Thinking Fellows Podcast: "Did Jesus Claim to Be God?" 1517 Podcasts • March 19, 2026 • Hosts: Caleb Keith, Scott Keith, Adam Francisco & Bruce Hillman

Episode Overview

This episode of the Thinking Fellows tackles a question that has surged in online and academic circles: "Did Jesus ever claim to be God?" The hosts examine popular and scholarly arguments questioning Jesus’ divinity claims, unpack the scriptural context, and respond to the recurring assertion that the doctrine is a late Christian invention. The conversation is energetic, at times humorous, and rooted in both biblical texts and early church history.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Why This Question Now? (00:57–03:13)

• Pop Culture & Apologetics: The claim that "Jesus never said he was God" re-emerges frequently, most notably from Islamic apologists, quasi-Arian groups (e.g., Jehovah’s Witnesses), and secular critics.

  “Adam, you said you have the Islamic bent to this... but are there any other, like, why do you think this question comes back up today?” (Caleb, 01:33)

• Philosophical & Social Motivations: The idea of a man being God challenges modern rationalist and secular worldviews. Host Adam Francisco observes that for many, the divinity of Jesus does not seem plausible with their worldview assumptions (03:13).

2. Biblical Evidence: Did Jesus Claim Divinity?

a. The Historical & Cultural Context (03:13–06:45)

• Jewish Context: Expecting Jesus to say, "I am Yahweh," is anachronistic. Jews of the Second Temple period avoided saying "Yahweh" directly, using synonyms like "the Blessed" (Adam, 03:13–06:45).

• Mark 14 Example: At his trial before the Sanhedrin, when asked, "Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?" Jesus answers, "I am." The charge of blasphemy and his crucifixion are evidence that he claimed divinity in a way understood by his contemporaries.

  “...that is the whole reason why he gets arrested and put on trial and crucified, because he's guilty of blasphemy.” (Adam, 05:50)

b. Christology Across the Gospels (06:45–21:10)

• John’s “High Christology”: Critics argue only John explicitly records divine claims. However, all Gospels show high Christology, even if implicit.

• Synoptics’ Implicit Claims: In Matthew, Mark, and Luke, Jesus does things only God can do—like forgiving sins, accepting worship, controlling nature, and using “Son of Man” (from Daniel) as a divine title.

  “Son of Man is a divine office. It's in many ways a more important and higher office than Messiah because the Son of Man in Daniel is seen as the king of the universe.” (Bruce, 17:10)

• Old Testament Fulfillment: The Gospels present Jesus as the fulfillment of Old Testament messianic and divine prophecies, and this functioned as a more Hebrew way of claiming deity.

  “...if your whole argument is just, no, I need to hear Jesus say the words, ‘I am God’... I'm sorry, you're asking for a level of proof that's kind of silly...” (Bruce, 20:10)

c. Notable Scriptural Example (21:10–23:41)

• Matthew 9:1–8: Jesus forgives sins and heals a paralytic. The scribes accuse him of blasphemy, recognizing his claim to divine authority.

  “...when he forgives sins, the teachers of the law automatically recognize that that means that he's claiming to be God.” (Scott, 22:06)

• Son of Man Reference: The use of Danielic “Son of Man” compounds the claim (Scott, 23:41).

3. Early Church Testimony & Interpretation (15:41–28:51)

• Earliest Christian Writings: Ancient sources outside the Gospels (Didache, Clement, Ignatius) present Jesus as God. Skeptics often dismiss these as inventions, despite their proximity to the apostolic era.

  “The earliest Christian writings that exist outside the Bible where Jesus is clearly God...” (Bruce, 16:14)

• Martyrdom as Validation: Early martyrs died for their confession of Jesus as God—hard to explain if it was a late invention (Bruce, 28:51).

4. Why This Argument Persists (28:51–36:47)

• Social Media & Low Literacy: Quick, reductionist arguments thrive online and can exploit biblical illiteracy:

  “...it relies on the low amount of effort and reading comprehension that people have...” (Caleb, 32:51)

• Chronological Snobbery: Moderns sometimes presume they have outsmarted two millennia of Christian thinkers:

  “...you're in the mic, the most intelligent period in human history. Right?” (Caleb, 35:21)

• Equal Opportunity Skepticism: If you stumble upon a "gotcha" argument, be fair—see how Christians have addressed it over 2,000 years (Bruce, 34:34).

5. Christianity as Falsifiable Faith (37:18–39:56)

• Resurrection as Core Claim: Paul explicitly says that if Christ has not been raised, Christian faith is in vain (1 Corinthians 15:17).

  “If you want to prove that this is all a load of crap, this is what you need to do...” (Scott, 37:34)

• Uniqueness Among Religions: Christianity identifies a concrete, testable historical event as its lynchpin.

  “Christianity is vindicated. It can be falsified. It is contingent upon facts the way no other religion is.” (Adam, 39:20)

6. Why Undermine Jesus' Divinity? (40:07–45:46)

• Church Authority: Modern critiques often aim to undermine the moral authority of the historic church, not just the doctrine itself (Caleb, 40:07).

• Moral Teacher Narrative: There's a trend to keep Jesus as a wise teacher but strip him of divinity, so he can be harnessed for various agendas (Bruce, 41:42):

  “The best way to get people to accept a Jesus without the true Jesus is to give you a morally righteous Jesus you can follow... You strip him of his divinity and you exalt him as a moral authority and then you co opt him to be used for your own agenda.” (Bruce, 42:18)

7. Augustine on Love (44:38–45:46)

• Love & Sin: Augustine's insight that “everyone who's going to hell is going there because they love, but what they love is wrong.” The point: simply “loving” isn’t enough without right orientation toward God.

  “Love is what's sending them to hell.” (Bruce, 44:50)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On anachronism:

  “To expect him [Jesus] to say that is anachronistic. But he does in several places acknowledge his divinity.” (Adam, 05:30)

• On the purpose of miracles:

  “It’s that the ministry, the entire ministry of Christ is set up to demonstrate that specifically, the thing, as we've said, that gets him killed is this constant claiming of the authority that only God would have.” (Caleb, 24:10)

• On social media skepticism:

  “Be an equal opportunity conspiracy theorist.” (Bruce, 34:34)

• On Christianity’s falsifiability:

  “Paul says exactly that in 1 Corinthians 15:17... It is falsifiable epistemologically, it’s dialed in like that.” (Scott, 37:18–37:34)

Important Segment Timestamps

• Intro and why the question matters: 00:57–03:13
• Scriptural and historical context (Mark 14, Jewish blasphemy): 03:13–06:45
• Debate on Gospel dating and development of Christology: 11:04–14:26
• Old Testament fulfillment and “Son of Man” claim: 16:14–21:10
• Matthew 9: Forgiving sins as divine claim: 21:28–23:41
• Role of early Christian sources: 15:41–28:51
• “Gotcha” culture and internet arguments: 32:51–36:47
• Christianity’s testability and resurrection: 37:18–39:56
• Modern uses of 'Jesus the moral teacher': 41:42–44:38
• Augustine on love as root of sin: 44:38–45:46

Takeaway

The episode robustly argues that while Jesus may not have uttered the exact phrase “I am God,” every Gospel testifies to his divine identity through word, action, and fulfillment of Old Testament expectations. The charge of blasphemy, his trial and execution, the response of his followers, and the unbroken witness of the early church all confirm that his claim, and the church’s confession, is not a late invention but the spine of Christianity itself. The hosts challenge listeners to look deeper than soundbites and consider the full weight of the New Testament's witness.

“Not only did Jesus claim to be God, he actually fulfilled it.” (Caleb, 46:02)