Why did Jesus not plainly say, "I am God, worship Me," as God did to assert His deity in the Old Testament?
This is an apologetics question. Many muslim organizations like TNTJ are arising against people of other faiths, especially Christians, and are calling for argument about this question. Hence the users of this site, and I need a solid answer to refute their assertions.
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Asked October 07 2014
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Arun Kumar
Supporter
For follow-up discussion and general commentary on the topic. Comments are sorted chronologically.
Karen Sweeney
Jesus did not say "I am God, worship Me," plainly in the bible because he did not mean to say it. I try to think of and be thankful for God and Jesus in terms of what the bible says, not what I hear people (even at church) say about who they are. Pray then read and study Philippians 2 very slowly.
Joseph Turner
It is important to remember that when talking about the humility of Christ we keep in mind that the very act of God taking on flesh was humbling. Jesus did not turn away acts of worship. He did warn people to not draw too much attention to Himself because it was not yet His appointed time, and He did use His ministry on earth to serve other people. Ultimately, in John 18:37, He said he was to bear witness to the truth. He also said in John 6:28-9 that the will of God was that the people would believe the one He sent. In John 6:35-40, Jesus proceeded to give one of the hardest and offensive teachings of His ministry, that He was the bread from Heaven, and we must drink His blood and eat His flesh. The reason I am pointing this out is because I want us to be careful about how we use the word 'humility'. Yes, Jesus humbled himself by taking on flesh and the role of a servant. But, He never denied Who He was or the worship that was due Him. And let us not forget the Christ Who will return in glory as revealed in Revelation, Who is worshipped along with the Father in Revelation 22:3. All of the Glory belongs to God.