Hi adam,
Nice to meet you!
Ok great question, this is mostly always commonly asked....
In John 10:36, Jesus said, "Say ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the Son of God?"
Jesus was being accused of Blasphemy, of what? of Claiming to be the Son Of God ... In the previous chapter, John 9:35-38, where Jesus had just healed the man born blind, and the Pharisees cast the healed man out of the synagogue.
"Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when he had found him, he said unto him, Dost thou believe on the Son of God? He answered and said, Who is he, Lord, that I might believe on him? And Jesus said unto him, Thou hast both seen him, and it is he that talketh with thee. And he said, Lord, I believe. And he worshiped him."
Only God can receive worship and offer forgiveness of sins.
Jesus called himself "I am" a direct reference to God's statement to Moses from the burning bush:
And God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM." And He said, "Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, 'I AM has sent me to you.'" (Exodus 3:14)
"Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM." (John 8:58)
It is clear from the context that this is just exactly how Jesus meant his statement. It is also clear that His hearers took this statement as a claim to be God because they immediately picked up stones to stone Him. (Stoning was the penalty under Jewish law for blasphemy against the name of God (Exodus 24:11-16)
In John 8:58 we see that Jesus says ... BEFORE Abraham was ... I AM, meaning .... Jesus was, meaning he existed before Abraham basically. Now ... how can a person exist before Abraham?
Jesus is God ... he is one of the persons of the Trinity ... we see many times Jesus talking about him being equal to Father God. Jesus said that I and the Father are ONE, and also that nobody can get to the Father but except through him. Thats quite a rather bold claim to make.
Jesus's claims of God in the Gospel seem to be cloaked with Jewish thought forms and there for those who understand, to understand. This is one of the reason's why Jesus didn't openly just state "I am God" ... He wants us to figure it out.
Now think about this, if Jesus started claiming I am God I am God, for one that sounds kinda boasting like, and Jesus humbeled himself down alot just like any other human during his lifetime. If Jesus started openly claiming he is God, people would straight away try to kill him for blasphemy and would ruin his ministry. Rather what Jesus did, is ... He DEMONSTRATED his Godliness and his power and authority over both the Spiritual and the Physical world...
For example, in Luke 5, when Jesus healed the paralytic, he said to him, "your sins are forgiven." Most of us think nothing of that. But the Jewish leaders who heard it had a strong reaction: They called his words blasphemy (Luke 5:20-21). Why? Because they implied a pardon not just for ordinary man-to-man offenses, but for offenses committed against God, a category of offense only God himself has the authority to forgive. This was not a misunderstanding: Jesus pressed the point, saying, "'But in order 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, get up, and when you have picked up your mat, go to your home" (5:24). For the "Son of Man" to have the authority to forgive sins means that the Son of Man is God! Jesus' use of the title "Son of Man," far from referring to his humanity, confirms his divinity, that he is the exalted Messianic figure riding on the clouds of heaven in Daniel 7:13. It was not only the miracle that amazed the people (5:26). It was Jesus' incredible claim to be God--a claim supported by the miracle that followed!
In Nazareth, his initially enthusiastic reception quickly turned into a murderous rage as a result of Jesus' sermon in the synagogue. Why? On the surface, there's nothing particularly upsetting about it (Luke 4:23-27). He simply observes that in the time of Elijah, many widows in Israel were not helped by him, and in the time of Elisha many lepers were not healed. But at the end of the sermon, they were ready to kill him (4:28-29)! What did he say that upset them so much? His listeners were quite familiar with events in the lives of these two prophets. Much of their ministry had taken place in the countryside around them. That's why they also understood Jesus' deeper meaning: that the reason God did not do miracles of this kind through these prophets was because of the sin and rebellion of the nation. This was in the time of Ahab and Jezebel, when they led the nation to worship false gods. When Jesus compared his own lack of miracles in Nazareth with these times, he was in effect judging the hearts of the people. And by judging them, he made himself equal to God. As even the New Testament teaches, "There is one lawgiver and judge who is able to save and to destroy: but who are you that judges his neighbor?" (James 4:12). The people of Nazareth did not accept that Jesus was God, so his words were a blasphemy to them, worthy of death. That's why they marched him out of town to throw him off the cliff. They clearly understood that he was claiming to be God.
The same is true of the other places where Jesus pronounces judgment: "Woe to you, Chorazin, woe to you, Bethsaida: for if the deeds of power that took place in you had taken place in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I say to you, it will be more bearable in the day of judgment for Tyre and Sidon than for you" (Matt. 11:21,22). Jesus does not speak here as an Old Testament prophet, in the name of the Lord. Rather, he says "I say to you," relying on none other than his own authority. Here too, Jesus claims to be God.
The ultimate expression of this is in Matthew 25, which describes the judgment of Messiah when he comes, seated on his throne of glory. This teaching of Jesus describes the Son of Man judging in his own authority, with the ability to condemn the wicked to hell (25:41). This is a power only God has. For Jesus to claim it is a claim to be God.
