Was Jesus a Prophet?
the testimony of the New Testament that Jesus was a prophet of God; the special prophet whom Moses said would appear.
When you understand that you will say
I was blind and now I see........He is a prophet
Islam, besides Christianity, is the only major world religion that recognizes Jesus. A Muslim’s belief is incomplete without Jesus. Prophet Muhammad said:
"If anyone testifies that none has the right to be worshipped but God alone who has no partners, and that Muhammad is His servant and His Messenger, and that Jesus is God’s servant and His Messenger and His Word which He bestowed on Mary and a Spirit from Him, and that Paradise is true, and Hell is true, God will admit him into Paradise with the deeds which he has done even if those deeds were few."
Jesus in the Quran holds one of the highest statures amongst the Prophets. Unlike other Prophets who performed miracles, Jesus himself was a miracle, as he was born of a virgin mother, and God describes him and his mother Mary as such:
"…and We made her (Mary) and her son (Jesus) a sign for the worlds." (Quran 21:91)
Nonetheless, in the Quran, Jesus is described as having many miracles not bestowed upon other prophets. God says:
"And We gave unto Jesus, son of Mary, clear miracles" (Quran 2:87)
The Islamic view of Jesus lies between two extremes. The Jews, who rejected Jesus as a prophet, called him an imposter, while the Christians, on the other hand, considered him to be the son of God and worship him as such. Islam considers Jesus to be one of the greatest and most forbearing of prophets, in addition to Noah, Abraham, Moses and Muhammad, peace be upon them. Jesus is also considered to be the Messiah as well. This is in conformity with the Islamic view of the Oneness of God, the Oneness of Divine guidance, and the complementary role of the subsequent mission of God’s messengers.
The message of God to humanity, which is to worship God and God alone and to live according to His instruction, was revealed to Adam (peace be upon him), who passed it on to his children. All the subsequent revelations to Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and, finally, Muhammad are in conformity with that message. Thus, Islam views any contradictions among revealed religions as man-made elements introduced into these religions.
Islam, besides Christianity, is the only major world religion that recognizes Jesus. A Muslim’s belief is incomplete without Jesus. Prophet Muhammad said:
"If anyone testifies that none has the right to be worshipped but God alone who has no partners, and that Muhammad is His servant and His Messenger, and that Jesus is God’s servant and His Messenger and His Word which He bestowed on Mary and a Spirit from Him, and that Paradise is true, and Hell is true, God will admit him into Paradise with the deeds which he has done even if those deeds were few."
Jesus in the Quran holds one of the highest statures amongst the Prophets. Unlike other Prophets who performed miracles, Jesus himself was a miracle, as he was born of a virgin mother, and God describes him and his mother Mary as such:
"…and We made her (Mary) and her son (Jesus) a sign for the worlds." (Quran 21:91)
Nonetheless, in the Quran, Jesus is described as having many miracles not bestowed upon other prophets. God says:
"And We gave unto Jesus, son of Mary, clear miracles" (Quran 2:87)
How can I know Jesus?
Who do we ask about Christ in the Gospel?
Let's see...what the blind man, the paralytic, and the dead man said when he rose...let's see what the crowds said and what the disciples said...and this is definitely the truth...come on, get ready, I need your focus with me...let's judge among us who lived with Christ to see if... Were they Muslims or Christians?
What did the blind man say?
The Blind Man That Jesus Healed Recognized He Was a Prophet
So they said again to the blind man, “What do you say about him, since he has opened your eyes?” He said, “He is a prophet.”
John 9:17
It was obvious to this man that Jesus was a prophet.
By God, you only said the truth, you blind man....and we believe you
This blind man loves Christ more than you or me...and don't try to argue with that
If you were in his place, you would love Christ more than yourself...
What did the blind man say after he saw? He said he was a prophet
When you understand that you will say
I was blind and now I see........He is a prophet
What did the paralytic man say?
A certain paralytic man that Jesus healed realized that He was a prophet.
24. - So he said to the paralyzed man, “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” . 25 - Immediately he stood up in front of them, took what he had been lying on and went home praising God.
