The Deep Waters Way | Episode 20: Demolishing the Myth: What Mark Says About Jesus

In this episode, we address one of the most common skeptical arguments in modern digital media and textbooks: the claim that Jesus never believed or claimed Himself to be God. Rather than turning to the later Gospel of John, we look to the Gospel of Mark—widely agreed by scholars to be our earliest historical record. By examining what Jesus said, what He did, and how both His enemies and the spiritual realm reacted to Him, we discover a remarkably high and early Christology. From exercising the unique divine prerogative of forgiving sins to commanding the wind, waves, and demonic forces under His own authority, Jesus consistently acted as none other than Yahweh in the flesh. This historical grit is not mere trivia; it is a direct challenge to submit our entire lives to His sovereign authority and be transformed by His grace.

Core Takeaways

• The Authority to Forgive: In Mark 2:5-11, Jesus forgives the sins of a paralytic before healing him. Since all sin is ultimately a trespass against God alone, Jesus’ pronouncement of forgiveness is an active exercise of a uniquely divine prerogative, which He validates with a visible, immediate miracle.
• Lord of the Sabbath: By declaring Himself "Lord even of the Sabbath" (Mark 2:27-28), Jesus claims mastership over an institution ordained by God at creation. This is a monumental assertion of equality with God, placing Himself above the cosmic order instituted in Genesis.
• The I AM in the Storm: When Jesus walks on water in Mark 6:50 and says ego eimi ("It is I" or "I AM"), He uses the exact self-revelatory Greek phrase used in the Septuagint translation of Exodus 3:14. By calming the storm, He mirrors Yahweh’s unique Old Testament authority over the chaotic waters.
• The Ultimate Trial Testimony: Under direct questioning by Caiaphas in Mark 14:61-62, Jesus responds to the high priest's specific, singular inquiry regarding "the Son of the Blessed" with a definitive "I am" (ego eimi), immediately linking Himself to the divine figure of Daniel 7 coming on the clouds of heaven.

Depth of Insight

• Dating the Gospels & Paul's Letters: While critical scholars frequently propose post-70 AD dates for the Gospels to argue for a slow, legendary expansion of Jesus' identity (the "telephone game"), the historical shift in recent scholarship points to earlier pre-70 AD dates. More importantly, Paul’s letters from the 50s AD and early 60s—as well as the early creed of 1 Corinthians 15:3-8 dating to within months of the resurrection—reveal that a high, divine Christology was already fully formed from the very beginning.
• The Son of Man Paradox: Though often misconstrued by modern readers as a simple reference to humanity (as seen in Ezekiel), Jesus’ usage of "Son of Man" points directly to Daniel 7. There, the Son of Man is presented before the Ancient of Days as a divine equal who is given everlasting dominion, glory, and worship.
• Sovereign Command vs. Invocation: Unlike Old Testament prophets (like Elijah and Elisha) who had to pray to Yahweh to raise the dead, or ancient exorcists who used rituals and appealed to higher names, Jesus raises Jairus's daughter (Mark 5) and casts out unclean spirits (Mark 1 & 5) by His own self-contained command. He does not pray for permission; He simply speaks with His own sovereign authority.
• Providence in the Wilderness: The miraculous feedings of the 5,000 (Mark 6) and 4,000 (Mark 8) in desolate, wilderness areas directly evoke God’s supernatural feeding of Israel with manna during the Exodus. Jesus is recognized by the crowds as the direct agent of wilderness provision that only God can provide.
• The Reaction of Enemies and Demons: The spiritual and human worlds both understood Jesus’ claims. Unclean spirits fall down in absolute terror, identifying Him as the "Holy One of God" and their judge, while the scribes and Caiaphas charge Him with blasphemy because they knew that He was claiming the identity and prerogatives of God alone.

Featured Scripture

• Mark 2:5-11: Jesus forgiving the sins of the paralytic and healing him as a visible sign of His authority on earth.
• Mark 6:45-52: Jesus walking on the water and comforting His terrified disciples with ego eimi.
• Mark 14:61-64: Jesus’ trial before the Sanhedrin, where He claims the title "I am" and references the Daniel 7 vision.
• Daniel 7:13-14: The apocalyptic vision of the Son of Man coming with the clouds of heaven to receive eternal dominion and glory.

Theological Connections

• Genesis 2:1-3: God instituting the Sabbath at the completion of creation.
• Exodus 3:13-15: The revelation of the sacred name I AM WHO I AM to Moses.
• Psalm 107:23-30: Yahweh hushing the storm and stilling the waves for those caught at sea.
• Job 9:8: The declaration that God alone stretches out the heavens and tramples the waves of the sea.
• 1 Corinthians 15:3-8: Paul recording the earliest Christian creedal statement of the death, resurrection, and appearances of Christ.

Scholarly Context & Commentary

• Ehrman, Bart. References to critical skepticism regarding late Gospel dates and the "telephone game" model of biblical transmission.
• Habermas, Gary. References to historical research on early creedal formulation in 1 Corinthians 15.
• The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016.