Perhaps the most dramatic of these claims took place on the Sea of Galilee, when the disciples were struggling in their boat against a strong westerly wind. Jesus suddenly appeared, walking on the water (Matt. 14:24,25). Mark adds the detail that he was going to pass by them (Mark 6:48). This is a hint to Job 9, which tells of the majesty of God: "The one who alone stretches out the heavens and treads on the heights of the sea…. See--he passes by me, and I do not see; he goes by, and I do not discern him" (Job 9:8,11). If Jesus had walked past, they would never have known who he was. But they cried out in fear, which prompted Jesus to turn and talk with them (Matt. 14:26,27). In the Greek of all three gospels, he says not, "it is I" as it is usually translated, but literally "I am." This is not a lapse in grammar: it's a deliberate hint to the personal name of God: "I am that I am" (Ex. 3:14). What is the reaction of the disciples to all of this? They "worshipped" him, a word which means literally to prostrate yourself, face to the ground, in worship (14:33). It's not only Jesus' miracle that impressed them--it was his claim to be God, backed up by the miracle of walking on the sea and calming the wind, that made them fall down in worship. They may not have understood how God had become a man. But they saw the result with their own eyes.
By the way, they did not then and never could have, as Jews, believed that Jesus was a god, different than the one true God. For them, there was only one God, and it was that one God that somehow stood before them in human flesh. For this manifestation of God they had a name--the Son of God; for it was clear that the world went on, the stars continued to shine, and God continued to rule the universe as he always had before. God had not vacated heaven to appear before them. But he had sent an "extension" of himself: his Word, his arm, his face, his glory, his likeness, his salvation--whichever of the many Biblical names used to describe this phenomenon you like; a personal manifestation of his presence that was sent to earth to speak directly with us. That personal manifestation, in the flesh, is Jesus.
But if God is real, why wouldn't he come to visit? Not in the fullness of his power, of course, which would destroy us (Ex. 33:20); but in the appearance of a man to lead us back to himself. The disciples saw him with their own eyes, and were convinced. What about you?
Read the following interesting scriptures...
"I've heard that Jesus never actually claimed He was God."
John 14:7-10 [7] If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him." [8] Philip said, "Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us." [9] Jesus answered: "Don't you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, `Show us the Father'? [10] Don't you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work.
John 10:30 "I and the Father are one."
John 14:11 Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves.
John 10:37-38 [37] Do not believe me unless I do what my Father does. [38] But if I do it, even though you do not believe me, believe the miracles, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father."
Matthew 27:43 He trusts in God. Let God rescue him now if he wants him, for he said, `I am the Son of God.'"
John 17:11 I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name--the name you gave me--so that they may be one as we are one.
"When Jesus said 'I and the Father are one' didn't He just mean they are of one accord, they are merely like-minded?"
Taken alone, statements such as "I and the Father are one." and "The Father is in me, and I am in the Father." could mean simply that Jesus agrees with Jehovah. But in the overall context of the Bible this cannot be:
John 10:31-33 [31] Again the Jews picked up stones to stone him, [32] but Jesus said to them, "I have shown you many great miracles from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?" [33] "We are not stoning you for any of these," replied the Jews, "but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God."
John 17:5 And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.
John 17:10 [Speaking to the Father] All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them.
Note: Jesus never claimed to be Jehovah. He claimed to be one "person" of the Trinity. (The term "person" refers to human beings and, therefore does not totally accurately describe the nature of these divine "persons." The late Dr. Walter Martin once described "God" as a being with "three centers of consciousness.")
Note: "Son of Man" was a term referring to the expected Messiah.
Mark 14:61b-62 [61b] Again the high priest asked him, "Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?" [62] "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."
Luke 22:66-70 [66] At daybreak the council of the elders of the people, both the chief priests and teachers of the law, met together, and Jesus was led before them. [67] "If you are the Christ, " they said, "tell us." Jesus answered, "If I tell you, you will not believe me, [68] and if I asked you, you would not answer. [69] But from now on, the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the mighty God." [70] They all asked, "Are you then the Son of God?" He replied, "You are right in saying I am."
Daniel 7:13-14 [13] "In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. [14] He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.
"If Jesus claimed He was God, why did He say the Father is greater?"
John 14:28 "You heard me say, `I am going away and I am coming back to you.' If you loved me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I.
Sadly, the original Greek text was mistranslated centuries ago and the mistranslation has become "tradition".
John 14:28 [Latin Vulgate] "audistis quia ego dixi vobis vado et venio ad vos si diligeretis me gauderetis utique quia vado ad Patrem quia Pater maior me est
The Latin word maior shown here is the source of the English words "major" and "majority".
In the original Greek, the word used for "greater" means more blessed, not greater in nature.
It's like saying "The President is greater than the Vice President."
On the word translated "greater"
Strong's Greek Concordance Number: 3107
Romanized spelling: makarios
Pronounciation: mak-AR-ee-os
Meaning: supremely blest; by extension, fortunate, well off: -- blessed, happy(-ier)
Jesus clearly and repeatedly indicated that He is not the one who "calls the shots":
John 14:31 the world must learn that I love the Father and that I do exactly what my Father has commanded me.
John 7:16 Jesus answered, "My teaching is not my own. It comes from him who sent me."
John 8:42 Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and now am here. I have not come on my own; but he sent me."
John 17:3-12 [3] Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. [4] I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do. [5] And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began. [6] I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word. [7] Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you. [8] For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me. [9] I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours. [10] All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them. [11] I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name--the name you gave me--so that they may be one as we are one. [12] While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me. None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled.
Please through this post several times if you have to, and please let me know your opinions.
Thanks very much for your question, atleast somebody wants to know the truth
God Bless you.
Scorpz.