As you read the Gospels, you'll notice how often there is speculation about exactly whom Jesus is. At times, Jesus is vague or indirect about his identity; at other times, he is very clear and even strident.
More than sixty times, Jesus either makes a statement about his identity or acknowledges a claim someone else has made. As a result, in this countdown of the number of times Jesus talked about topics in the Gospels, statements regarding his identity come in at number two.
In the first half of this podcast, I walk through the vaguest references Jesus makes, then move on to indirect statements, direct statements, and finally confrontational statements. The most common identities are to label Jesus as Son of Man, Son of God, Messiah or Christ. Jesus also makes statements that either align or equate him with the Father, making it known then that he himself is God.
In the podcast's second half, there is a twist with my choice of guest. I invited Rabbi Joseph Kolakowski, a New York and Pennsylvania-based rabbi, to join me to give his perspective on how Jesus's statements would have been received by the Jewish leaders of the time. He has a few surprising things to say, from how a good number of statements would not have offended the leaders, to his analysis that Christians may have some misunderstanding of exactly who turned Jesus over to the Romans to be crucified.
This promises to be a fascinating podcast, so I hope you'll take the time to listen to it. The podcast is available on podcast sites such as Apple, Audacy, Spotify, and Podbean, as well as on the Cecil Taylor Ministries YouTube Channel. You can find links to all of these podcast sites by starting at CecilTaylorMinistries.com/free-content and scrolling down.