John 1:1 and the Jehovah’s Witnesses – Episode 29, Matthew’s Testimony

We’ve been trying to show why it could not or would not make sense for John to be saying that Jesus was ‘a’ god. Would the apostle John be out of step with the other apostles and view Jesus as a created being? We can see that the rest of the apostles whose writings we have in our New Testament, did not view Jesus as a created being but the Almighty God.

The Apostle Matthew

We’ve already seen that it is Matthew who sees in Jesus the fulfillment of the prophecy in Isaiah 7:14 of the virgin bearing a son who is God with us. And like Mark, Matthew identifies Yahweh, who is coming and being announced by John the Baptist, as Jesus (Matthew 3:1-6). And also, like Mark, in Matthew 9:1-8 Matthew also recounts Jesus forgiving a man’s sins to the shock and horror of the Pharisees, who consider this blasphemy, and such it is if Jesus isn’t God.

Matthew recounts Jesus’ trial before the chief priests and the Sanhedrin where Jesus is asked to declare whether he is the Messiah and the Son of God (Matthew 26:57-68). There Jesus declares that their description is true but that in the future they will see the Son of Man seated at God’s right hand and coming on the clouds of heaven, a clear reference as we have seen to the figure in Daniel 7 to whom all kingdoms will be given and whom all will serve and worship. The chief priest says at this response, “He has blasphemed! What more do we need of witnesses? See now, you hear this blasphemy.” This means the religious leaders recognize in Daniel’s prophecy that this figure, one like a son of man, is deity, is God, who alone deserves worship, and whom to claim to be is blasphemy if one is not God.

Matthew also records Jesus’ declaration that he is the sender of prophets, sages and teachers whom the ungodly will persecute (Matthew 23:34). This is an action that is only elsewhere attributed to Yahweh, as in Jeremiah’s calling and Isaiah’s sending, and all the other prophets (Genesis 45:8; Isaiah 6:8; Jeremiah 1:7; 2 Samuel 12:1; Ezekiel 2:3; Amos 2:11; 3:7).

And Matthew relates Jesus’ commission to his disciples to make disciples of all nations and to baptize them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19). To be baptized in these names makes them equal in authority and glory.