Did Jesus Claim to be God?

Posted on July 9, 2011 by LeeAnn

You’ve heard the objection: Jesus never said He was God. You have to wonder: why is it not enough that His family, His followers, His enemies, and complete strangers understood that He claimed to be God even if some of them didn’t believe that He was. Be that as it may, Jesus did say he was God.

I think we can all agree that Jesus was a consummate communicator. He made himself clear even when he answered questions obliquely, or with a parable or another question. Someone has estimated that Jesus asked around 200 questions in Scripture, and only directly answered three. Still, his teaching was clear enough to change the world and millions upon millions of lives. A perfect example is Mark 2:5-7, where Jesus heals the paralytic after his friends lowered him through the roof. Jesus began by forgiving the man’s sins, which led the scribes to think he was blaspheming, because “Who can forgive sins but God alone?” Jesus knew what they were thinking (because he’s God, remember?), and called them on it. And then he said “But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the paralytic—“I say to you, rise, pick up your bed, and go home.” Oblique, but clear.

Did he ever say the exact words “I am God”? No. Did He say it in every other way possible? Yes. Jesus made such a variety of claims to deity that there can be no doubt as to what he meant.

Jesus said He was the Son of Man and the Messiah

The Son of Man was Jesus’ favorite name for himself. It is also a name for the Messiah recorded in Daniel 7:13-14. Jesus quoted this passage when he was on trial before the Sanhedrin (Mark 14:61-64). This sent the high priest into a paroxysm of rage; he tore his robe and screamed “Blasphemy!” In Daniel, the Son of Man is given an everlasting dominion, which he could only rule everlastingly, of course, if he was God.

The Messiah in Hebrew is the Christ in Greek.  Matthew recorded a conversation Jesus had with his disciples in chapter 16. He said to them, “But who do you  say that I am?”  Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”  And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.”

He said He was the Son of God and One with God

In many additional passages Jesus calls God his Father. Even if earthly sons are not always equal to their fathers, Jesus goes further and claims that seeing him is the same as seeing the Father (John 14:9).

”…He lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” John 17:1-3

John 10:30 “I and the Father are one.”

John 5:18 For this cause therefore the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him, because he not only was breaking the Sabbath, but also was calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God.

No one is equal to God, by definition, so if someone is God’s Son and equal to God, he is God.

Jesus said He was I AM

John 8:58 Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.”

This is the clincher for me. In discussion with a group of Jews in the temple, Jesus gave his name as the name God revealed when speaking to Moses from the burning bush. Incredibly outrageous, unless he was God. Predictably, the Jews picked up rocks to stone him to death, but he “hid himself” and went out of the temple. Calling yourself God is only blasphemy if you’re not God. They understood he was claiming to be God. Some believed, some didn’t, but he WAS saying he was God, there was no doubt about that in anyone’s mind.

Jesus was executed for saying He was God

We already looked at Matthew 26:63-66. The high priest said Jesus deserved death for claiming to the Christ, the Son of God, and the Son of Man. The same interchange is found in Mark 14:61-64.

In Luke 22:70 is recorded the key question: “Are you the Son of God, then?” Jesus’ answer gives modern people pause: “You say that I am.” This was apparently “the traditional form in which a cultivated Jew replied to a question of grave or sad import. Courtesy forbade a direct ‘yes’ or ‘no’.”(The New Evidence that Demands a Verdict, p. 139). There was no evasiveness in Jesus’ reply, only courtesy. And his meaning was clear, because the council then said, “What further testimony do we need? We have heard it ourselves from his own lips.”

If Jesus didn’t mean that he was God, he could have clarified his answer and quickly cleared up the misunderstanding, seeing as how his life was at stake. But he didn’t. He said what he meant, and meant what he said, and through Scripture we too have heard it from his own lips. The only question is whether or not we choose to believe it.

This article is posted also on my site, Bible Basics at BellaOnline.BellaOnline logo

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On Cleaning Out the Butter Compartment

Posted on July 8, 2011 by LeeAnn

butter compartment of my fridgeI realized today that things no longer fall out of the butter compartment when I open it to fetch a fresh stick. I have decluttered it all unawares. A few weeks ago I gave the aged roll of 35mm film to my experiment-doing, inventor nephew. I don’t know what he did with it. Last week I threw out the likewise aged tube of wasabi paste. I like it, but since our older son moved out, the one who loves to cauterize his sinuses with the stuff, we just don’t go through it like we used to. And lastly, I threw away the extremely aged amaryllis seeds in a pill bottle that had fallen out of that butter compartment at least a hundred times. I had kept them out of equal parts guilt and vague plans to have another go at planting them. Decided to give up both parts.

