The Eyewitness Evidence

With the Gospel accounts as reliable sources of history, we can step into the eyewitnesses' shoes via their accounts. With their ears we can hear what Jesus claimed and with their eyes see what He did.

Evidence of Jesus' Claims
"What do you think about the Christ, whose son is He?" (Matthew 22:42)
     King David referred to his descendent, the Messiah, by the name of God (Hebrew = Adonai). Jesus used this to point out that as Messiah, He is both man and God.

"I and the Father are One." (John 10:30, NIV)
      "One" here means "essence": Jesus and God the Father are equals and share all the divine attributes. This fits the grammar and the context perfectly, and explains the Pharisees' attempt to stone Him for blasphemy, because He claimed to be God.

Evidence of Jesus' Actions
He "rebuked the wind and the surging waves… and it became calm." (Luke 8:24-25)
      Jesus' mastery over nature was so instant and decisive that those with Him appropriately asked, "Who then is this, that He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey Him?"

"Young man, I say to you, arise!" (Luke 7:14)
     Meeting a funeral procession carrying a widow's son for burial, Jesus raised her son from the dead. Seeing Jesus' power over death, the people exclaimed, "God has visited His people!"

Evidence of Jesus' Resurrection
      There is no greater credential to authenticate Jesus' claim to be God than His resurrection.

The Empty Tomb Affirms its Truth–The tomb, which was covered with a sealed, one-and-a-half ton stone, was guarded by Roman soldiers. There was no defensible explanation for the missing Jesus except His resurrection.

His Post-resurrection Appearances Affirm its Truth–The Gospels record ten distinct post-resurrection physical appearances of Jesus-to both believers and unbelievers.

Transformed Lives Affirm its Truth–After seeing Him alive again, Jesus' disciples were transformed from scared, hiding men into bold proclaimers of His resurrection, willing to die for their conviction.

Conclusion: The eyewitness evidence clearly validates Jesus' claim to be the incarnation of the infinite and personal God.
     We are each faced with Jesus' timeless question: "But what about you? … Who do you say I am?" (Luke 9:20, NIV)