In this post, I am going to show how Jesus in Mark’s Gospel claims to be God (though not the Father) by ascribing to himself the very functions, titles, and attributes, which the Quran itself confirms belong only to God. I do so because Muslims are fond of arguing that it is only in John’s Gospel that Jesus ascribes divinity to himself, since the earlier Gospels, specifically Mark, portray Christ as a supernaturally empowered agent of God, but not God incarnate. I will refute this assertion by showing that the Jesus of Mark’s Gospel does, in fact, describe himself as the unique divine Son of God who is essentially one with the Father.
The Omniscient Forgiver
The Quran testifies that Allah is the only one who can forgive
sins,
who, when they commit an indecency or wrong themselves, remember
God, and pray forgiveness for their sins — and who shall forgive sins but God? —
and do not persevere in the things they did and that wittingly. S. 3:135
And who knows the thoughts within the breasts(hearts) of men:
Behold, they fold their breasts, to hide them from Him; behold,
when they wrap themselves in their garments He knows what they secrete and what
they publish; surely
He knows all the thoughts within the breasts. S. 11:5
This is why Islamic theology gives Allah the names “The
All-Knowing” and “The Ever-Forgiving/All-Pardoning One”:
Al-‘Âlim,
Al-‘Alîm, Al-‘Allâm: The All-Knowing
The Knower. He who knows what has been and what will be, who
ever has known and ever will know what has been and what will be, from whom
nothing is concealed in the earth nor in the heaven, whose knowledge
comprehends all things in the most complete manner. His knowledge is timeless
and essential.
Al-‘Alim is one of the Ninety-Nine Names…
Al-Ghâfir,
Al-Ghafûr; Al-Ghaffar: The Forgiving, The Ever-Forgiving,
The Endlessly Forgiving
Al-Ghafir who pardons a particular
sin; Al-Ghafur who
is in the habit of forgiving sins and covering them up; Al-Ghaffar is the
One who does not cease to pardon them, one after the other. Ghafr, in the root,
means to cover, veil, so to make hidden (unlike ‘afw, to efface), not
to punish, to cause them to be undisclosed. The One who covers and forgives the
sins of His servants.
Al-Ghafur and Al-Ghaffur are
two of the Ninety-Nine Names…
Al-‘Afuw:
The All-Pardoning
He who makes disappear, effaces; also has the meaning of fadl, superfluous and
so it is resembles Al-Wahhab and Al-Jawad. He forgives
much. He passes over wrong actions and pardons faults. More far-reaching
than Al-Ghafur,
which is veiling. ‘Afw is
effacing.
Al-‘Afuw is one of the Ninety-Nine Names.
(Aisha Bewley, Divine
Names http://bewley.virtualave.net/names.html)
And yet in Mark’s Gospel, Jesus has the power to forgive all sins,
heal all diseases and even knows the innermost thoughts of the hearts of men:
And again he entered into Capernaum after some days; and it was
noised that he was in the house. And straightway many were gathered together,
insomuch that there was no room to receive them, no, not so much as about the
door: and he preached the word unto them. And they come unto him, bringing one
sick of the palsy, which was borne of four. And when they could not come nigh
unto him for the press, they uncovered the roof where he was: and when they had
broken it up, they let down the bed wherein the sick of the palsy lay. When
Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee.
But there were certain of the scribes sitting there, and reasoning in their hearts,
Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies? who can forgive sins but God only? And immediately when
Jesus perceived in
his spirit that they so reasoned within themselves, he
said unto them, Why
reason ye these things in your hearts? Whether is it
easier to say to the sick of the palsy, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say,
Arise, and take up thy bed, and walk? But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on
earth to forgive sins, (he saith to the sick of the palsy,) I
say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine house. And
immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went forth before them all; insomuch
that they were all amazed, and glorified God, saying, We never saw it on this
fashion.” Mark 2:1-12
Astonishingly, not only does Jesus know and do what the Quran
says only Allah can know or do, but he also possesses the very same
characteristics and performs the exact same functions, which the Hebrew Bible
ascribe to Jehovah God alone!
