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Objective

In this lesson, we will see that the deity of Jesus Christ was clearly demonstrated through His words and actions during His earthly ministry.

Key Verse

Matthew 8:27: The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!”

Introduction

In our previous lesson, we looked at key passages in the New Testament that directly declare Jesus to be God. Today we’re going to examine five specific ways the deity of Christ was demonstrated in the Gospels—not just claimed, but clearly shown through what Jesus said and did.

When people witnessed Jesus in action, they couldn’t help but ask the same question the disciples asked after He calmed the storm: “What kind of man is this?” (Matthew 8:27). The answer becomes unmistakable when we carefully examine the evidence. Jesus didn’t just tell people He was God; He proved it through His words and works in ways that only God could do.

Here are the main points we will explore together:

• Jesus claimed equality with God
• Jesus displayed power over nature
• Jesus forgave sins
• Jesus taught with authority
• Jesus received worship

Jesus Claimed Equality with God

We must start with what Jesus said about Himself. He described who He is in the present, in the past, and in the future. In each of these statements, Jesus makes bold claims to be God.

First, Jesus said something remarkable about who He is in the present. He claimed complete equality with God the Father:

John 10:30-33: “I and the Father are one.” Again his Jewish opponents picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus said to them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?” “We are not stoning you for any good work,” they replied, “but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God.”

Jesus did not simply mean, “We are in agreement.” He meant that He was equal with God. We know this because of how the religious leaders reacted. They understood exactly what Jesus was claiming, and they saw this as blasphemous—unless it was actually true.

Second, Jesus also claimed something amazing about who He was in the past. He claimed to be older than Abraham, who had lived two thousand years earlier! But this wasn’t what angered the religious leaders most. Jesus used the very words that God spoke to Moses at the burning bush:

John 8:58: “Very truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!”

Exodus 3:14: God said to Moses, “I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I am has sent me to you.'”

When Jesus said “I AM,” He was using God’s own name for Himself. This was an unmistakable claim to deity.

Third, Jesus claimed something about who He will be in the future. He said that He would be seated next to the Father and would someday return to judge the world:

Mark 14:61-62: But Jesus remained silent and gave no answer. Again the high priest asked him, “Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?” “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.”

These are powerful claims to be God. Jesus said that He has always been God—in the past, the present, and the future. He has always existed and He never changes:

Revelation 1:8: “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.”

John 1:1-2: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.

Hebrews 13:8: Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

Jesus Displayed Power over Nature

Many of the prophets of God displayed power over nature. God used Moses, Elijah, and Elisha to perform great miracles. The miracles of Jesus by themselves do not prove His deity, but they do prove that He was sent by God and demonstrate that He was the Messiah.

However, sometimes Jesus performed miracles in a way that specifically demonstrated His deity. We can see this by comparing His miracles to what the Old Testament teaches us about God’s power.

When Jesus walked on water, He demonstrated that He is God. The Old Testament tells us that only God has power to walk on the seas:

John 6:19-21: They had rowed about three or four miles when they saw Jesus approaching the boat, walking on the water; and they were frightened. But he said to them, “It is I; don’t be afraid.” Then they were willing to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the shore where they were heading.

Job 9:8: He alone stretches out the heavens and treads on the waves of the sea.

When Jesus rebuked the wind and waves, He demonstrated that He is God. Scripture teaches us that controlling the storms is something only God can do:

Mark 4:39-41: He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”

Psalm 107:28-29: Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and he brought them out of their distress. He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed.

Psalm 89:8-9: Who is like you, Lord God Almighty? You, Lord, are mighty, and your faithfulness surrounds you. You rule over the surging sea; when its waves mount up, you still them.

(Notebook Moment: When you face storms in your own life—whether literal dangers or difficult circumstances—how does it encourage you to know that Jesus has complete power over every force of nature and every situation you might encounter?)

