by: Munir Ahmed Munshey

It is alleged that Jesus (peace be upon him) was not a prophet; that, rather he is God. Nothing could be further from the truth! The troubles of this world stem, at least in part from the fact that people have refused to accept Jesus (peace be upon him) as a prophet, a messenger and a messiah. Instead, they called him God and thus polluted and defiled his teachings.

Jesus (peace be upon him) never claimed to be God! He never said, “I am God!” In fact, he himself prayed to God Almighty.

There is not a single mention in the bible where Jesus (peace be upon him) is reported to have said, “worship me!” In fact, he himself worshipped God! Nor did he authorize his mother to be worshipped.

He did not accept any credit for the miracles he performed; nor for his teachings. Very humbly, and like a true prophet, he pointed to them as the signs of God Almighty.

The people in general, to whom he preached, considered him a prophet __ even those he cured of illnesses.

King Herod and the Pharisees were also aware that Jesus (peace be upon him) had declared his prophethood. They opposed him knowing fully well that he had claimed himself to be a  prophet. At several places in the bible, Jesus (peace be upon him) refers to himself as a prophet and God Almighty testified to it. Apostle Peter and Apostle Paul testified to it. Stephen, the first man who became a martyr for Jesus (peace be upon him) gave a dying declaration that Jesus (peace be upon him) was a man and a prophet of God. After bearing witness to that fact, Stephen said nothing further. He breathed his last.

The bible carries all the above mentioned testimony, even to this day!

A Prophet amongst People

Let us examine the testimony of the bible. The people in general believed him to be a prophet. The bible says:

After the people saw the miraculous sign that Jesus did, they began to say, "Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world." John 6:14

On hearing his words, some of the people said, "Surely this man is the Prophet." John 7:40

When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, "Who is this"  The crowds answered, "This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee." Matthew 21:10 & 11

When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say the Son of Man is?" They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the Prophets." Matthew 16:13 &14

Jesus and his disciples went on to the villages around Caesarea Philippi.  On the way he asked them, "Who do people say I am?"  They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets." Mark 8:27 & 28

Once when Jesus was praying in private and his disciples were with him, he asked them, "Who do the crowds say I am" They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, that one of the prophets of long ago has come back to life." Luke 9:18 &19

The above versus of the bible not only establish beyond doubt that Jesus (peace be upon him) had claimed to be a prophet, but also that his claim had found wide circulation amongst the general public. People were overwhelmed by the miracles he performed. His teachings were and are true! They would have called him God if he had so desired. People have accepted men of a far lesser stature than Jesus (peace be upon him) as Gods.

Miracles convince People of Jesus’ Prophethood

Even those touched by the miracles, as well as their immediate family, called him a prophet:

Finally they turned again to the blind man, "What have you to say about him [Jesus]? It was your eyes he opened." The man replied, "He is a prophet." John 8:17

The dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him back to his mother. They were all filled with awe and praised God.  "A great prophet has appeared among us," they said. Luke 7:15 &16

Those living in the year 30 A.D. were not confused. Jesus (peace be upon him) lived and preached amongst them. Some accepted his claim, others rejected it. Both groups knew and understood the claim and its consequences. The beneficiaries of the miracles, the blind men who began seeing again, and the young man who came back from the dead, would have gladly called him God. Yet, they called him a Prophet!

Even his adversaries (the Pharisees) knew what the message was:

[The Pharisees] replied, "Are you from Galilee, too? Look into it, and you will find that a prophet does not come out of Galilee." John 7:52

The Pharisees, being well versed in the scriptures, knew that Jesus (peace be upon him) had claimed to be a prophet. In the above verse they were refuting Jesus’ claim (peace be upon him). Their books did not show a prophet coming from Galilee.

The Jewish king Herod, the political authority of that time, was perplexed:

Now Herod the tetrarch heard about all that was going on.  And he was perplexed, because some were saying that John had been raised from the dead, others that Elijah had appeared, and still others that one of the prophets of long ago had come back to life. Luke 9:7 & 8

King Herod’s men (his secret agents) had informed him what people thought about Jesus (peace be upon him). Even after Jesus (peace be upon him) had gone, people did not begin calling him God and continued to believe that he was a prophet:

One of [the disiples], named Cleopas, asked [the stranger], "Are you only a visitor to Jerusalem and do not know the things that have happened there in these days?" “What things?" [the stranger] asked. “About Jesus of Nazareth,” [the disciples] replied. “He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people.” Luke 24:18 & 19

Jesus declares his prophethood

The following verses of the bible prove clearly that Jesus (peace be upon him) had declared his prophethood.

Now Jesus himself had pointed out that a prophet has no honor in his own country. John 4:44

And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, "Only in his hometown and in his own house is a Prophet without honor." Matthew 13:57

Jesus said to them, "Only in his hometown, among his relatives and in his own house is a Prophet without honor." Mark 6:4

[Jesus said] “I tell you the truth," he continued, “no prophet is accepted in his hometown.” Luke 4:24

[Jesus said] “In any case, I must keep going today and tomorrow and the next day, for surely no prophet can die outside Jerusalem!” Luke 13:33

[Jesus said] "He who receives you receives me, and he who receives me receives the one who sent me. Anyone who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet's reward, and anyone who receives a righteous man because he is a righteous man will receive a righteous man's reward.” Matthew 10:40 &41

[Jesus said] “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you.” Matthew 23:37

Jesus (peace be upon him) was a great prophet, a true messenger, who conveyed the message of God in the best possible manner. He neither changed the message nor added anything to it. Nor did he accept any credit for the message. He gave all credit and praise to God Almighty.

Jesus answered, "My teaching is not my own.  It comes from Him who sent me. If anyone chooses to do God's will, he will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own.” John 7:16 & 17

[Jesus said] “He who does not love me will not obey my teaching.  These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.” John 14:24

(When sending messengers to other places Jesus (peace be upon him) tells his apostles) Again Jesus said, "Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” John 20:21

[Jesus said] “I tell you the truth no servant is greater than his master, nor a messenger greater than the One who sent him.” John 13:16

Apostles accepted Jesus as a messenger and servant of God

Jesus (peace be upon him) is the servant and God Almighty is the master; he understood himself to be the servant of God, the Almighty. He did not feel ashamed to be the servant of God. Later generations elevated him to Godhood. Peter, the apostle knew that Jesus (peace be upon him) was nothing more than the servant of God:

[Peter said] “The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified His servant Jesus.  You handed him over to be killed, and you disowned him before Pilate, though he had decided to let him go.” Acts 3:13 (Emphasis added)

[Peter said] “When God raised up His servant, He sent him first to you to bless you by turning each of you from your wicked ways.” Acts 3:26

Paul, the apostle declared Jesus (peace be upon him) to be the ‘man appointed’ by God and  a ‘man accredited’ by God.

[Paul said] “For he has set a day when He [God] will judge the world with justice by the man [Jesus, whom] He has appointed.  He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead.” Acts 17:31

[Paul  said] “Men of Israel, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know.” Acts 2:22 (Emphasis added)

Stephen was a martyr. In fact he was the first martyr. He loved Jesus (peace be upon him) and willingly embraced death. Right before his death he announced:

When they heard this, they were furious and gnashed their teeth at him. But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. "Look," he said, “I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” Acts 7:54 (Emphasis added)

Stephen saw Jesus (peace be upon him), the son of man, to be separate and distinct from the person of God.

God Almighty testified

The testimony of God, however, is the greatest testimony. He, Himself mentions Jesus (peace be upon him) to be a prophet. In the following verses of the bible, the Almighty speaks in the first person and declares:

Because of this, God in his wisdom said, “I will send them prophets and apostles, some of whom they will kill and others they will persecute.” Therefore this generation will be held responsible for the blood of all the prophets that has been shed since the beginning of the world. Luke 11:49 & 50

The bible pulls the ground from under those who refuse to accept Jesus (peace be upon him) as a prophet of God, as it defies those who elevate the prophet of God to the status of God Himself. No one, absolutely no one, has any share in Godhood. There is only one God and every other being is His creation and servant. That is the true teaching of Jesus (peace be upon him).