“then hear thou in heaven thy dwelling place, and forgive, and
do, and give to every man according to his ways, whose heart thou knowest; (for thou, even thou only, knowest
the hearts of all the children of men;)” 1 Kings 8:39
“shall not God search this out? for he knoweth the secrets of the
heart.” Psalm 44:21
“Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his
benefits: who
forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; who redeemeth thy
life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness
and tender mercies;” Psalm 103:2-4
Christ even redeems human lives from destruction, just like
Jehovah does!
“For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to
minister, and
to give his life a ransom for many.” Mark 10:45
And the reason is plainly obvious, namely, Jesus is Jehovah God
in the flesh even though he is not the Father or the Holy Spirit.
The Divine Heir
The Quran states that Allah is the heir of the heavens and
earth, the one who inherits everything in creation:
But as for those who are niggardly with the bounty God has given
them, let them not suppose it is better for them; nay, it is worse for them;
that they were niggardly with they shall have hung about their necks on the
Resurrection Day; and
to God belongs the inheritance of the heavens and earth; and
God is aware of the things you do. S. 3:180
It is We who give life, and make to die, and it is We who are the
inheritors. S. 15:23 Arberry
Surely We shall inherit the earth and all that are upon it,
and unto Us they shall be returned. S. 19:40 Arberry – cf. Q. 19:80
Allah is even called the best of those who receive an
inheritance!
And (remember) Zakariya, when he cried to his Lord: “O my Lord!
leave me not without offspring, though
thou art the best of inheritors.” S. 21:89 Y. Ali
In fact, one of the so-called beautiful names of Allah is al-Warith, which means
“the Inheritor”:
Al-Wârith:
The Inheritor
The One who inherits and continues after all others have ceased
to be; thus all returns to Him. He is the true owner of all.
Al-Warith is one of the Ninety-Nine
Names. (Bewley, Divine
Names)
Jesus, however, claims to be the unique beloved Son and Heir of
God, who is greater than all the prophets:
“And he began to speak unto them by parables. A certain man
planted a vineyard, and set an hedge about it, and digged a place for the
winefat, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far
country. And at the season he sent to the husbandmen a servant, that he might
receive from the husbandmen of the fruit of the vineyard. And they caught him,
and beat him, and sent him away empty. And again he sent unto them another
servant; and at him they cast stones, and wounded him in the head, and sent him
away shamefully handled. And again he sent another; and him they killed, and
many others; beating some, and killing some. Having yet therefore one son, his wellbeloved, he sent
him also last unto them, saying, They will reverence my
son. But those husbandmen said among themselves, This is the heir;
come, let us kill him, and the inheritance shall be ours. And they took
him, and killed
him, and cast him out of the vineyard. What shall therefore the
lord of the vineyard do? he will come and destroy the husbandmen, and will give
the vineyard unto others. And have ye not read this scripture; The stone which
the builders rejected is become the head of the corner: this was the Lord’s
doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes? And they sought to lay hold on him,
but feared the people: for they knew that he had spoken the parable against
them: and they left him, and went their way.” Mark 12:1-12
In the parable, the owner represents God, the vineyard is
Israel, and the vinedressers are the religious establishment. The servants whom
God sent are supposed to be the prophets:
“Since the day that your fathers came forth out of the land of
Egypt unto this day I have even sent unto you all my servants the prophets,
daily rising up early and sending them:” Jeremiah 7:25 – cf. 26:5; 29:19; 44:4
“And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time
of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward
unto thy
servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear
thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth.”
Revelation 11:18
Not only does Jesus distinguish himself from the prophets who
are mere servants, but he also claims to be the Heir, being the One who owns
everything that belongs to God. And since Israel, the prophets and all of the
creation belong to God, this means that the entire creation, including the
prophets, belong to Christ as his very own possession!
