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Jesus and Jehovah

Jesus makes some fantastic claims, like seeing him is the same as seeing his Father (God)! He also says believing him is the same as believing his Father (God). Isn’t this the same as saying Jesus is God–even Jehovah God?

Eddie

It is not my intention to debate whether God’s name should be pronounced Yahweh or Jehovah or even if vowels should be inserted at all in the Hebrew YHWH. In the last instance God’s name would be unpronounceable. If one tried to pronounce the sound of the Hebrew YHWH only the exhaling of breadth would occur. I know certain groups prefer one of the above references to God over the others. I am comfortable with any of these references when speaking of God.

Most people who trust the Scriptures to be the word of God believe that the one Moses spoke to on Mount Sinai was God (Exodus 20:1-2 – YHWH, Jehovah or Yahweh). In Exodus 33:18 Moses asked Jehovah to show him his glory. In Exodus 33:20-23 Jehovah told Moses that no one could look upon his face and live, but he would cover Moses’ face while he passed by, and Moses would see God’s glory from the rear. Exodus chapter 34 goes on to show that Moses saw the back of Jehovah and heard his voice. The word of God records in the New Testament that no man has ever seen God in his glory or divine essence:

John 1:18 KJV No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.

Furthermore, Jesus himself has said of Father that men have neither heard his voice at any time nor seen his figure (John 5:37; 6:46). If this is so, how is it that the Scripture records on a number of occasions that men have both heard and seen Jehovah?

    Exodus 24:9-10 – Moses, Aaron, and his sons and 70 elders saw the LORD, the God of Israel
    Exodus 34:5-7 – God revealed his glory to Moses; and he saw the LORD’s back.
    Numbers 12:8 – The LORD spoke mouth to mouth with Moses, and he saw the form of God
    Deuteronomy 4:12, 15 – While Israel saw no form of God, they did hear his voice as he spoke from the fire.
    Ezekiel 1, 2, 3, 4 – Who did Ezekiel see if not Jehovah GOD?
    Isaiah 6:1-10 – Isaiah saw Jehovah God.

Isaiah 6:1-10 ASV In the year that king Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and his train filled the temple. (2) Above him stood the seraphim: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. (3) And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is Jehovah of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory. (4) And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke. (5) Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, Jehovah of hosts. (6) Then flew one of the seraphim unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar: (7) and he touched my mouth with it, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin forgiven. (8) And I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then I said, Here am I; send me. (9) And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not. (10) Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they sea with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and turn again, and be healed. (emphasis mine)

I quoted these ten verses to make a point concerning Jesus. The New Testament makes a special reference to Isaiah 6:1-10 in John 12:31-42. I would like to quote the comment John makes in verse 41 and 42:

John 12:41-42 NET. Isaiah said these things because he saw Christ’s glory, and spoke about him. (42) Nevertheless, even among the rulers many believed in him, but because of the Pharisees they would not confess Jesus to be the Christ, so that they would not be put out of the synagogue.

It is clear that Isaiah saw Jehovah GOD (Isaiah 6:1, 5), and it is also quite clear that he heard Jehovah’s voice (Isaiah 6:8). If Jehovah is not a name ascribed to Jesus but only to our heavenly Father, how can Jesus say that no one has ever seen the Father or heard his voice (John 5:37; 6:46)? The only conclusion that can be drawn from John’s commentary of Isaiah 6:1-10 is Jesus is Jehovah GOD! Who else does Isaiah see? Clearly John referred to Jesus when he said some rulers of the synagogues believed he was the Messiah but were afraid to declare this openly. Clearly it is none other than Jesus that John meant in saying that Isaiah spoke of him, for why would the rulers be afraid to openly trust the heavenly Father. There was no controversy concerning the Father being Jehovah God.

If Jesus is not God, then he makes some very outrageous statements when he makes some comparisons between himself and his Father:

    John 5:19 – The Father and Jesus are equal in working power; for our Father never acts independently of Jesus (v.20)
    John 5:21-22 – They both have power to raise the dead.
    John 5:23 – Both demand equal honor
    John 12:44-45 – Faith in Jesus is the same as faith in our heavenly Father
    John 14:7,9 – To behold Jesus is the same as beholding our Father, and knowing Jesus is the same as knowing the Father.

If my faith in Jesus is the same as having faith in our Father, are they not One in essence? After all who could ever say, “Having faith in Martin Luther…” or “Having faith in the Pope…” or “Having faith in whoever might be considered the founder of your own denomination of Christianity is the same as having faith in Jesus or our Father.” Trusting men in the place of trusting Jesus and God is how we have gotten into trouble down through the centuries. When I place my trust in mere men, I am bearing fruit to the flesh (Galatians 5:19-20; cp. 1Corinthians 1:12-13; 3:3-4). Moreover, when Jesus works in my life, the Father is working too. Is it not the truth to say that God is at work in my life when Jesus touches me? If am honoring our Father when I honor Jesus (John 5:23), is it not honoring God to honor Jesus? In addition to all this, if all I know of God comes from knowing Jesus, is it not correct to say, “To know Jesus is to know God!” (cp. John 14:9)? Therefore, could there be any doubt that Jesus himself is God, even Jehovah, The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob?