259 The Red Letter Answers 9 Part 2

We conclude this two part series on how Jesus is supreme over

all prophets and teachers. In this episode we discover that Jesus is greater than Jacob, Abraham, he is the visible image of the invisible God, He claimed congruence with God, is greater than the church, the temple, and the Sabbath. And yet while being the greatest and master of all He is also our servant and lived his life in service to mankind.

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SHOW NOTES

9. Jesus is greater than Jacob.

John 4:12-13 NLT And besides, do you think you’re greater than our ancestor Jacob, who

gave us this well? How can you oher better water than he and his sons and his animals

enjoyed?” 13 Jesus replied, “Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty

again. 14 But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a

fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.”

10. Jesus is greater than Abraham.

“Are you greater than our father Abraham?” Jesus’ answer shocked them:

John 8:56, 58 “Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw

it and was glad. . . . Very truly I tell you, before Abraham was born, I am!”

By using "I am," he identified himself with God's eternal nature (Exodus 3:14), claiming

eternal life which even translated Enoch and Elijah cannot claim.

11. Jesus is the visible image of the invisible God (Colossians 1:15)

John 14:5-10 NLT “No, we don’t know, Lord,” Thomas said. “We have no idea where you

are going, so how can we know the way?”

Thomas, like his fellow disciples, is blinded by his desire for dominance over the Romans.

He is telling the truth without understanding his own false, confused goals for the Messiah.

14:6 Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Fatherexcept through me.

Jesus is the only eyewitness of the Father. He comes from the Father so he knows the wayto the Father. He has the truth of and about the Father and he possesses the life of theFather in himself. This is why he is the only one who can fully reveal the Father, he is the only eyewitness of God (John 1:18). This places Jesus above all other teachers, priests,

prophets, or theologians and philosophers.

14:7 If you had really known me, you would know who my Father is. From now on, you

do know him and have seen him!”

Thomas is ignorant of his own situation. He knows the Father because he knows Jesus but he does not know that he knows God. This is the blinding of disciples by the devil.

14:8 Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.”

Philip needs help to understand what Jesus is saying. Jesus’ announcement is so foreign to Philip that he cannot grasp what Jesus has just said. This must have been frustrating for Jesus as his response demonstrates.

14:9 Jesus replied, “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and yet you still don’t know

who I am? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father! So why are you asking me to

show him to you? 10 Don’t you believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me?

The words I speak are not my own, but my Father who lives in me does his work through

me.”

12. Jesus claimed congruence with God, not similarity.

According to the above statement Jesus is like God in every thought, feeling and action. They are Siamese twins joined in heart and mind. It is true that God is Spirit and Jesus is material manifestation but this is a minor diherence in a moral universe because their essential moral characters are identical.

13. Jesus is greater than the church.

John 15:20 NLT Do you remember what I told you? ‘A slave is not greater than the

master.’ Since they persecuted me, naturally they will persecute you. And if they had

listened to me, they would listen to you.

14. Jesus is greater than the temple.

Matthew 12:6 NLT I tell you, there is one here who is even greater than the Temple!

15. Jesus is greater than the Sabbath.

Matthew 12:8 “the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath. ”

“In Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form” (Colossians 2:9). As the

Word of God (John 1:1-3), Jesus is the fullest possible revelation from God to man. God

could not have spoken any more plainly.If any angel or human had made these claims about themselves, we would consider them arrogant, megalomaniac, self-deluded, narcissistic and most certainly suffering from a mental health disorder.

What Jesus claimed is either true, in which case he is LORD, or untrue in which case

he is a liar, or he is self-deluded in which case he is a lunatic. The evidence of history

and the witness of changed lives suggest that these extraordinary claims that Jesus

made for himself are some of the truest words ever uttered.

The Paradox of Jesus

At the same time Jesus is the greatest paradox this world has ever experienced. He is Lord and Master of all and yet he lives his earthly life serving us.

Matthew 20:28 NLT For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others

and to give his life as a ransom for many.

John 13:4-5 NLT So he got up from the table, took oh his robe, wrapped a towel around

his waist, 5 and poured water into a basin. Then he began to wash the disciples’ feet,

drying them with the towel he had around him.

Luke 12:37 NLT The servants who are ready and waiting for his return will be rewarded. I

tell you the truth, he himself will seat them, put on an apron, and serve them as they sit

and eat!

Every miracle Jesus performs is evidence of his servanthood towards us. He does miracles to bless us at his own expense.

Conclusion

Jesus is the most unique person who ever existed. He is God or love and he is living in a

world of selfishness and violent dominance. It is no wonder that we had dihiculty

understanding the way he spoke and the way he lived his life. When we understand him,

even a little, our lives change because the truth about God sets us free from our binding

selfishness.

John 8:32 NLT And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.

Ian Hartley, July 2026