Jesus' Authority To Forgive Sins

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Muslims Asking Christians: Questions & Answer

http://answering-islam.org
Sam Shamoun
Resuming our discussion from the first part, there are certain Muslims who are of the
opinion that Jesus didn’t claim to have the ability to forgive sins. Rather, they believe that
Jesus was communicating what God had told him to say, that Jesus was simply declaring
to people that God has forgiven their sins. They base this on the text of Matthew 9 which
says in context:
"And getting into a boat he crossed over and came to his own city. And behold, they
brought to him a paralytic, lying on his bed; and when Jesus saw their faith he said to the
paralytic, ‘Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven.’ And behold, some of the scribes
said to themselves, ‘This man is blaspheming.’ But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said,
‘Why do you think evil IN YOUR HEARTS? For which is easier, to say, "Your sins are
forgiven," or to say, "Rise and walk"? But that you may know that the Son of man has
authority on earth to forgive sins’ -- he then said to the paralytic – ‘Rise, take up your
bed and go home.’ And he rose and went home." Matthew 9:1-7
Here, the Lord Jesus carries out three specific functions which only God does according
to the OT Scriptures, namely,
• Forgive sins.
• Heal diseases.
"Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your
iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the Pit, who crowns
you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good as long as you live so that
your youth is renewed like the eagle's." Psalm 103:2-5
"I, I am He who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember
your sins." Isaiah 43:25
"Who is a God like thee, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression for the
remnant of his inheritance? He does not retain his anger for ever because he delights in
steadfast love. He will again have compassion upon us, he will tread our iniquities under
foot." Micah 7:18-19
• Knowing what is in the heart of men.
"then hear thou in heaven thy dwelling place, and forgive, and act, and render to each
whose heart thou knowest, according to all his ways (for thou, thou ONLY, knowest the
hearts of all the children of men);" 1 Kings 8:39
This would seem to be sufficient to establish the fact that Jesus was indeed claiming to be
God since he does what Yahweh alone can do.
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Yet the Muslims believe that such is not the case due to the reaction of the crowds who
said,
"When the crowds saw it, they were afraid, and they glorified God, who had given such
authority to men." Matthew 9:8
The Muslims have assumed that the assessment by the crowds is correct, as opposed to
the position taken by the scribes of the Law. Let us note, once again, how those who
knew the Law reacted:
"At this, some of the teachers of the law said to themselves, ‘This fellow is
blaspheming!’" Matthew 9:3
The accusation of blasphemy by the religious leaders conclusively shows that Jesus was
ascribing to himself divine prerogatives belonging to God alone.
Since Jesus’ claims raised conflicting responses we need to therefore read this passage
within the context of the entirety of Matthew in order to see whether the Evangelist
sought to portray Christ as God in the flesh or as a Spirit-empowered prophet. In other
words, we need to read Matthew’s Gospel to discover Matthew’s perspective of Jesus.
Here is how Matthew begins his Gospel:
"Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been
betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child of the Holy
Spirit; and her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame,
resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord
appeared to him in a dream, saying, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary your
wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit; she will bear a son, and you
shall call his name Jesus, for HE WILL SAVE HIS PEOPLE from their sins.’ All this
took place to fulfil what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: ‘Behold, a virgin shall
conceive and bear a son, and his name shall be called Emmanuel’ (which means, God
with us [Meth’ hemon ho Theos])." Matthew 1:18-23
According to the angel, Joseph was to give the child the name Jesus because he will save
his own people from their sins. An English reader may not see the significance in the
name and how this relates to his role as Savior. The name Jesus in Hebrew is
Yashua/Yeshua and literally means "Yahweh saves":
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sn The Greek form of the name Ihsous, which was translated into Latin as Jesus, is the
same as the Hebrew Yeshua (Joshua), which means "Yahweh saves" (Yahweh is
typically rendered as "Lord" in the OT). It was a fairly common name among Jews in 1st
century Palestine, as references to a number of people by this name in the LXX and
Josephus indicate. (Source)
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What this demonstrates is that Jesus is Yahweh who has come to redeem people from
their iniquities, doing the very thing that the OT says God does for his people Israel:
"If thou, O LORD, shouldst mark iniquities, Lord, who could stand? But there is
forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared… O Israel, hope in the LORD! For
with the LORD there is steadfast love, and with him is plenteous redemption. And he will
redeem Israel from all his iniquities." Psalm 130:3-4, 7-8
This isn’t the only place where Jesus forgives sins committed against God:
"One of the Pharisees asked him to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee's house,
and took his place at table. And behold, a woman of the city, who was a sinner, when she
learned that he was at table in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster flask of
ointment, and standing behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her
tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them
with the ointment. Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw it, he said to
himself, ‘If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what sort of woman
this is who is touching him, for she is a sinner.’ And Jesus answering said to him,
‘Simon, I have something to say to you.’ And he answered, ‘What is it, Teacher?’ ‘A
certain creditor had two debtors; one owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty.
When they could not pay, he forgave them both. Now which of them will love him
more?’ Simon answered, ‘The one, I suppose, to whom he forgave more.’ And he said to
him, ‘You have judged rightly.’ Then turning toward the woman he said to Simon, ‘Do
you see this woman? I entered your house, you gave ME no water for my feet, but she
has wet MY feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You gave ME no kiss, but
from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss MY feet. You did not anoint MY head
with oil, but she has anointed MY feet with ointment. Therefore I tell you, her sins,
which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much; but he who is forgiven little, loves
little.’ And he said to her, ‘Your sins are forgiven.’ Then those who were at table with
him began to say among themselves, ‘Who is this, who even forgives sins?’ And he said
to the woman, ‘Your faith has saved you; go in peace.’" Luke 7:36-50
According to Jesus, he forgives the woman’s offenses against God because she had
shown Christ great love. Thus, to love Jesus is to love God since he happens to be God,
which explains how he can forgive sins.
Christ also told his followers that repentance and forgiveness of sins come by believing in
his name:
"Then he said to them, ‘These are my words which I spoke to you, while I was still with
you, that everything written about me in the law of Moses and the prophets and the
psalms must be fulfilled.’ Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures, and
said to them, ‘Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise
from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be preached in his
name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And
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behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you; but stay in the city, until you are
clothed with power from on high.’" Luke 24:44-49
This explains why his Apostles went around preaching that Jesus is the One who enables
Israel to repent and personally forgives the nation of their sins:
"God, having raised up his servant, sent him to you first, to bless you in turning every
one of you from your wickedness." Acts 3:26
"But Peter and the apostles answered, ‘We must obey God rather than men. The God of
our fathers raised Jesus whom you killed by hanging him on a tree. God exalted him at
his right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins.
And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to
those who obey him.’" Acts 5:29-32
"And I said, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ And the Lord said, ‘I am Jesus whom you are
persecuting. But rise and stand upon your feet; for I have appeared to you for this
purpose, to appoint you to serve and bear witness to the things in which you have seen
me and to those in which I will appear to you, delivering you from the people and from
the Gentiles -- to whom I send you to open their eyes, that they may turn from darkness
to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins
and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’" Acts 26:15-18
With the foregoing in perspective Matthew (as do the other writers) obviously believes
that Jesus does have the ability to forgive sins since he has come to personally save his
own from their iniquities. In other words, Jesus doesn’t merely pronounce pardon from
sins but actually grants forgiveness by saving sinners through his death and subsequent
resurrection:
"even as the Son of man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a
ransom for many." Matthew 20:28
"Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and broke it, and gave it to the
disciples and said, ‘Take, eat; this is my body.’ And he took a cup, and when he had
given thanks he gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink of it, all of you; for this is my blood of
the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.’" Matthew
26:26-28
Matthew also calls Jesus Immanuel, which he interprets to mean that Jesus is the God
who has come to dwell with his people. In fact, Matthew will end his Gospel with this
very affirmation, e.g. the God who came to be with man through the virgin birth is the
same One who promises that his spiritual Divine presence will continue to abide with his
community forever.
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"And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given
to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the
Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have
commanded you; and lo, I am with you always (ego meth’ humon eimi), to the close of
the age.’" Matthew 28:18-20
This connection is not lost on the NET Bible translators:

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sn I am with you. Matthew's Gospel begins with the prophecy that the Savior's name
would be "Emmanuel, that is, 'God with us,'" (1:23, in which the author has linked Isa
7:14 and 8:8, 10 together) and it ends with Jesus' promise to be with his disciples forever.
The Gospel of Matthew thus forms an inclusio about Jesus in his relationship to his
people that suggests his deity. (Source; underline emphasis ours)
This isn’t the only time where Christ claims to have the Divine prerogative of
omnipresence:
"For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them."
Matthew 18:20
Nor is this the only time where Jesus is accused of blasphemy for ascribing to his own
Person specific Divine functions and attributes:
"And the high priest stood up and said, ‘Have you no answer to make? What is it that
these men testify against you?’ But Jesus was silent. And the high priest said to him, ‘I
adjure you by the living God, tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.’ Jesus said to
him, ‘You have said so. But I tell you, hereafter you will see the Son of man seated at
the right hand of Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.’ Then the high priest tore
his robes, and said, ‘He has uttered blasphemy. Why do we still need witnesses? You
have now heard his blasphemy. What is your judgment?’ They answered, ‘He deserves
death.’" Matthew 26:62-66
In response to the high priest’s question Jesus says that he is the Son of Man who rides
the clouds. His referring to himself as the Son of Man is interesting since Christ is
alluding to the following OT passage:
"I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a
son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. And to
him was given dominion and glory and kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages
should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away,
and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed." Daniel 7:13-14
Daniel’s Son of Man is clearly a Divine figure that has the appearance of a man since he
rides the clouds, a Divine function (cf. Isaiah 19:1), and is an eternal king who is
worshiped by all creation.
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Hence, by speaking of himself as the Son of Man Jesus was basically telling his
opponents that he is a Divine Being who had become man, the One who rules forever
over all peoples who must worship him. Nor is this the only time where Jesus identifies
himself as the Son of Man, since he did it in Matthew 9 when he says he has the power to
forgive sins and in the following references:
"Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon
will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens
will be shaken; then will appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven, and then all the
tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of man coming on the clouds of
heaven with power and great glory; and he will send out HIS angels with a loud trumpet
call, and they will gather HIS elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the
other." Matthew 24:29-31
"When the Son of man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit
on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate
them one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will
place the sheep at his right hand, but the goats at the left. Then the King will say to those
at his right hand, ‘Come, O blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you
from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty
and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you
clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the
righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see thee hungry and feed thee, or thirsty
and give thee drink? And when did we see thee a stranger and welcome thee, or naked
and clothe thee? And when did we see thee sick or in prison and visit thee?’ And the
King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my
brethren, you did it to me.’ Then he will say to those at his left hand, ‘Depart from me,
you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry
and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and
you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did
not visit me.’ Then they also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see thee hungry or thirsty
or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to thee?’ Then he will
answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it not to one of the least of these, you did it
not to me.’ And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal
life.’" Matthew 25:31-46
Christ as the Son of Man comes with his angels, sits on the throne, and gathers the
nations before him in order to determine their eternal destiny. To say that these
statements are astonishing would be a wild understatement!
As if this couldn’t get any more shocking and amazing, Jesus also tells his accusers that
he will sit on God’s right hand, a statement he repeats earlier that week during one of his
visits to the Temple:
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"Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question, saying,
‘What do you think of the Christ? Whose son is he?’ They said to him, ‘The son of
David.’ He said to them, ‘How is it then that David, inspired by the Spirit, calls him
[Christ] Lord, saying, "The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand, till I put thy