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00:00 — [COLD OPEN] The Skeptical Objection

Critical scholars will tell you that biblical transmission is similar to a game of telephone. And because of these long dates between when the events happened and when they were written down, legendary elements crept in and thus we can't know for sure or trust what actually happened.

[Theme Music Intro]

The Deep Waters Way: Where scripture, theology, and transformation meet.

00:23 — Introduction: The Search for the Earliest Claims

What if the earliest historical records we have demolished the idea that Jesus was simply a humble, good teacher? What if those same records portray a man exercising divine prerogatives from the early days of their composition?

If you open a modern textbook, watch a secular documentary, or read a mainstream article, you will pretty consistently be told that Jesus never claimed to be God. That same trend continues even in digital media like TikTok and YouTube shorts. And while you will find voices that stand against that line of thought, and increasingly there are some really good voices out there, the overwhelming majority of critics at least shout it from the rooftops that Jesus never claimed to be God.

Today, I want us to look at what the Bible has to say about that issue. Many scholars, both critical and traditional, agree that Mark is the earliest of the Gospels with John coming last. Critical scholars often point to Mark's less developed view of Jesus' divinity or christology as part of their argument for the earlier date. So rather than starting with John, which they say has the most developed view, we're going to look at Mark and see what his gospel says about what Jesus said, what he did, and how people understood or reacted to those things.

Before we get into that though, I'm Ray, and this is The Deep Waters Way. Thank you for joining me in this ongoing journey into the depths of faith. It's my desire that through this podcast, you and I both gain a greater understanding of God, his word, and our relationship with him. Now, if that sounds like something that interests you and you haven't already done so, please hit the subscribe or follow button wherever you are so that you never miss an episode. And if this is your first time listening, then I encourage you to check out the previous episodes as well.

Now, grab a cup of coffee or hot tea and settle in for the journey. It's time to slip the moorings and head for the deep waters.

03:15 — Laying the Historical Groundwork

As I said earlier, scholars across the spectrum tend to agree that Mark is the earliest of the written gospels. There are some scholars as well as early attestations that point to Matthew possibly being the earliest, but that in itself is a discussion for another time, not this episode.

I do want to touch briefly though on when the gospels were written. You will often hear critical scholars like Bart Ehrman say that the consensus is that the gospels were all written after 70 AD. However, if you take a moment and glance at Bible dictionaries, gospel introductions or commentaries over the last 80 or so years, there is no real consensus. And in fact, it seems that over the last 40 years or so, the shift has been to assign pre-70 dates to all of the gospels, including John, with some scholars proposing dates as early as the mid-50s for Mark.

Now, you might ask, why is this important? Well, critical scholars will tell you that biblical transmission is similar to a game of telephone. And because of these long dates between when the events happened and when they were written down, legendary elements crept in and thus we can't know for sure or trust what actually happened or what was actually said. And so this move to see them written as early as within two decades begins to remove some of that inherent skepticism from the argument.

But even if we accept the later dates, there are still some things that are often overlooked by skeptics.

First, in oral traditions, it is well documented that stories can be transmitted for many decades without significant details being changed.

Second, Paul's letters were written mostly within the 50s AD and the very early 60s at the latest, and they contain some of the most well-developed arguments for Jesus being God. So for those, time is not an issue. And if we're looking at a post-70 date for the Gospels, then Paul having a well-developed christology as much as 10 years before that kind of eliminates the argument that this high view of Christ or Christ as being divine slipped in later.

Additionally, Paul's first letter to the Corinthian church contains a small section in chapter 15, verses 3 to 8, that is widely accepted as being an early creedal statement. Dr. Gary Habermas and others have shown that this statement probably dates back to within a couple of years and maybe even a few months of the resurrection. And while it doesn't directly claim that Jesus is God, it does show that the core claims of Christianity—that Jesus died, was resurrected, and appeared to many witnesses—was already well-established.

Furthermore, Paul adds to this creed, saying that many of those witnesses are still alive as he's writing that letter. And that same statement holds true for the Gospels. Granted, if they were written after 70 AD, fewer would be alive than before. However, either way, there would still be people alive who had witnessed the events of the Gospels. At any time, they could have come forward saying that's not what happened. But that's not what the record shows.

Now, I don't want to simply make an argument from silence here. Just because we don't have a record of something doesn't mean it didn't happen. However, what we do have is written Jewish rabbinic tradition from the same time period that agrees the miracles occurred and then tries to explain them away. So for instance, rather than denying the empty tomb or even that Jesus performed miracles, rabbinic tradition tries to offer alternative explanations such as the disciples stole the body or the miracles were the result of sorcery learned in Egypt.

07:30 — Part I: What Did Jesus Say?

So, now that we've laid that groundwork, let's turn our attention to Mark's gospel and try to answer the question of what did Jesus say when it comes to claiming to be God. The following examples aren't exhaustive, but they do serve as a representative selection of things that Jesus said.

