  In the Torah ... the Scriptures.  So when Jesus said these things, He was issuing modifications to divine law.

Such a thing – according to the Jewish scholar Rabbi Neusner - would have been blasphemous to Hebrew ears.  It would have meant ascribing divine authority to Himself.

Which is precisely what Jesus was doing.  

4: “The Lord of the Sabbath”

The Sabbath Day (Saturday) was a day set apart to God.  The Israelites were required to spend that day on rest and worship from sunset to sunset.  The book of Exodus says:

“Six days you may labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God.” – Exodus 20:9-10

With that in mind, here is what Jesus said when some Pharisees accused him of not properly observing the Sabbath:

“If you had known what these words mean, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent.  For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.’” – Matthew 12: 7-8

Well, the Pharisees knew who the “Lord of the Sabbath” was – and it’s no coincidence that they began to plot Jesus’ death after this event.  [Matthew 12:14]



3: "The" Son of God

Jesus claimed to be “the Son” of God.  Not in a spiritual sense.  Not in a sense of all humans being metaphorically sons and daughters of God.  He claimed to be the only Son of God.  Here is one example from Matthew’s Gospel:

 “All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.” – Matthew 11:27

2: Treading on the Sea

The last two will necessitate some background information.  Let’s look at two Old Testament passages….

First, the book of Exodus has this famous exchange in which God reveals His name to Moses.  He says:

“I AM WHO AM. Say this to the people of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” – Exodus 3:13-14

Second, there is a passage from the book of Job which records a special power which is unique to God.  It says only God walks on the waves of the sea:

“Then Job answered and said: ‘Truly I know it is so, But how can a man be righteous before God? If one wished to contend with Him, He could not answer Him one time out of a thousand. God is wise in heart and mighty in strength. […] He alone spreads out the heavens, and treads on the waves of the sea.’” - Job 9:1-8  

Now let’s fast forward to Matthew 14, where we see Jesus doing the following:

“He made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds.   And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, He was there alone, but by this time the boat, battered by the waves, was far from the land, for the wind was against them.  And early in the morning he came walking toward them on the sea.  

But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, saying, ‘It is a ghost!’ And they cried out in fear.   

But immediately Jesus spoke to them and said, ‘Take heart, I AM; do not be afraid.’” -  Matthew 14:22-27

Some translations record Jesus as saying “it is I”.  But the truth is the original Greek is the same words used elsewhere to record the divine name – “Ego eimi”.  It could  validly be translated as “it is I”, but given the context the meaning is obvious.

This is especially true when one considers what comes next.  Jesus gets on the boat and the Apostles worship Him:

“When they got into the boat, the wind ceased.  And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, ‘Truly you are the Son of God.’” – Matthew 14:30-33

Let’s recap:  In this passage we find Jesus treading upon water -(which Job says only God can do)-, describing Himself with the divine name, and then accepting worship.



1: Taking the Divine Name, Again

Now for the last one.  Again, it will require some background.

The seventh chapter of the book of Daniel presents us with a vision of a heavenly messiah figure.  One who appears like a “son of man”.  It says:

“As I watched in the night visions, I saw one like a son of man coming with the clouds of heaven. And he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. To him was given dominion and glory and kingship, so that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him.  His dominion is an everlasting dominion that shall not pass away and his kingship is one that shall never be destroyed.” - Daniel 7:13-14

Now let’s take a look at Mark’s record of Jesus’ trial.  When asked directly if He is the Messiah, Jesus states:

“‘I AM,’ said Jesus. ‘And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.’

The high priest tore his clothes. ‘Why do we need any more witnesses?’” - Mark 14:61-63

Once again, “ego eimi” could be translated as a simple affirmation.  But given that Jesus utters those words in the context of claiming to be Daniel’s heavenly “son of man” – the meaning is clear.

The true intent wasn’t lost on the high priest.  And the meaning shouldn’t be lost on us either.

Regardless of what Gospel you open, you will find a Jesus of Nazareth who claimed to be God.