enemies under thy feet"? If David thus calls him Lord, how is he his son?’ And no one
was able to answer him a word, nor from that day did any one dare to ask him any more
questions." Matthew 22:41-46
Jesus quotes Psalm 110:1 where David refers to the Messiah as his Lord who sits at
Yahweh’s right hand. To say that One is seated at God’s right side in heaven (which is
what Jesus is referring to) is to say that One is ruling from the highest position there is,
from God’s heavenly throne room itself, which would be blasphemous if it were untrue.
It is therefore not surprising that the high priest and the rest condemned Jesus for
blasphemy seeing they didn’t believe his words.
With the foregoing in perspective it is obvious that Matthew’s intention in writing his
Gospel (by inspiration of God, of course) was to present Christ as the visible appearance
and presence of God who has come and continues to be with all his people till the end of
the age. In light of this, it is rather apparent that the scribes correctly understood that
Jesus was claiming to have the ability to forgive sins committed against God, whereas the
people were wrong for assuming that such ability was given to men in general. Where the
teachers of the law were mistaken was in their assumption that Jesus was blaspheming
since they erroneously felt that Christ was merely a man and not God who had become
flesh.
It is not hard to see why the others felt that Jesus’ power to forgive sins indicated that
God had now given men this authority to proclaim forgiveness. They were seeing a man
standing before their eyes who had just performed a supernatural feat, healing a paralytic,
to prove that he could take away a person’s sins. They couldn’t deny the miracle, since
they just witnessed it, and therefore couldn’t contest Jesus’ statements that he had
forgiven the paralytic. Yet seeing that Jesus was a human being it never dawned on them
that the One standing before them was God in the flesh, which explains why they came to
their conclusion.
Recommended Reading
http://answering-islam.org/Shamoun/redeemer_divine.htm
http://answering-islam.org/Shamoun/jesus_forgiver.htm
http://answering-islam.org/Shamoun/jesus_on_throne.htm
http://answering-islam.org/Responses/Shabir-Ally/misunderstood2.htm
http://answering-islam.org/Responses/Shabir-Ally/inseparable1.htm
http://answering-islam.org/Responses/Shabir-Ally/storkey.htm
http://answering-islam.org/Shamoun/q_apostles_forgive_sins.htm
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http://answering-islam.org/Shamoun/psalm110_1.htm
http://answering-islam.org/Shamoun/luke_preexistence.htm
A Muslim may interject at this point and claim that Matthew 26:64 doesn’t quote Jesus
saying that he is God’s Son. Rather, it has Jesus stating that this is what his enemies were
accusing him of.
The confusion here stems from the word, "You have said so," which the Muslim
erroneously assumes is a denial on the part of Christ, that Jesus wasn’t committing
himself to such an assertion. The problem here is that this is not what the phrase implies,
but rather Jesus’ words simply mean that his own accusers are giving tacit witness to who
he is by asking him such a question. This is reflected in the following translation:
"… The high priest said to him, ‘I charge you under oath by the living God: Tell us if you
are the Christ, the Son of God.’ ‘Yes, it is as you say,’ Jesus replied…" Matthew 26:63b-
64a NIV
His opponents themselves understood that Jesus wasn’t denying this charge since, while
hanging on the cross, the onlookers jeered him for claiming to be God’s Son:
"And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads and saying, ‘You who
would destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of
God, come down from the cross.’ So also the chief priests, with the scribes and elders,
mocked him, saying, ‘He saved others; he cannot save himself. He is the King of Israel;
let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. He trusts in God; let
God deliver him now, if he desires him; FOR HE SAID, ‘I am the Son of God.’"
Matthew 27:39-43
As the late liberal NT Catholic Scholar Raymond E. Brown commented,
"In Matt Jesus answers the high priest's combined question about the Messiah, Son of
God thus: 'That is what you say.' This is an affirmative, but one that puts responsibility
on the questioner for the interpretation being given to the point at issue - an interpretation
about which the speaker is not enthusiastic. If one seeks on the level of the story-line why
the Matthean Jesus would have been so enthusiastic when Peter used these combined
titles but is now much more cautious when the high priest uses them, the solution is that
Peter used them as a confession uttered under divine revelation while the high priest
uses them as a disbelieving question to find evidence against Jesus." (Brown,
Introduction to New Testament Christology [Paulist Press New York/Mahwah, 1994], pp.
76-77; bold emphasis ours)
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Brown’s footnote is worth quoting here:
"A few scholars try to argue to the contrary; but later in clear dependence on Jesus'
having made such an affirmation, the passerby mock him as he hangs on the cross, ‘If
you are the Son of God, come down from the cross’ (Matt 27:40). Indeed, in their
mockery the chief priests and the elders report, "He said, ‘I am the Son of God"’
(27:43)…" (Ibid; bold emphasis ours)
