The first thing we should note is that on at least two occasions Jesus claimed ‘He Came from God.’
After feeding the five thousand He claimed to be ‘the bread of life’ sent from the Father. We read this in John 6:32-35 Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.”
Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.
His claim is further stated more clearly later in John 6:38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me.
Then as now, people who hear this claim have problems with it.
Because Jesus said that it is only those who accept and receive Him as ‘the bread of life’ will have eternal life with the Father in His heaven.
Many found it hard to accept John 6:60 When many of his disciples heard it, they said, “This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?”
A second occasion when Jesus made such a claim was in the temple at the feast of tabernacles (Booths/Sukkot)
He again claims to have come from God John 7:28-29 So Jesus proclaimed, as He taught in the temple, “You know me and you know where I come from. But I have not come of my own accord. He who sent me is true, and Him you do not know. I know Him, for I come from Him, and He sent me.”
1. He Alone Has Seen God John 6:46 It’s the same claim stated by John in John 1:18
2.He Knows God John 8:55 But you have not known him. I know him. If I were to say that I do not know him, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and I keep his word.
3.He Reveals God Jesus offers a complete revelation of God the Father as John stated in his opening – John1:18
And Jesus Himself declared this fact on at least two separate occasions. To the Pharisees John 12:44-45 And Jesus cried out and said, “Whoever believes in me, believes not in me but in him who sent me. And whoever sees me sees him who sent me.
To His disciples John 14:7-10
4.He Is Equal To God This claim irritated the Jewish people for it they tried to kill Him. They viewed it as blasphemy Jesus even took upon Himself the special name of God
The Name revealed to Moses at the burning bush – cf. Exodus 3:13-14 Then Moses said to God, “If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?” God said to Moses, “I am who I am. And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I am has sent me to you.’”
Jesus called Himself the ‘I AM’ John 8:58 Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.”
This title tells us of our need to believe in Jesus ‘I told you that you would die in your sins, for unless you believe that I am He you will die in your sins.’ John 8:24
Jesus said: He came from God, He alone has seen God, He knows God, He reveals God and He is equal to God.
Certainly these are claims difficult to accept from someone who was simply ‘a lofty man’
Neither was He just a liar or lunatic Lord of everything He claimed to be: He is the fullest revelation of God made known to man and He is as He says, the only way to God.