1. The Father and I Are ONE Chapter 15

2. The Messiah Israelites Expected: He would be a man. He would be a descendant of David. He would restore the kingdom of Israel. He would be a holy leader. Jesus Fulfilled: He is a true man and true God. He is a descendant of David. He brought the reign of God and opened the Kingdom of Heaven. He is a holy leader and more: priest, prophet, king, and our God

3. Blasphemy Blasphemy breaks the Second Commandment: You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain. By claiming to be God’s Son, Jesus would be breaking this commandment if it were not true. Why didn’t the Jewish people believe Him? The Jewish people worshipped the one true God…but they did not yet know or believe in the Trinity. It had never been revealed to them until Jesus (the Second Person) They had not received the Holy Spirit (the Third Person). Relying only on human reason and what God had revealed to them they could not fully understand the Trinity. They knew God is pure spirit, yet Jesus had a body and a soul. They expected God was going to restore the kingdom of David and Jesus was not a warrior.

4. Jesus reveals his divine nature Jesus performed miracles. By witnessing these miracles, the people could see that Jesus shared God’s power in a special way. (The word “miracle” means “to wonder”—forms of the word can mean: wonderful, extraordinary, unusual, astonishing) Jesus showed command over nature, demons, sickness/disease, and death—through his miracles. The demons knew who Jesus was. He commanded them not to reveal this. It was not to be the devil’s choice of when/how Jesus would reveal himself. Peter stated that Jesus was “the Christ, the Son of the Living God.” Jesus knew that God the Father had revealed this to Peter.

5. The Keys of the Kingdom Immediately after Peter’s profession of faith, Jesus instituted Peter as the first Pope of his Church: And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” Then he sternly ordered the disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.

6. How was Jesus revealed as the Son of God? God the Father—at His Baptism—”This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.” Miracles—especially power over death—the raising of Jairus’ daughter, the raising of the widow of Nain’s son, the raising of Lazarus The Transfiguration—the glorious body, the appearance of Elijah and Moses, the voice of God again— “This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” Jesus spoke of Himself as “I AM” the name God revealed to Moses. (*This was considered blasphemy…a crime worthy of death) His own Resurrection from the dead.