Matthew provides further corroboration that Jesus did believe and claim that he is God’s
Son. For example, Jesus contrasts the relationship he has with the Father from the
relationship that the prophets have with God:
"Hear another parable. There was a householder who planted a vineyard, and set a hedge
around it, and dug a wine press in it, and built a tower, and let it out to tenants, and went
into another country. When the season of fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the
tenants, to get his fruit; and the tenants took his servants and beat one, killed another, and
stoned another. Again he sent other servants, more than the first; and they did the same to
them. Afterward he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ But when
the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, ‘This is the heir; come, let us kill him
and have his inheritance.’ And they took him and cast him out of the vineyard, and killed
him." Matthew 21:33-39
In the parable the servants are the prophets,
"From the day that your fathers came out of the land of Egypt to this day, I have
persistently sent all my servants the prophets to them, day after day;" Jeremiah 7:25 – cf.
26:5; 44:4
Whereas Christ is God’s Son and the Heir, the One to whom the Father has entrusted all
things, a point which the Lord made elsewhere:
"All things have been delivered to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except
the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and any one to whom the Son
chooses to reveal him. Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give
you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart,
and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’"
Matthew 11:27-30
Not only does the Lord Jesus state that the Father has entrusted all things to him but also
believes that he has an intimate, reciprocal knowledge of God, which presupposes both
his incomprehensibility and his omniscience. After all, one who is finite cannot know
God in the same way that s/he is known by God; nor can a limited being assert s/he can
only be known by God since this implies that the individual in question believes that s/he
is incomprehensible, which thereby requires an infinite mind or omniscient entity to fully
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know and understand that person. Amazingly, this is precisely what the Lord Jesus says
about his own Person and his intimate knowledge of the incomprehensible God.
Moreover, the Father has further ordained that all must come to Christ personally in order
to experience the peace and rest which Christ alone can give. But in order for Jesus to be
able to grant rest to everyone who comes to him by faith he must have all of God’s omni-
attributes, e.g. omniscience since he must know who is coming to him, as well as
omnipresence and omnipotence since he must be able to be with all who believe in him at
the same time in order to give all of them rest.
Jesus further links himself with the Father and the Holy Spirit as a bearer of the one
Divine name of God:
"And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given
to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the NAME of
the Father and OF THE SON and of the Holy Spirit,’" Matthew 28:18-19
Three distinct Persons all of whom have the same Divine name or nature, essence,
authority etc.
The Father himself bears witness that Jesus is his beloved Son with whom he is always
pleased:
"And when Jesus was baptized, he went up immediately from the water, and behold, the
heavens were opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and alighting
on him; and lo, a voice from heaven, saying, ‘This is my beloved Son, with whom I am
well pleased.’" Matthew 3:16-17
And:
"And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James and John his brother, and led
them up a high mountain apart. And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone
like the sun, and his garments became white as light. And behold, there appeared to them
Moses and Eli'jah, talking with him. And Peter said to Jesus, ‘Lord, it is well that we are
here; if you wish, I will make three booths here, one for you and one for Moses and one
for Eli'jah.’ He was still speaking, when lo, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a
voice from the cloud said, ‘This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen
to him.’" Matthew 17:1-5
The Father also revealed this truth to Peter who went on to make the following
confession:
"When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, ‘Who do
people say the Son of Man is?’ They replied, ‘Some say John the Baptist; others say
Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’ ‘But what about you?’ he asked.
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‘Who do you say I am?’ Simon Peter answered, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the
living God.’ Jesus replied, ‘Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not
revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter,
and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I
will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be
bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.’ Then he
warned his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Christ." Matthew 16:13-20
Peter wasn’t the only disciple to confess that Jesus is God’s Son:
"After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. When