26 - Everyone was amazed and gave praise to God. They were filled with awe and said, “We have seen remarkable things today.”
Imagine everyone glorifying God....Do you know why?
Christ said :
30 - I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.
They understood that sentence and memorized it....
They understood that Christ was a prophet commissioned by God to carry out His will.
He never does anything on his own initiative, rather it is from God.
...Everything he does is done by God's will....Therefore glorify God .
They understood that Christ calls to God alone and has no partner....
And to believe in him as the prophet of God .
3 - Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.
John 17:3
The Bible says that Jesus wanted God’s will to be done, not his own
Luke 22:42: "not my will but Yours be done."
When you understand that you will say
I was blind and now I see........He is a prophet .
The Bible says that God performed miracles through Jesus & Jesus was limited in what he could do .
What did the crowds who watched Christ revive the dead say?
11 Soon afterward, Jesus went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd went along with him. 12 As he approached the town gate, a dead person was being carried out—the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the town was with her. 13 When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her and he said, “Don’t cry.”
14 Then he went up and touched the bier they were carrying him on, and the bearers stood still. He said, “Young man, I say to you, get up!” 15 The dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him back to his mother.
16 They were all filled with awe and praised God. “A great prophet has appeared among us,” they said. “God has come to help his people.” 17 This news about Jesus spread throughout Judea and the surrounding country.
They did not say that Christ revives the dead since he is God.
No, these people understood that, God willing.
These people understood that he was a prophet of God.
Therefore they glorified God...and said, This is a great prophet from God to the Jewish people...
"a man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God performed through Him in your midst."
Acts 2:22
"…he went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him."
Acts 10:38
If Christ was God, the Bible would simply say that Jesus did the miracles himself without making reference to God. The fact that it was God supplying the power for the miracles shows that God is greater than Jesus.
When you understand that you will say
I was blind and now I see........He is a prophet .
What did the leper say?
The leper... who despaired of recovery and lived as a fugitive, outcast among the Jewish people...
Imagine that you were a leper and Christ healed you, God willing. What would you say?
Read the text
12 As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy[a] met him. They stood at a distance 13 and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!”
14 When he saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed.
15 One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice.
Why did Christ not say to the leper, “I am the one who healed you,” so he glorified me?
Because he really does not do that except with God’s permission.
When you understand that you will say
I was blind and now I see........He is a prophet .
What did the blind beggar say?
A blind man sits on the side of the road with his hands outstretched.
He heard a noise and a group of people passing by. He asked, “Who are these people?”
They told him that he was Jesus of Nazareth.
The blind man knows that he is the prophet who is famous for healing the sick.
Then he called him, saying, Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me.
People rebuked him because he was just a beggar.
Read the text
35 - As Jesus approached Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging.
36 - When he heard the crowd going by, he asked what was happening. ,
37 - They told him, “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.”
38 - He called out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”
39 - Those who led the way rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”
40 - Jesus stopped and ordered the man to be brought to him. When he came near, Jesus asked him,
41- “What do you want me to do for you?”
“Lord, I want to see,” he replied.
42 - Jesus said to him, “Receive your sight; your faith has healed you.”
43 - Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus, praising God. When all the people saw it, they also praised God.
Luke 18:35-43
8 - But when the multitudes saw it, they marvelled, and glorified God, which had given such power unto men.
Matthew 9:8
They glorified God but did not glorify Christ.
Because they knew that Christ was a prophet whom God had given authority and a miracle.
When you understand that you will say
I was blind and now I see........He is a prophet .
Also, Jesus was limited in performing miracles. One time when Jesus tried to heal a blind man, the man was not healed after the first attempt, and Jesus had to try a second time
(Mark 8:22-26).
Read the text
22 - And he cometh to Bethsaida; and they bring a blind man unto him, and besought him to touch him.
23 - And he took the blind man by the hand, and led him out of the town; and when he had spit on his eyes, and put his hands upon him, he asked him if he saw ought.
24 - And he looked up, and said, I see men as trees, walking.