Jesus Forgave Sins

One day, a paralyzed man was brought to Jesus on a stretcher. Instead of immediately healing the man’s body, Jesus forgave his sins first. By doing this, Jesus was claiming to be God, because sin is an offense against God, and only God can forgive sins:

Mark 2:5: When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”

The religious leaders immediately understood what Jesus was claiming. They thought to themselves that this was blasphemy, asking, “Who can forgive sins but God alone?” They were absolutely right—only God can forgive sins. That’s exactly the point Jesus was making.

Jesus knew what they were thinking, so He challenged them directly:

Mark 2:9-11: “Which is easier: to say to the paralyzed man, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat and walk’? But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the man, “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.”

And that’s exactly what happened—the man was completely healed! Jesus proved His authority to forgive sins by demonstrating His power to heal the man’s body as well. The crowd was amazed because they had witnessed something that only God could do.

Jesus Taught with Authority

When Jesus taught, people immediately noticed something different about Him. He taught with authority. What does this mean? The scribes and Pharisees were teachers too, but they simply repeated what other rabbis had said before them. Jesus taught from His own authority as God:

Mark 1:21-22: They went to Capernaum, and when the Sabbath came, Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach. The people were amazed at his teaching, because he taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law.

This is what Jesus demonstrated throughout the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus would say, “You have heard that it was said,” and then He would continue, “But I tell you”:

Matthew 5:21-22: “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment.”

Jesus was not just offering His opinion or interpretation. He was speaking as the ultimate authority who had the right to clarify and expand God’s law.

The Sabbath was one of the most important things that set the Jewish people apart from other nations. This is why what Jesus taught about the Sabbath was so significant:

Mark 2:27-28: Then he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”

(Notebook Moment: Jesus claimed to be Lord of the Sabbath—the very day that God had set apart as holy. What does this teach us about Jesus’ authority over every area of our lives, including how we worship and rest?)

Jesus Received Worship

During His ministry on earth, Jesus received worship from various people. He never told anyone not to worship Him. If He were not God, accepting worship would be idolatry and blasphemy:

Matthew 14:33: Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”

John 9:35-38: Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and when he found him, he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” “Who is he, sir?” the man asked. “Tell me so that I may believe in him.” Jesus said, “You have seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you.” Then the man said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him.

After Jesus rose from the dead, His disciples had no more doubts about who He was:

Matthew 28:9: Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him.

John 20:28: Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!”

The fact that Jesus accepted worship without correction shows that He knew He was truly God and had every right to receive the honor and praise that belongs to God alone.

(Notebook Moment: Think about the different ways people responded when they recognized Jesus’ true identity. Some worshiped Him, others rejected Him. How are you responding to Jesus in your own life right now?)

Conclusion

There can be no doubt that Jesus claimed to be God. His works and teachings clearly demonstrate His deity. The evidence is overwhelming—from His miraculous power over nature to His authority to forgive sins, from His teaching with divine authority to His acceptance of worship.

The resurrection of Jesus declared Him to be the Son of God with power. The resurrection confirmed everything that Jesus had claimed about Himself during His earthly ministry:

Romans 1:4: and who through the Spirit of holiness was appointed the Son of God in power by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord.

John 11:25-26: Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”

So why was Jesus rejected by many people in His day? Why do people still reject Him today? The answer is simple but profound: If we accept that Jesus is God, then we must accept that He is Lord over our lives. This requires surrendering our will to His will, our plans to His plans, our way to His way.

But this surrender is not a burden—it’s the greatest privilege we could ever have. Someday, every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. We have the wonderful opportunity to do this now, while it can still be our choice rather than our compulsion:

Philippians 2:9-11: Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

The deity of Jesus Christ is not just a theological concept to study—it’s a life-changing truth to embrace. When we truly understand who Jesus is, our only reasonable response is to worship Him as our Lord and Savior. He proved His deity through His words and works, and He continues to prove it in the lives of all who believe in Him.

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