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What Does Jesus Say About Himself?
John 14 is an especially pivotal chapter in this context. Here we find four crucial facts.
1. Jesus alone claimed divinity (John 14:9).
In John 14:9 he asserted, "Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father."
Earlier, the authorities tried to stone him to death specifically because he claimed to be God (John 10:33).
Other religious leaders have claimed to reveal God; Jesus alone claims to be God. It would be blasphemy for a Muslim to say that Muhammad was God. Buddha never claimed to be God, and, in fact, taught that there is no personal God. No one in Hindu or Jewish history every claimed to be God.
But Jesus did.
2. Jesus is preparing our place in heaven (John 14:2).
Other religious leaders taught about heaven or the afterlife. Jesus alone claims to be preparing it for us.
No other leader or prophet in the history of world religions ever made such a claim.
3. Jesus will take us to heaven personally (John 14:3).
Other religious leaders taught about the way to heaven. Jesus alone claims to take us there.
4. Jesus is the only way to the Father (John 14:6).
His Greek was emphatic: "I am the way and the truth and the life."
Later, he was even more emphatic: "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me" (Matthew 28:18). No one in all of human history ever made this claim. Peter would later make the same announcement about Jesus (Acts 4:12).
- Muhammad claimed to have recorded the revelation of Allah and the way to heaven, but he never claimed to be that way.
- The Buddha claimed to teach the way to enlightenment, but he was not that way.
- Hindu masters claim to teach the way to oneness with Brahman (reality), but none claims to be that way.
- Jewish rabbis claim to teach the Torah, the law of God and the way to eternal life with him, but none claims to have inspired that law or be that way to God.
Only Jesus made such a staggering claim for himself.
We may agree or disagree with him, but we need to know what he believed about himself. He never claimed to be a religious teacher or leader, or one way to God among many. He claimed to be the only way to eternity in heaven.
Of course, we would expect the Old Testament to claim that God is the only God and the New Testament to claim that Jesus is the only way to the Father.
Are there objective ways to defend these claims? That’s our next devotional.
About this Plan
Our postmodern culture suggests that all religions lead up the same mountain to the same God. So long as you’re sincere in your belief and tolerant of others, the path you take doesn’t matter. But Jesus said otherwise: “I am the way and the truth and the life” (John 14:6). So, the central question everyone must one day answer is: Is Jesus the only way to God?
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