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Jesus' claims

The response of those who heard Jesus, the Jews, demonstrates just how outrageous Jesus' claims were to the people of His day.  Did Jesus really claim to have authority that only God can have?  For example, did Jesus actually claim to be able to forgive people's sins?  It is important to understand what Jesus was really saying.
Jesus' claims in the Holy Injil

1. Jesus' word is God's word     His word is eternal, just as God’s word is eternal (Matthew 5:17-18; 24:35). No other prophets had ever referred to God’s word as their own. Their task was to proclaim "This is what the LORD says ..."; "Hear the word of the LORD ..." (see Exodus 8:1; 1 Kings 20:13; Isaiah 28:14; Jeremiah 19:15). But Jesus was different.

2. Jesus has the authority to forgive sins     Jesus declared the paralytic forgiven of his sins (Mark 2:5-6). No-one has the right to forgive people their sins except God. Even Muslims believe this (see Surah 3:135). Jesus proved His power to forgive sins by healing the paralytic. Would God have given Jesus the power to perform this miracle if He had no right to forgive the sick man his sins? Jesus told people on other occasions that their sins were forgiven (Luke 7:36-50; John 8:1-11). In Luke 7:49, people reacted by saying, "Who is this who even forgives sins?"

3. Jesus' authority is above God's law     Jesus' disciples plucked ears of corn to eat on a Sabbath day, an activity which the Pharisees condemned as against the law of the Sabbath. Jesus defended His disciples' actions by saying, "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath" (Mark 2:23-28).

4. The risen Christ is God's new temple     Jesus cleansed the temple of the money changers and responded to the Jews' demand for a sign to justify His actions by saying, "Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days" (John 2:18-19). Some of Jesus' accusers repeated these words as a main charge against Him when Jesus appeared before the Sanhedrin (Matthew 26:61). After Jesus' resurrection His disciples finally understood that "the temple he had spoken of was his [resurrected] body" (John 2:21).
 
5. Jesus is the judge on the Day of Judgment     In Matthew 25:31-34, Jesus claimed to be the King on the Day of Judgment. The Qur'an reserves this position for God alone (1:4). Jesus identifies Himself as the one who will call people to give account for their lives: "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord...'" (Matthew 7:21-23). In speaking of His two-fold mission as savior and judge, Jesus says, "And he has given him authority to judge because he is the Son of Man" (John 5:24-27).

6. Jesus is 'the way, the truth, and the life'     Unlike other prophets who only point people to God's way, Jesus pointed people to Himself as well: "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies..." (John 11:25-26). Jesus' very person, not just His message, is God’s way, truth, and life. Furthermore, Jesus claims He is the only way anyone can find the supreme knowledge of who God is. He is the only way anyone can know God as their heavenly Father (John 14:6). Jesus also referred to Himself as "I am" (John 8:58; 6:35,48; 8:12; 10:14).  (See Jesus' "I am" sayings)

7. Jesus is one with God the Father     As the culmination of a gradual revelation of who He was, Jesus responded to the Jews' demand to plainly state His identity by saying, "I did tell you, but you do not believe. The miracles I do in my Father's name speak for me ... I and the Father are one" (John 10:24-25,30). The Jews, enraged, wanted to stone Jesus, saying, "... because you, a mere man, claim to be God" (John 10:33).

This section (Jesus' Claims in the Gospels) comes from the book:  Faith to Faith, by Chawkat Moucarry, Liecester, England: IVP. 2001. Pages 197-200.  Used with permission.
 
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