Jesus: What Did He Say About Himself?
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Most people are comfortable believing that Jesus was simply a good teacher who never intended to have people worship him or to start a religion. The real story is much more interesting. As it turns out, Jesus actually said some pretty amazing things about himself and we're going to take a look at some of those things now. As you read further, you'll see that Jesus had a pretty clear understanding of who he was and intended for everyone else to be clear about it too.
Three Key Statements
He is the source of eternal life:
“I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life. I tell you the truth, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live. For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son to have life in himself.
John 5:24 - 26 (Read this in its context: John 5:1-29)“Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.”
John 17:1-3
He is the resurrection and the life:
Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” Martha answered, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.” Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” “Yes, Lord,” she told him, “I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world.”
John 11:25-26 (Read this in its context: John 11:1-53)
He is the only way to the Father:
“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
John 14:6 (Read this in its context: John 14:1-11)
Lord, Liar, or Lunatic?
It is popular nowadays to lump Jesus in with the founders of other religions as merely a "good teacher", as if all of the world's religions teach basically the same thing. When we read Jesus' actual words however, we see that he doesn't really leave us with that option. Jesus makes claims that are so bold, they set him apart from every other religious teacher. Either these statements are true, or they aren't. If they aren't true, then either Jesus knew they weren't true, or he didn't know they weren't true . If Jesus made false statements that he knew to be false, then he was a liar rather than a good teacher. If Jesus made false statements that he thought were true, then he was deceived. In fact, given the audacious nature of the statements that Jesus made, he would have to have been more than deceived - he would have been a lunatic. You can see this illustrated in the following table:
| If Jesus' statements are | and Jesus | then Jesus is |
|---|---|---|
True |
knew |
Lord |
True |
didn't know |
Incompetent |
False |
knew |
a Liar |
False |
didn't know |
a Lunatic |
Next Steps
Now that you've had a chance to read what Jesus said about himself,
you need to understand three special events in his life!
Next: Jesus' Death, Burial, and Resurrection
How To Use This Material
Jesus made several clear statements about himself that demand our attention. These statements were so extraordinary that, if they are true, they set him far above any other religious teacher in human history. Reflect on the three statements that we have selected above. If you're reading this for help in introducing others to Jesus invite them to read these passages for themselves and discover how Jesus viewed himself.