The Divinity of Christ

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There are many passages in the scripture that speak to the divinity of Christ, but one of the more interesting ones is in John 8:58 where Christ identifies himself as Jehovah.

    If you remember from that chapter, Christ had declared that he was the light of the world, but the Pharisees took objection to this, which devolved into an exchange over their respective fathers including in verse 41 a snide accusation that Christ was born an illegitimate son of Mary. 

    The Pharisees then sink even lower, boasting that they are the decedents of Abraham, thereby insinuating that Jesus might not even have been Jewish. Christ responded, starting in verse 43:

44 [Christ talking] Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

45 And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not.

46 Which of you convinceth me of sin? And if I say the truth, why do ye not believe me?

47 He that is of God heareth God’s words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God.

48 Then answered the Jews, and said unto him, Say we not well that thou art a Samaritan, and hast a devil?

49 Jesus answered, I have not a devil; but I honour my Father, and ye do dishonour me.

50 And I seek not mine own glory: there is one that seeketh and judgeth.

51 Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death.

52 Then said the Jews unto him, Now we know that thou hast a devil. Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and thou sayest, If a man keep my saying, he shall never taste of death.

53 Art thou greater than our father Abraham, which is dead? and the prophets are dead: whom makest thou thyself?

54 Jesus answered, If I honour myself, my honour is nothing: it is my Father that honoureth me; of whom ye say, that he is your God:

55 Yet ye have not known him; but I know him: and if I should say, I know him not, I shall be a liar like unto you: but I know him, and keep his saying.

56 Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad.

In short, the exchange had become more intense, with Christ telling the Pharisees that their spiritual father is not God the Father, but the Devil, and then telling them that, indeed, he is greater than Abraham and the prophets because he is the Messiah and THE Son of God. The Pharisees had at this point either completely missed what Christ was saying, or maybe ignored it, switching instead to attacking his relative youth:

57 Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham?

58 Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.

For the Pharisees this was too much, and in their wrath they immediately took up stones in order to kill him.

    Why was this so blasphemous to the Pharisees? Because it is a direct reference to Exodus 3:11-14. There, Moses talked with Jehovah at the burning bush and had been given his mission to return to Egypt to free the Israelites. Afraid that the Israelites would not accept his authority, he asked of Jehovah who he should say has sent him, and the Lord replied in verse 14: "And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you." Then, in verse 15, the Lord continued: "And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, The Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations."

    Thus, in John 8:58, Jesus expressly identified himself as the voice from the burning bush, the great I AM, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. In other words, the Christ of the New Testament is the Jehovah of the Old Testament.