Proof: Is there any that Jesus was who He claimed to be?
The miracles He performed should have been enough to convince anyone that this Jesus of Nazareth was far more than just another man. He was the God/man, undiminished deity and true humanity in one person. e It was through His many miracles that He provided real evidence of His identity that would hold up in any court of law. When people reject all this evidence it becomes clear that the need for evidence is not what’s needed; it’s their lack of DESIRE to know the truth that is the real problem.
John 7:16-17
16 Jesus answered them, and said, My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me.
17 If any man will [THELO = desires to] do his will [THELEMA = that which is willed], he shall know [GINOSKO = know, recognize, or understand] of the doctrine [DIDACHE = doctrine or teaching], whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself. [Emphasis added]
Ignorance is never justification for unbelief. For so many the reason people don’t know the truth about something is because they’re not looking for it. Surely, we all know people won’t FIND something they’re not looking for. That’s such a simple but important truth. And that’s especially true when it comes to knowing God and His will. The main reason most people have so little knowledge of the Bible is that they never wanted it. The desire to know it or to know Him just hasn’t been there. It is never a case where people can’t “find” God; it is always a case of them not looking for Him. And as they continue in this mode through the months and years, they get even more insensitive, more hardened to the truth. This is why I have articles about this on this website. Here’s the link to one of them—
Heart: What does it mean to have a hardened one?
Many cases can be cited where Jesus in His earthly ministry performed one wonderful miraculous deed after another, yet most people continued to reject Him. Here’s one of so many examples of that—
Mark 3:1-6
1 And he [Jesus] entered again into the synagogue; and there was a man there which had a withered hand [XERAINO = a hand that is shrunken, shriveled, and paralyzed].
2 And they watched him, whether he would heal him on the sabbath day; that they might accuse him.
3 And he saith unto the man which had the withered hand, Stand forth.
4 And he saith unto them, Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath days, or to do evil? to save life, or to kill? But they held their peace.
5 And when he had looked round about on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts, he saith unto the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it out: and his hand was restored whole as the other.
6 And the Pharisees [the “religious” people of the day] went forth, and straightway took counsel with the Herodians against him, how they might destroy him. [Emphasis added]
This sort of thing continued throughout His earthly ministry. It was a way in which they expressed their resistance to truth.
Mark 10:5
5 And Jesus answered and said unto them, For the hardness of your heart he wrote you this precept. [Emphasis added]
Even after Christ arose and presented Himself alive after His death on the cross, this rejection, this expressed hardness of heart continued.
Mark 16:14
14 Afterward he appeared unto the eleven [after His crucifixion and death] as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen. [Emphasis added]
In the end, all such unbelieving people will be judged and sentenced to be cast into the Lake of Fire to be there forever.
Romans 2:5
5 But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God; [Emphasis added]
Revelation 20:11-15 provides the details of that judgment. Unbelievers will then have their own “resurrection” body in which they will suffer forever.
John 5:28-29
28 Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice,
29 And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation. [Emphasis added]
Probably the best evidence of all regarding the true identity of Jesus was His resurrection. Even though He died a brutal death by crucifixion, He was found to be alive three days later. And it wasn’t just a few who saw Him; it was hundreds and on different occasions.
1 Corinthians 15:1-6
1 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;
2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.
3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
5 And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve:
6 After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep. [Emphasis added]
The amount of PROOF for His resurrection was overwhelming. It was this that turned the scared apostles and others into bold presenters of Christ’s message. They had seen with their own eyes that there was nothing for them to fear, even death itself. It seems it was the apostle Thomas who was the last of the twelve apostles to learn this lesson. Initially he rejected the testimony of those who’d seen Him but later there was an occasion when that changed. Let’s look at what the Scripture tells us about that occasion.
Mark 16:9-14
9 Now when Jesus was risen early the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven devils [DAIMON = demons].
10 And she went and told them that had been with him, as they mourned and wept.
11 And they, when they had heard that he was alive, and had been seen of her, believed not.
These were those who had followed Him in the time of His earthly ministry.
12 After that he appeared in another form unto two of them, as they walked, and went into the country.
13 And they went and told it unto the residue: neither believed they them.
14 Afterward he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen. [Emphasis added]
Do we have unbelieving people like this today? Of course we do! And a lot of them attend some church. What is YOUR thinking about all this? Do YOU believe this Jesus of Nazareth who was crucified and rose again from the dead? What does that mean to you? What are the implications of all this? Didn’t He overcome death? Don’t we have reliable records of all this to encourage us? Off and on all your life you are going to somehow be in situations where someone died. Are YOU prepared for the day when this happens to YOU? Aren’t there many people who don’t even want to talk or even think about this? But wouldn’t it be a wise move to not only think about it but to make sure we’ve done what we need to do to be prepared for it—not if, but WHEN it comes? The ratio is still 1 for 1. For every birth there’s a death. But is that “death” really the end of life for that person? The Bible informs us that physical death does not end “life” for us!
Hebrews 9:27
27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this THE JUDGMENT: [Emphasis added]
Jesus was exactly who He claimed to be. Notice what He said about our situation. Let’s look at what He said to this “doubting Thomas” we noted earlier in this article.
John 14:1-6
1 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, BELIEVE ALSO IN ME.
2 In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare A PLACE for you.
3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
4 And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know.
5 Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way?
6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by ME. [Emphasis added]
Still again, it is only through Him that anyone can be saved.
Acts 4:12
12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is NONE other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. [Emphasis added]
Some of the apostle John’s last words speak of the abundance of available information there is about this—
John 21:25
25 And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen. [Emphasis added]
All the proof anyone would ever need about this is readily available. But, again, it is man’s resistance to truth that’s the problem, not the availability of it. If you’ve never put your faith in Jesus Christ and His death, burial, and resurrection as the sole basis for your salvation, I hope you’ll do that right now as you’re reading this. It will be the most important decision you have ever made or ever will make.