Mark isn’t the only inspired writer to confirm that Jesus is the
divine Heir of all creation, who owns everything that the Father has and
possesses:
“And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in
heaven and in earth.” Matthew 28:18
“All
things are delivered to me of my Father: and no man knoweth who
the Son is, but the Father; and who the Father is, but the Son, and he to whom
the Son will reveal him.” Luke 10:22
“All
things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he
shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto you.” John 16:15
“And
all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in
them.” John 17:10
“who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every
creature: for
by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that
are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or
principalities, or powers: all
things were created by him, and FOR HIM: and he is before all
things, and by him all things consist.” Colossians 1:15-17
“hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all
things, by whom also he made the worlds;” Hebrews 1:2
The Lord of All
The Islamic scripture depicts Allah as the sovereign Lord of all
beings, meaning all creation,
Praise belongs to God, the Lord of all Being, S. 1:2
Who does not permit there being any other lord besides him,
especially from among the angels and prophets:
It belongs not to any mortal that God should give him the Book,
the Judgment, the Prophethood, then he should say to men, ‘Be you servants to me apart
from God.’ Rather, ‘Be you masters in that you know the Book, and in that you
study.’ He would never order you to
take the angels and the Prophets as Lords; what, would He order
you to disbelieve, after you have surrendered? S. 3:79-80
That is why the Quran adamantly proclaims that Allah does not
allow anyone to share in his sovereign rule over all creation:
Say: ‘God knows very well how long they tarried. To Him belongs
the Unseen in the heavens and in the earth. How well He sees! How well He
hears! They have no protector, apart from Him, and He associates in His
government no one.’ S. 18:26
to whom belongs the Kingdom of the heavens and the earth; and He
has not taken to Him a son, and
He has no associate in the Kingdom; and He created every thing,
then He ordained it very exactly. S. 25:2 – cf. 17:111
This is also the reason that Islamic theology teaches that the
title “the Lord” is one of the unique names of Allah, which cannot be ascribed
to anyone else:
Ar-Rabb:
The Lord
Lord: master, owner; chief; the Cherisher, the one who takes
care of a thing. Ar-Rabb is the one who puts right, manages, compels and
guards. He is the One worshipped. Some scholars say that the name is the
greatest name of Allah because of the great number of those who make
supplication using it. It reflects the true relationship of a person with his
Lord, containing both mastery and kindness, concern, and nurture.
(Bewley, Divine
Names)
And yet Christ claims to be the one Lord whom David worshiped
and who sits enthroned with God over all creation:
“And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning
together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is
the first commandment of all? And Jesus answered him, The first of all the
commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The
Lord our God is one Lord (Kyrios ho Theos hemon Kyrios heis estin):
and thou shalt love the
Lord thy God (Kyrion ton Theon sou) with all thy heart,
and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this
is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love
thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.
And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there
is one God; and there is none other but he: and to love him with all the heart,
and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength,
and to love his neighbour as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings
and sacrifices. And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly, he said unto
him, Thou art not far from the kingdom of God. And no man after that durst ask
him any question. And Jesus answered and said, while he taught in the temple,
How say the scribes that Christ is the Son of David? For David himself said by the Holy Ghost, The Lord
said to my
Lord (Eipen
Kyrios to Kyrio mou),
Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy
footstool. David therefore himself calleth
him Lord (Kyrion); and whence is he then his son? And the
common people heard him gladly.” Mark 12:28-37
After quoting Deuteronomy 6:4, which affirms that Israel’s God
is the one Lord whom they are to wholeheartedly worship, Christ then quotes the
prophet David to show that the Messiah is included within the identity and
Being of Israel’s one Lord!
Here’s the passage that our Lord cited:
“The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand,
until I make thine enemies thy footstool.” Psalm 110:1
According to the Psalms, Jehovah sits enthroned in the heavens
above and is the “place” from where he rules over all beings:
“He
that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall
have them in derision.” Psalm 2:4
“The LORD is in his holy temple, the LORD’s throne is in heaven:
his eyes behold, his eyelids try, the children of men.” Psalm 11:4
“The LORD hath prepared his throne in the heavens; and his kingdom ruleth over all.”
Psalm 103:19
Since the Messiah is seated at the right hand of Jehovah he
must, therefore, be ruling from God’s own heavenly throne as the sovereign Lord
of all creation.
This also means that the Holy Spirit had revealed to the prophet
David that the Messiah is the one Lord of Israel who reigns over all creation
from heaven itself. There’s simply no way around this revealed truth.