25 - After that he put his hands again upon his eyes, and made him look up: and he was restored, and saw every man clearly.
26 -And he sent him away to his house, saying, Neither go into the town, nor tell it to any in the town.
( Mark 8:22-26 ).
Failed attempts to make the blind see.
He asks him: Do you see anything?
If Christ were God, he would not have asked this human question.
Then in the end, Christ, peace be upon him, will be able, God willing, to heal the blind man.
Christ tells the blind man not to tell anyone for fear of the Jews.
By God, he is nothing but a blessed prophet
When you understand that you will say
I was blind and now I see........He is a prophet
What did the large crowd who ate of the five loaves of bread and two fish say?
Read the text
5 - When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?”
6 - He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do.
7 - Philip answered him, “It would take more than half a year’s wages[a] to buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!”
8 - Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up,
9 - “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?”
10 - Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” There was plenty of grass in that place, and they sat down (about five thousand men were there).
11 - Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish.
12 - When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.”
13 - So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten.
14 - After the people saw the sign Jesus performed, they began to say, “Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.”
John 6:5-14
When you understand that you will say
I was blind and now I see........He is a prophet
Jesus Appears to Two Disciples ، after the alleged crucifixion incident
Read the text
13 - That same day two of Jesus' disciples were going to the village of Emmaus, which was about eleven kilometers from Jerusalem.
14- As they were talking and thinking about what had happened,
15 - Jesus came near and started walking along beside them.
16 - But they did not know who he was.
17 - Jesus asked them, “What were you talking about as you walked along?”
The two of them stood there looking sad and gloomy.
18 - Then the one named Cleopas asked Jesus, “Are you the only person from Jerusalem who didn't know what was happening there these last few days?”
19 “What do you mean?” Jesus asked.
And they said to him, “Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, a man who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people,
20 - Then the chief priests and our leaders had him arrested and sentenced to die on a cross.
21- We had hoped that he would be the one to set Israel free! But it has already been three days since all this happened.
(Mark 16.12,21)
Jesus Confirmed That He Was a Prophet
The gospels confirm that Jesus believed that He was a prophet. Matthew records the following episode in Jesus’ hometown of Nazareth:
And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, “Prophets are not without honor except in their own country and in their own house.”
(Matthew 13:57 NRSV)
When you understand that you will say
I was blind and now I see........He is a prophet
Jesus acknowledged that He was a prophet in His hometown. This is despite the fact that His own people rejected Him.
The people of that day realized that Jesus of Nazareth He was a prophet spoke for God in a unique way.
The crowds in Jerusalem also testified that Jesus was a prophet. They recognized that He was sent from God to speak to them. The Bible says,
The crowds were saying, “This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee.”
(Matthew 21:11 NRSV)
When you understand that you will say
I was blind and now I see........He is a prophet
We read the following in John’s gospel about this perception which the people had:
When they heard these words, some in the crowd said, “This is really the prophet.”
(John 7:40 NRSV)
When you understand that you will say
I was blind and now I see........He is a prophet
The Woman in Samaria Knew Jesus Was a Prophet
A woman that Jesus met in the city of Samaria perceived Jesus as a prophet. John’s gospel records the following:
“Sir,” the woman replied, “I see that You are a prophet.”
(John 4:19 HCSB)
When you understand that you will say
I was blind and now I see........He is a prophet
Jesus told her things about herself that only a prophet of God would know. She recognized His unique calling.
The Testimony of Peter: Jesus Was the Prophet
Simon Peter, one of Jesus disciples, testified that Jesus was indeed the prophet which Moses had written about. After Peter performed a certain miracle, he said the following to the religious authorities:
Moses said, ‘The Lord your God will raise up a Prophet like me from among your own people. Listen carefully to everything he tells you.’ (Acts 3:22 NLT)
Peter publicly testified to the prophetic status of Jesus. He made it clear that Jesus , was the special prophet that God had promised to send into the world.
This is truly the prophet coming into the world.
When you understand that you will say
I was blind and now I see........He is a prophet
Do you know what Nicodemus, the leader of the Jews, said?
