How Jesus Refuted Claims of Equality with God

dustinmartyr

Here is a short 8 minute video where I show exactly how Jesus refuted the misunderstood notion that he was coequal with God the Father.

Let me know in the comments below what you think of these texts.

Enjoy!

4 thoughts on “How Jesus Refuted Claims of Equality with God”

  1. Hi Dustin,

    I noticed at the Feast of Booths, from John 7:20 all the way to 10:20 (if the adulteress is taken as non-original), Jesus is occasionally accused of being possessed by a demon. I then wondered if this grouping of controversies originated from a similar tradition as did the Synoptic Beelzebul Controversy. In which case, do you think some of Jesus’ language in John (especially when Jesus is accused of claiming equality with God) subtly alludes to the idea that Jesus was possessed by his Father’s spirit to do works, and thus not by a demon? I’m thinking specifically of sayings like ‘I and the Father are one’, ‘I am in the Father and the Father is in me’ and 8:39-59 where Jesus as demon-possessed appears frequently. My feeling is that the jist of what Jesus is trying to often say – I am the spirit anointed Messiah who does the works God gave me to do – is misunderstood as claiming a literal oneness/indwelling with God, the Father.

    Reply

    1. You might be onto something there. I first take that GJohn was originally written to combat the external crisis of the Ephesian synagogue down the street harassing the church, attempting to cast doubt upon whether Jesus was actually the legitimately authorized Messiah of God. This is why there is such an emphasis, I think, in Jesus being the truly authorized delegate of God, precisely because his opponents “the Jews” reject it. I need to think more on the demon aspect you have suggested (although it is appealing indeed), but I agree that John 8:12 is a continuation of the episode left off at the end of ch. 7, since the adulterous woman episode was not original.

      Reply
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