Hmmm…do I have other collections of aged, unneeded items that are a nuisance and distract me from the task at hand? Why of course I do. I will start with my closet. No wait, the files…oh no, I’ll do the basement! Ack! What am I saying?!

Maybe I’ll start with my head and heart. Lots of outdated, broken, useless ideas lodged in there, which mess up my thinking and prevent clean, fresh ideas. Lots of hot, toxic regrets and resentments, which tend to fall out of my mouth and wreak havoc. Ancient seeds of commitment, projects started, guilt-ridden obligations. No growth there, time to toss those.

Create in me a clean heart, O Lord, and renew a right spirit within me. Psalm 51:10

I just want butter in my butter compartment, and I just want Your righteousness and wisdom, love and knowledge in my heart and mind.

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Moses, the Late Bloomer (Like Me!)

Posted on July 2, 2011 by LeeAnn

oceanSometimes I get a little panicky. There are so many things I still want to do, and my life is at least half over. Am I wasting time? Does it matter what I do and don’t do? Who will care, anyway? Maybe I’m doing okay and I should just relax.

Recently I learned about a woman who raised five kids, helped her husband pastor a church, got her doctorate, taught at a seminary, wrote several books, took students on educational tours to Egypt, Israel and other intriguing spots, collected rare artifacts, founded an international nonprofit organization, and swam two miles in the Atlantic Ocean every single day.

Well, maybe I’m a late bloomer. The lady I described above was. She raised her kids and helped her husband, then got her doctorate at age 62 and kind of took off from there. Cory Aquino became president of the Philippines when she was 53. Harlan Sanders launched his KFC empire at age 66. Grandma Moses started painting at 75. If I buckle down, keep from panicking and bloom sometime, I’ll be in good company.

The biblical Moses was a late bloomer, too. His story is recorded in Exodus, which takes up 36 pages in my Bible. Moses is born on page one. He’s set adrift in a basket on the river, adopted by an Egyptian princess, kills a man at age forty, runs away to the desert, gets married and tends sheep for another forty years before God speaks to him from the burning bush. That takes us all the way to page two of Exodus. The first eighty years of Moses’ life take up…just over one page.

This means that almost everything we remember Moses for, he did from age 80 to 120. My panicky feeling is easing off. I’m barely into my second forty years, and am glad not to have killed anyone yet. I also don’t guess I’ll live to be 120, so perhaps I won’t spend the next forty years tending sheep, either. And don’t worry, I’m not suffering from delusions of grandeur. I don’t anticipate freeing a nation from slavery, leading a million people across a desert to a land flowing with milk and honey, recording world-changing commandments of slabs of rock, or overseeing the building of a gorgeous tabernacle in which to worship the Creator God of the universe.

My own dreams are diminutive. I would like to finish writing a book or two and have them published. I’d like to see my sons married and spoil their children. I want to go see a few places. Get my doctorate? That might be a stretch. But I do dream of heading for the mission field with my husband after he retires. All my dreams, however, are subject to my Abba’s direction. I am His willing bondslave, at His disposal for whatever use He desires to make of me, great or small, adventurous or mundane. I serve Him voluntarily, with a heart full of love and gratitude for all He is to me. I do not know what my remaining days may hold, but I know He has those days written in His book, and will show me the path He has planned out for me since before time began. I’m content (on my best days) to take one step at a time along that path, wherever it may lead, whether through desert or promised land, alone or in a multitude, for the next forty days or the next forty years. I’m confident there’ll be some blooming somewhere along the way.

Note: To find out how old Moses is at various turning points in his life, you must read Acts chapter 7.

Please also note: I will definitely not be swimming two miles in the Atlantic Ocean every day, or ever. Or in any ocean. Or swimming any miles at all anywhere. Just wanted to be clear about that.

This article first appeared first on my site at BellaOnline

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Nine Paradoxes of the Christian Life

Posted on June 4, 2011 by LeeAnn

cross on a cliffI am a three-dimensional creature living in four dimensions, but I’m in love with an infinite Savior who has no dimensional limitations at all. As futile as it seems, I want to understand as much of Him as I can. He wrote me a Book which explains quite a lot, but even so it’s not easy to grasp the more trans-dimensional truths in it, such as grace and justice, predestination and freewill, death and life. I study and slowly grow in my understanding, knowing I will not fully comprehend until my limitations are shed and I am immortal. The living of my brief planet-side life is permeated with the fragrance of eternity. I, like other Christians, do not view success, money, love, problems or suffering in the same way as those who cannot see beyond the grave. Persecutions, perplexities and paradoxes ensue.

