Did Jesus Say He Was God? – Jesus Answers Caiaphas, Part 1
Did Jesus ever say He was God? Well, yes and no. He never explicitly said, “Hey everyone, I’m God!” That would have been nice for those of us that aren’t Jewish and only read English Bibles. However, Jesus was Jewish and He actually did claim to be God, but He did so in various Jewish ways that are often missed. Today we’ll look at the phrase, “You have said so” in Matthew 26:64.
“You have said so” – Matthew 26:64
This passage takes place on the Thursday before Jesus was crucified. He had been arrested and was taken to Caiaphas, the High Priest, to be put on trial. Caiaphas had already assembled the Sanhedrin; the counsel of Jewish religious leaders that made political and judicial decisions. They were looking for a way to accuse Jesus of a crime worthy of death, but they couldn’t find any legitimate charge. So, when all else failed, Caiaphas finally said to Jesus:
“I charge you under oath by the living God: Tell us if you are the Messiah, the Son of God.” “You have said so,” Jesus replied. (Matthew 26:63-64, NIV)
The phrase, “You have said so,” is an affirmative statement. I wondered if it was a phrase unique to Jesus, or if it was something commonly used in their culture. I found the latter to be true. Let’s look at a few biblical examples (I also found several examples in ancient writings outside the bible using this source):
Genesis 30:34 (NIV) – Jacob made a deal with Laban so that he could go back to his homeland with his wife, Rachel, and their children. Once the terms were set, Laban said, “Agreed. Let it be as you have said.” This isn’t the exact English phrase, “You have said so,” however, it is an equivalent Hebrew phrase. Laban is affirming the terms that Jacob proposed for his family.
2 Samuel 7:29 (NIV) – “Now be pleased to bless the house of your servant, that it may continue forever in your sight; for you, Sovereign LORD, have spoken, and with your blessing the house of your servant will be blessed forever.” The phrase, “have spoken,” is the exact Greek phrase, “you have said so,” in the Septuagint [Σὺ εἶπας] (the Greek Old Testament that was used during the time of Jesus). Both phrases affirm that whatever has been said, is true.
Ezekiel 27:1-3 (NIV) – “The word of the LORD came to me: “Son of man, take up a lament concerning Tyre. Say to Tyre, situated at the gateway to the sea, merchant of peoples on many coasts, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: “‘You say, Tyre, “I am perfect in beauty.”” Again, this is the same Greek phrase in the Septuagint [Σὺ εἶπας]. Tyre made a claim that they were perfect in beauty. It is what they said and affirmed about themselves.
Matthew 26:23-25 (NIV) – “Jesus replied, “The one who has dipped his hand into the bowl with me will betray me. The Son of Man will go just as it is written about him. But woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man! It would be better for him if he had not been born.” Then Judas, the one who would betray him, said, “Surely you don’t mean me, Rabbi?” Jesus answered, “You have said so.”” This one is easy to see that Jesus was giving an affirmation to Judas’ question.
Mark 15:1-2 (NIV) – This passage takes place on the Friday morning of Jesus’ crucifixion, after Jesus was arrested by the Sanhedrin the night before – “Very early in the morning, the chief priests, with the elders, the teachers of the law and the whole Sanhedrin, made their plans. So they bound Jesus, led him away and handed him over to Pilate. “Are you the king of the Jews?” asked Pilate. “You have said so,” Jesus replied.” This too is an affirmation of Pilate’s own words.
Again, “You have said so,” is an affirmation of whatever was previously spoken. So when Caiaphas asked Jesus if He was the Messiah, Jesus affirmed his statement. But does the fact that Jesus thought of Himself as the Messiah prove that He claimed to be God? For that, we would have to show that the Messiah is God.
The Coming Messiah
Isaiah 9:6-7 is a prophecy about the Messiah. Check it out:
“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this.” (NIV)
Even the Jewish Apostle Paul acknowledges that the Messiah is God: “Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of the Messiah, who is God over all, forever praised! Amen.” (Romans 9:5, NIV)
And there it is! When Jesus claims to be the Messiah, He is saying that He is God. He affirmed the words of both Caiaphas and Pilate by saying, “You have said so,” which ultimately led to His death. Why? Because to the Jewish religious leaders, if you were claiming to be God, you were claiming blasphemy, which was a crime worthy of death. That’s why the Jewish religious leaders had been trying to kill Him all along: John 10:33, “We are not stoning you for any good work,” they replied, “but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God.”
Not convinced? That’s okay… Next week we’ll talk about how Jesus directly claimed to be God, yet again, in a very Jewish way.