evening came, he was there alone, but the boat was already a considerable distance
from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it. During the fourth
watch of the night Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. When the disciples saw
him walking on the lake, they were terrified. ‘It's a ghost,’ they said, and cried out in fear.
But Jesus immediately said to them: ‘Take courage! I AM (ego eimi). Don't be afraid.’
‘Lord, if it’s you,’ Peter replied, ‘tell me to come to you on the water.’ ‘Come,’ he said.
Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But
when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, ‘Lord, save me!’
Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. ‘You of little faith,’ he said,
‘why did you doubt?’ And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. Then
those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, ‘Truly you are the Son of God.’"
Matthew 14:23-33
It is rather interesting that this confession of the disciples was made in reference to Jesus
claiming to be the I AM in the context of his walking on water and for enabling Peter to
do likewise. In another passage Jesus calms the waves and the storms:
"And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. And behold, there arose a
great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was
asleep. And they went and woke him, saying, ‘Save, Lord; we are perishing.’ And he
said to them, ‘Why are you afraid, O men of little faith?’ Then he rose and rebuked the
winds and the sea; and there was a great calm. And the men marveled, saying, ‘What
sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?’" Matthew 8:23b-27
The reason why this is astonishing is that Christ is doing the very things that the OT says
only Yahweh can do:
"But how can a man be just before God? If one wished to contend with him, one could
not answer him once in a thousand times. He is wise in heart, and mighty in strength --
who has hardened himself against him, and succeeded? -- he who removes mountains,
and they know it not, when he overturns them in his anger; who shakes the earth out of its
place, and its pillars tremble; who commands the sun, and it does not rise; who seals up
the stars; who alone stretched out the heavens, and trampled the waves of the sea; who
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made the Bear and Orion, the Plei'ades and the chambers of the south; who does great
things beyond understanding, and marvelous things without number." Job 9:2b-10
"And let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving, and tell of his deeds in songs of joy! Some
went down to the sea in ships, doing business on the great waters; they saw the deeds of
the LORD, his wondrous works in the deep. For he commanded, and raised the stormy
wind, which lifted up the waves of the sea. They mounted up to heaven, they went down
to the depths; their courage melted away in their evil plight; they reeled and staggered
like drunken men, and were at their wits' end. Then they cried to the LORD in their
trouble, and he delivered them from their distress; he made the storm be still, and the
waves of the sea were hushed. Then they were glad because they had quiet, and he
brought them to their desired haven. Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love, for
his wonderful works to the sons of men! Let them extol him in the congregation of the
people, and praise him in the assembly of the elders." Psalm 107:22-32
In light of the above is it any wonder that the disciples worshiped Jesus since they could
see that he was doing that which only God can do?
For more on this point we recommend this article.
It is therefore apparent that Jesus’ response wasn’t a denial of his Divinity, but an
acknowledgment that even his opponents provided implicit witness to the fact that he is
God’s unique Son.
All Scriptural quotations taken from the Revised Standard Version (RSV) of the Holy
Bible.
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Jesus' Authority To Forgive Sins

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Muslims Asking Christians: Questions & Answer

• Knowing what is in the heart of men.

Here is how Matthew begins his Gospel:

This connection is not lost on the NET Bible translators:

As the late liberal NT Catholic Scholar Raymond E. Brown commented,

In the parable the servants are the prophets,

"After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. When

For more on this point we recommend this article.

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