A great passage for illustrating the paradoxes we experience is 2 Corinthians 6:4-10. I call it Paul’s List of Nines. He is writing to the church at Corinth about what they can look forward to as servants of God. First he lists nine things they (we) are likely to endure: “ afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger.” I can only put a check mark by a couple of those so far, but I try to stay familiar with the list for future reference.

Next Paul provides nine strategies for enduring these perplexing things. My old nature thinks the list should include a hearty supper, a softer pillow, a good defense lawyer, and so on. But Paul says to endure “by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, the Holy Spirit, genuine love; by truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left.”

Wow. There’s our lifetime assignment right there. Live with purity. Acquire knowledge. Develop patience and kindness. Be filled with the Holy Spirit. Act in love, always speaking the truth. Ask for the power of God in your life, and fight with the weapons of righteousness. Hopefully as I live day by day, I am maturing in these things, and thus becoming more able to endure whatever I must in a way that’s pleasing to my Creator. I might still buy a new pillow, though.

Notice Paul’s emphasis is not on making the hard stuff go away (rats!), but on responding to it in a way that glorifies God. Perhaps our patient and powerful endurance of horrible circumstances will draw others to Jesus. We can’t know the full effect of living this way until we’re promoted to glory. Until then it will often seem a torturous effort, a waste, a failure. Paul understands, and encourages us to look at it from a different angle, a very wide angle that includes our earthly life and our trans-dimensional eternal life.

As an encouragement Paul lists for us nine paradoxes of obedience:

1. Honor and dishonor: a few of us may be honored on earth, but more likely we will suffer dishonor. But we WILL be honored before God if we are faithful.

2. Slander and praise: People will slander my name. But the sound of my Jesus saying, ‘well done, good and faithful servant,’ is the only praise I crave.

3. Treated as imposters, yet we are true: Even if I live a transparent life of trust in God, I may be labeled a hypocrite. But I know and God knows that I am true to Him.

4. Unknown yet well known: I am content to be unknown in the world, because my Creator knows every atom of my being and every thought in my mind before I do. He knows me far better than I know myself, and loves me anyway.

5. Dying, and behold, we live! Jesus says, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die.” (John 11:25) Just bring on those paradoxes. I’m loving them.

6. Punished, and yet not killed: Yeah. Humans could punish me most horribly. They could even kill me, but not really. See the John 11 verse above.

7. Sorrowful, yet always rejoicing: Go back a bit in 2 Corinthians to chapter four. Paul says that “this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison…” Read that whole passage for practical help in keeping suffering in perspective.

8. Poor, yet making many rich: Earthly riches may not come our way, but if we are telling the people around us how much Jesus loves them, we are sharing inexhaustible wealth.

9. Having nothing, yet possessing everything: Might our obedience to Christ cost us everything? Might we lose our jobs, our homes, our reputation, our freedom, and even our lives? Of course, we very well could, as have multitudes of our brothers and sisters before us. But then we are joint heirs with Christ, children of the Creator of the universe, and we will for eternity possess EVERYTHING. I’ll take my nothing now, and everything later. The reverse option is not for me.

This piece was originally posted at BellaOnline, on my Bible Basics site.

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Hero in Hiding, Mitch’s second book out soon!

Posted on March 25, 2011 by LeeAnn

Hero in Hiding coverYes, I’m a proud mom. Mitch’s second novel, Hero in Hiding, is coming out next month. This link will take you to the right page at Marcher Lord Press, where you can read a sample of the book, and buy a copy of the first book in the series (Hero Second Class) in case (gasp!) you haven’t read it yet. These are fantasy satires, loaded with puns and over-the-top villains, heroes, and Powerful Words. I can almost guarantee you’ll laugh out loud for several hundred pages. Mitchell Bonds has an imagination that’s half a bubble off plumb, and he’s not afraid to use it. He’s 23 years old and still makes me laugh every time I talk with him, even though I’ve known him all his life. Enjoy!

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Friday’s Fragments: Spiritual fruit and frozen spirits.

Posted on February 25, 2011 by LeeAnn

deep snow in IdahoI am staying home today, and a very good day for staying home it is. When we woke this morning, it was twelve below zero. I’ve been cramming wood in the stove pretty much constantly all day. As I was standing next to the stove, warming my backside, I stared out through the sliding glass door into our unfinished addition, thinking of the column I was writing. Slowly, my brain brought to my attention what my eyes had been seeing for several minutes. On the floor was a cork. A foot away, on a bottle of wine set there to chill, the foil seal was standing up like the open lid on a tin can. Huh. Guess the wine was chilled, all right. Slushie, anyone? Wonder if it will be thawed enough to drink with dinner?

