13-04-2025, 12:37 AM
(12-04-2025, 12:00 PM)Ali Imran Wrote: Let's talk about Mark 5. The demon-possessed man knew Jesus as a man, a son of God. Jesus's reputation as a miracle worker already preceded him. So when the man saw Jesus, the man paid reverence in Jesus's presence. The Greek word used is "proskuneo", which can mean worshipping God, but can also mean showing respect or reverence to a man. Which meaning should we choose? The latter, because the demon-possessed man referred to Jesus as a man, not God.
All the other verses you cited, they share the same ambiguity. They could be this or that.
We don't quibble that the Father is God because we can see the Father clearly saying he is God, without any ambiguity. I am the LORD, and there is no other; apart from me there is no God - Isaiah 45:5, absolutely no ambiguity.
The disciples called Jesus God directly, but you're so concerned about drawing the distinction between 'worship' and 'reverence' that you can't see the forest for the trees. The NT opens with a passage concluding that Jesus is Immanuel - God with us - which refers to the messianic prediction of Isaiah 7:14. The very title "Christ" carries the same meaning as the Hebrew appellation "Messiah" (Anointed).
Yahweh says in Zech 12:10, "They will look on Me whom they have pierced." The NT writers apply this text to Jesus twice, predicting His crucifixion (John 19:37; Rev 1:7). Paul interprets Isaiah's message, "For I am God , and there is no other ... To Me every knee will bow, every tongue will swear allegiance" (Isa 45:22-23) as applying to the Lord: "at the name of Jesus every knee will bow .. every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father" (Phil 2:10-11). The implications of this are strong because Paul says that all created beings will call Jesus both Messiah (Christ) and Yahweh (Lord).