Once again, Mark isn’t the only one to speak of the Messiah’s
heavenly enthronement as the sovereign Lord of all creation:
“Ye call me Master and
Lord: and ye say well; for so I am. If I then, your Lord and
Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another’s feet.” John
13:13-14
“Then Pilate entered into the judgment hall again, and called
Jesus, and said unto him, Art thou the King of the Jews? Jesus answered him,
Sayest thou this thing of thyself, or did others tell it thee of me? Pilate
answered, Am I a Jew? Thine own nation and the chief priests have delivered
thee unto me: what hast thou done? Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world:
if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should
not be delivered to the Jews: but
now is my kingdom not from hence. Pilate therefore said unto
him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this
end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear
witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice.” John
18:33-37
“For
David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The Lord
said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, until I
make thy foes thy footstool. Therefore let all the house of Israel know
assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both
Lord and Christ.” Acts 2:33-36 – Cf. 5:31
“The word which God sent unto the children of Israel, preaching
peace by Jesus Christ: (he
is Lord of all:)… And he commanded us to preach unto the
people, and to testify that it is he which was ordained of God to be the Judge of quick and dead.”
Acts 10:36, 42
“For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the
dead and living.” Romans 14:9 – Cf. Romans 8:34
“but to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all
things, and we in him; and one
Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him.” 1
Corinthians 8:6 – Cf. 15:24-28
“and what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who
believe, according to the working of his mighty power, which he wrought in
Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly
places, FAR ABOVE all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and
every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to
come: and hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over
all things to the church, which is his body, the fulness of him
that filleth all in all.” Ephesians 1:19-23
“For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. And
ye are complete in him, which
is the head of all principality and power… If ye then be risen
with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right
hand of God. Colossians 2:9-10, 3:1
“who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of
his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by
himself purged our sins, sat
down on the right hand of the Majesty on high… But to which of
the angels said he at any time, Sit on my right hand, until I make thine
enemies thy footstool?” Hebrews 1:3, 13
“who is gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God; angels and authorities and powers
being made subject unto him.” 1 Peter 3:22
“And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as
crystal, proceeding out of
the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the midst of the street
of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare
twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of
the tree were for the healing of the nations. And there shall be no more curse:
but the throne
of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants
shall serve him:” Revelation 22:1-3
This brings me to my final point.
The Cloud Rider and the Judge of All
The Muslim scripture mentions the belief of the Jews that Allah
(or God) would come on judgment day in the shadows of a cloud along with his
angels:
What do they look for, but that God shall come to them in the
cloud — shadows, and the angels? The matter is determined, and unto God all
matters are returned. S. 2:210
The Quran itself testifies that Muhammad’s lord is coming with
his angels to judge the earth:
No indeed! When the earth is ground to powder, and thy Lord comes, and the angels
rank on rank, and Gehenna is brought out, upon that day man
will remember; and how shall the Reminder be for him? S. 89:21-23
According to Mark, however, Jesus is the Son of Man who comes in
the clouds of heaven along with his angels to judge the wicked and save his
elect:
“And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power
and glory. And then shall he send HIS angels, and shall gather
together HIS
elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the
earth to the uttermost part of heaven.” Mark 13:26-27
“But he held his peace, and answered nothing. Again the high
priest asked him, and said unto him, Art thou the Christ, the Son of the
Blessed? And Jesus said, I am: and ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the
right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.” Mark
14:61-62
Our Lord was identifying himself as the same divine figure that
the prophet Daniel saw and wrote of:
“I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with
the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they
brought him near before him. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a
kingdom, that
all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his
dominion is an
everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his
kingdom that
which shall not be destroyed.” Daniel 7:13-14
The Being that Daniel beheld is an eternal king with an
indestructible kingdom whom all the nations must worship in the same way that
God is to be worshiped:
“And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom
under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High,
whose kingdom is
an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him.”
Daniel 7:27
What this shows is that the Son of Man whom Daniel wrote of is
actually a divine Being appearing in human semblance. As such, by identifying
himself with that figure, Christ was claiming to be God in human flesh, since
he is the eternal King of all creation whom all nations must worship forever
and ever.
Our Lord’s testimony in Mark is, therefore, crystal clear.
Christ is Jehovah God incarnate, being the unique divine Son of God, who is
equal to the Father in glory, power, and majesty.
So much for the Muslim objection.
Quranic citations are from Arthur J. Arberry.
All scriptural quotations are taken from the Authorized King
James Version (AV) of the Holy Bible.
IHS
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