The column is finished, and posted at BellaOnline. It’s the next in a series on Galatians 5:22,  Useful Goodness – a Fruit of the Spirit. I love digging into the Greek behind our English translations. Now I need to research a good Greek dictionary to supplement my Strong’s, which doesn’t always tell me everything I want to know. At least, that’s what I think I need to look for. A comfy old Greek scholar who also liked to make tea and discuss C.S. Lewis would be good, too, but I think it will be easier to find a Greek dictionary. Sigh.

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Eat Your Greek First

Posted on February 7, 2011 by LeeAnn

Lectern Sant'AntimoThis coming year, I am making a valiant effort to learn Greek. I’ve been experiencing a slowly growing desire to do this, and have now reached the point that I can hardly bear to read the New Testament without reaching for my interlinear.

So far my middle-aged brain is up to the challenge, so I’m quite hopeful. I can recite the Greek alphabet and tell you what sounds all the letters make. Almost ready for kindergarten, right? I know, I know, that was the easy part. But it really is fun, and I really do want to read my New Testament in Greek, so I’ll take a deep breath and dig in to the harder stuff. I’ve found a wonderful, free, extensive online course that I’m using, at NT Greek in Session

This quote keeps coming to mind, making me feel like I’m eating dessert first.

“I would make them all learn English; and then I would let the clever
ones learn Latin as an honour, and Greek as a treat.”
–Sir Winston Churchill

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Today we planned…

Posted on December 17, 2010 by LeeAnn

poinsettiaBig mugs of steaming cappuccino, elegant decor, free wi-fi…I so enjoy my monthly (more or less) sessions at the Loft with friend Kathy. We’re writing coaches for each other, but seldom stick to writing in our discussions. Husbands, happenings, hallelujahs and how-do-I-deal-with-this are all frequent topics. Today we hammered out 2011 goals, both writing and personal. It sure is true that two heads are better than one. Just having to put a dilemma into words begins to untangle the knots in my brain. When I say something especially silly, Kathy gives me the look. This is extremely useful, umm, feedback.

I encourage you, oh nascent writers and any others in need of sound advice (and an occasional look) to find yourself a coach-type friend. I predict that your productivity, focus, and mental health will improve if you do.

My new article is up on BellaOnline, Five Ideas for Felicitous Christmas Festivities. If you haven’t already done everything on your Christmas to-do list, this might help you to think about some of it in a different light.

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The Birth of Christ: A Harmony of the Accounts

Posted on December 10, 2010 by LeeAnn

icicleMy newest article at BellaOnline fills in a heretofore unnoticed gap in my biblical knowledge about Christmas. I’m sure there are MANY more of these gaps, in a plethora of subjects (I know, you’ve been wondering when I’d notice). One day at a time, I’m attempting to LAY HOLD OF the things I’m still missing. One day I’ll sit at Jesus’ feet in the flesh and ask my questions. But for now, I’m determined to redeem the time I’m given and go at it 100%.

At the end of my Harmony of the Accounts article, there’s a link to the chart I made. Now, I wonder if I might augment the chart by tucking the Old Testament prophecies relating to each Christmas event here and there…hmm. Tempting. Or, I could slip a note with that assignment on it into my “December” tickler file for next year. Can’t make my kids do it. They grew up and left, and will hardly ever do arbitrary school work for me anymore. Write books, be in movies, yes. Make a chart, that’s probably pushing it.

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Alpha Redemption — Great Read!

Posted on September 28, 2010 by LeeAnn

I’m pretty sure telling your story backwards breaks some kind of writing rule, but it sure works for P.A. Baines. In Alpha Redemption, we travel with Brett Denton out into the cosmos on an experimental voyage of discovery. In a spaceship he calls “Jay,” Brett  discovers much more than a far planet with two suns.  With months of time to fill, he explores his heart and mind, and discusses with Jay the meaning of life, love, loss and God. He eventually faces the enormous pain separating him from God, and grows beyond it. He also wakes from each episode of hyper-sleep younger than he was before.

Between chapters in outer space,  Baines tells Brett’s planet-side story—in reverse. Starting from our protagonist’s first day on the ship Comet, and backwards through tragedy, his marriage and childhood, the details in each chapter mesh with his experiences on the journey to and from Alpha Centauri.

Growing self-awareness in a computer makes for fascinating reading, especially when the computer becomes fascinated with God. This story sticks in my brain, coming to mind again and again as I think through bits of dialogue, the meaning of certain plot twists (don’t want to spoil it!), and the unique creativity of the tale.  If you’re ready for something completely different, fresh and substantial, read Alpha Redemption.

(Splashdown Books provided a copy of this book for me to read, thanks!)

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