The Divine Deeds of Jesus

If I claimed to be an NFL football player, you wouldn’t believe me. Not only because I’m far too small to play, nor do I possess the athletic talent required, but because you’ve never seen me don pads, run onto the field in a nationally televised game on an Autumn Sunday, nor score a touchdown for my team.

However, if I told you I am a pastor, you’d believe me. Even though I don’t wear a clerical collar or have the typical pastoral pedigree, you hear me preach on Sundays, might witness me officiating a wedding or funeral, ask me for biblical advice, or know I lead small groups and disciple people. In other words, because I do the deeds of a pastor, you’d believe me when I claim that as my job and calling in life.

Likewise, when we look at the person and work of Jesus, we see He not only carries the Honors, Attributes, and Names of God, but that He also does the Deeds that only God can do.

He Is God In-Deed!

Created All Things

In the New Testament (John 1:3, Romans 11:36, Colossians 1:16, Hebrews 1:1-3, among others), we see that Jesus is the Creator of all things.

Taught with Authority

Many times in the Gospels, we see the people blown away by the teaching of Jesus, because He taught with an authority that other rabbis didn’t have (Matthew 7:28-29, Mark 1:27, Luke 4:32). That is because as the author of Scripture, He had the authority to say, “But I say to you…” (Matthew 5:21-22, 27-28, 31-32, 33-34, 38-39, 43-44).

Forgave Sin

In Mark 2:1-12, Jesus heals a paralyzed man. But before He does, He says, “Your sins are forgiven.” The Pharisees present in the room are flabbergasted! They cry out, “Who can forgive sins but God alone?!?” (Little did they know…)

Had Power over Nature

While we see stories in the Old Testament of miracles within nature occurring at the hands of some prophets—events such as the ten plagues in Egypt (Exodus 7-12), the sun standing still (Joshua 10:12-13), and calling fire down from heaven (1 Kings 18:38)—the people at the time knew it was God doing the miracle, not the prophets themselves. Yet, when Jesus did things like stop storms (Mark 4:35-41, especially when paired with Psalm 107:29) or heal the blind and lame (Matthew 21:14, especially when paired with Psalm 146:8), those who witnessed the miracle knew it was Jesus Himself who exercised dominion over nature.

Had Power over Death

Jesus not only brought back a 12-year-old girl from the dead (Mark 5:35-42), as well as His friend Lazarus (John 11:38-44), but He raised Himself from the dead (John 2:18-22, 10:17-18, Acts 4:10)!

Closing

It is clear that many of the deeds Jesus performed during His time on earth reveal His divinity. He wasn’t just the most powerful prophet to have ever come. He was God in the flesh, doing what only He, as God, the second member of the Trinity, could do.