50 - Nicodemus, who had gone to Jesus earlier and who was one of their own number, asked,
51 - “Does our law condemn a man without first hearing him to find out what he has been doing?”
52 - They replied, “Are you from Galilee, too? Look into it, and you will find that a prophet does not come out of Galilee.”
John 7:50-52
When you understand that you will say
I was blind and now I see........He is a prophet
What did the demons say?
33 In the synagogue there was a man possessed by a demon, an impure spirit. He cried out at the top of his voice, 34 “Go away! What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!”
The Holy One of God means the Prophet of God, like Moses and Aaron.
16 They envied Moses also in the camp,
And Aaron the saint of Jehovah
When you understand that you will say
I was blind and now I see........He is a prophet
The Bible says twice that Jesus was accused of being God, but he denied it
According to the Bible, on only two instances the Jews opposed Jesus on the basis that he pretended to be God or equal with God. Had Jesus, may the mercy of God be upon him, claimed to be God, he is likely to have been opposed on this basis more frequently. Because in these two instances, when charged, in the one case, with making himself God, and in the other, with making himself equal with God, he denied the charges. In reply to the charge of being an equal with God, he says immediately:
John 5:19, 30 “The son can do nothing of himself, but what he sees the Father do”; and directly after:
“I can of mine own self do nothing.”
In answer to the charge of making himself God, he appeals to the Jews in substance thus: Your own Scriptures call Moses a god, and your magistrates gods; I am surely not inferior to them, yet I did not call myself God, but only the “son” of God
(John 10:34-36).
This is unlikely to have been Jesus’ actual response. Hastings in “The Dictionary of the Bible” says, “Whether Jesus used it of himself is doubtful.” Grolier’s encyclopedia, under the heading “Jesus Christ,” says, “it is uncertain whether the Father/Son language (Mark 18:32; Matt. 11:25-27 par.; John passim) goes back to Jesus himself.” A University of Richmond professor, Dr. Robert Alley, after considerable research into newly found ancient documents concludes that:
“....The (Biblical) passages where Jesus talks about the Son of God are later additions.... what the church said about him. Such a claim of deity for himself would not have been consistent with his entire lifestyle as we can reconstruct. For the first three decades after Jesus’ death Christianity continued as a sect within Judaism. The first three decades of the existence of the church were within the synagogue. That would have been beyond belief if they (the followers) had boldly proclaimed the deity of Jesus.”
Assuming Jesus did say that he was “son” of God. What did it mean? We first need to know the language of his people, the language of the Jews to whom he was speaking.
First, most people think there are no other verses that contradict or give equal divine sonship to other persons in the Old or New Testament. But according to the Bible God had quite a few “sons”: Adam,[1] Jacob is God’s son and firstborn,[2] Solomon[3], Ephraim[4] is God’s firstborn, common people are called the sons of God.[5] All four Gospels record Jesus as saying, “Blessed are the peace-makers; they will be called sons of God.”
The word “son” cannot be accepted literally because in the Bible, God apparently addresses many of his chosen servants as “son” and “sons.” The Hebrews believed God is One, and had neither wife nor children in any literal sense. Therefore, it is obvious the expression “son of God” merely meant “Servant of God”; one who, because of faithful service, was close and dear to God as a son is to his father. Christians who came from a Greek or Roman background, later misused this term. In their heritage, “son of God” signified an incarnation of a god or someone born of a physical union between male and female gods. This can be seen in Acts 14: 11-13, where we read that when Paul and Barnabas preached in a city of Turkey, pagans claimed they were gods incarnate. They called Barnabas the Roman god Zeus, and Paul the Roman god Hermes.
Furthermore, the New Testament Greek word translated as “son” are “pias” and “paida” which mean “servant,” or “son in the sense of servant.” These are translated to “son” in reference to Jesus and “servant” in reference to all others in some translations of the Bible. So, consistent with other verses, Jesus was merely saying that he is God’s servant.
When you understand that you will say
I was blind and now I see........He is a prophet
