People who say that Jesus never claimed to be the Lord have not ever studied the Bible seriously. Today we are going to look at one scripture, out of many in the New Testament, where Jesus claimed to be just that. We pick up the story where some men are lowering a paralytic friend into a crowded home where Jesus is so that Jesus will heal him.

"When Jesus saw their faith, he said "Friend, your sins are forgiven."

The Pharisees and the teachers of the law began thinking to themselves, "Who is this fellow who speaks blasphemy? Who can forgive sins but God alone?"

Jesus knew what they were thinking and asked, "Why are you thinking these things in your hearts? Which is easier: to say "Your sins are forgiven," or to say, "Get up and walk"? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins..." He said to the paralyzed man, "I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home."" (Luke 5:20-24) (NIV)

The Pharisees were right, only the Lord can forgive sins and by Jesus telling that man his sins were forgiven He was claiming to be God.

Now there are only three possibilities here:

1. Jesus thought He was God but was not, in which case He is a lunatic. This can't be the truth because of all the miracles He did during His three years of ministry. Our mental hospitals are full of people who think they are God, but it is safe to say not one has healed a leper or given a blind man sight.

2. Another possibility is Jesus knew He was not God but said He was anyway, in which case He was a liar. Liars are driven by self-promotion or self-protection. If Jesus was simply a liar wouldn't He have tried to avoid the crucifiction? There is certainly no personal gain in dying a painful death on a cross. When you add in the fact that He did many miracles, this option just does not make sense.

3. The only other possibility is that Jesus knew He was God and He indeed was God. Even if you don't want to admit it, this is the only option that is logical.

The Pharisees knew Jesus claimed to be God, that is why they were so upset, but they refused to look at the facts. The thing about facts is that they are facts whether you believe in them or not. You can say "I don't believe in gravity" but if you jump off a building you will fall just the same. The facts point to Jesus being the Lord.

About the Author
Richard is the managing author of DiscoverGodsWord.com, a non-denominational site devoted to helping Christians discover the treasures in God's word, the Bible.

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