1. The Authority to Forgive Sins (Mark 2:5, 10–11)

The first place we're going to look is Mark 2:5 and then also 2:10. Jesus is teaching inside the house and a large crowd has gathered. Four men bring a paralytic friend, but they can't get him inside to Jesus because of the crowd. So, they go up onto the roof and begin to tear a hole in it and then lower their friend down on his mat in front of Jesus. And Mark 2:5 then tells us:

"And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, 'Son, your sins are forgiven.'"

The thing to understand here is that only the person who's been wronged can forgive. If you and I have a mutual friend and they wrong you, I can't forgive them for that trespass. Only you can do that. Now, we don't know what this man's sins were or who he had wronged. But all sin, regardless of who on earth is harmed, is a sin against God. And only God has the power and authority to forgive sin. And Jesus exercises that prerogative, which belongs only to God, and says, "Your sins are forgiven."

And then Jesus offers to demonstrate the validity of his statement by doing something verifiable. After asking which is more difficult, saying something no one can check or saying something with immediate results, he says in verses 10 and 11:

"But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins"—he said to the paralytic—"I say to you, rise, pick up your bed, and go home."

And we're told the paralytic did just that. He was healed. But Jesus used the healing to demonstrate the power of his earlier words as a sign that he had the ability to say what only God can say.

Since we're going to see this repeated a few more times as well, let's go ahead and address that title, Son of Man. This is a title that is used by God repeatedly in Ezekiel to refer to Ezekiel. As a result, people often assume that it's simply a designation of humanness. However, when Jesus is using it of himself, he's actually making a reference to Daniel's vision in Daniel 7. There, Daniel sees a vision of the Messiah being presented before God and being treated as divine and as equal to God. So in a first century Jewish context, just the title Son of Man, which Jesus uses repeatedly, would have been seen as a claim to be God.

2. Lord of the Sabbath (Mark 2:27–28)

Now let's go and look at Mark 2, verses 27 and 28. Just prior to these verses, Jesus has been questioned about why his disciples have been plucking grain on the Sabbath. Jesus responds with a reference to David and his men eating the bread of presence from the tabernacle. And then he says:

"The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath."

The important part for our discussion today is that last part. There's that title, Son of Man. Again, look at the rest of what Jesus says. The Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.

This is a huge claim. The Sabbath was instituted by God at creation. Genesis 1 tells us that when God had created everything he desired to create, he ceased his work and declared the seventh day a day of rest or cessation of labor. For Jesus to then say that he is the master of this day is to claim that he is the master over something instituted by God. Now, on the surface, it would seem to be an absurd claim. How can a human be the master of something God started? Yet, if we look beyond the surface, we realize Jesus is making a claim here to be equal to God.

3. The "I AM" in the Storm (Mark 6:50)

"Take heart. It is I. Do not be afraid."

The quirks of English grammar cloud this, but hidden right there in plain sight is a phrase that can be translated in a very familiar way. The Greek phrase here is ego eimi and the English translation fairly consistently renders it in this verse as "It is I." However, this phrase is also the one used by those who translated the Old Testament into Greek when they wanted to translate God's answer to Moses about who was sending him: I AM.

So Verse 50 can be translated as: "Take heart; I AM. Do not be afraid."

And it's interesting that in most other places in the New Testament where ego eimi is used, it is translated as "I am." But here in the midst of a storm, with his disciples terrified both of the storm and what they think they see, Jesus uses the Greek words meaning "I AM" to comfort them. Now, are the English translations wrong here? No. Absolutely they're not. "It is I" is a perfectly good translation of ego eimi. However, it obscures what I think is actually going on here.

Finally, let's look at the night Jesus was arrested. Jesus is led before the high priest, the chief priests, the elders, and the scribes. A number of people come forward bringing accusations against him. But their testimony doesn't agree. As a result, Mark tells us that the high priest questions Jesus directly himself. At first, Jesus doesn't answer, but then in Mark 14:61-62, we get this exchange:

But he remained silent and made no answer. Again, the high priest asked him, "Are you the Christ, the son of the Blessed?" And Jesus said, "I am. And you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of power and coming with the clouds of heaven."

The high priest's words here reveal something about what was thought about the Messiah in first century Judaism. He asks if Jesus is the Christ, which is just the English translation of the Greek word for the Hebrew that we get "Messiah" from. And the high priest directly calls the Messiah "the son of God." Critics are quick to point out that "son of God" was often applied to humans, especially prophets and kings, and so the high priest saying that really doesn't mean anything. But that "the" there is problematic for that argument because it indicates not a generic son of God, but a very specific Son of God. And it indicates the understanding of the Messiah as being divine.

The important thing I want to look at though is Jesus' response. First, he directly answers the question. The English translators render it, "I am." And yes, it is that Greek phrase again, ego eimi. And yes, it could simply mean "yes, I am." But it is a phrase that in the context of the question asked carries substantial weight, especially given what else Jesus says.

Notice his use here again of Son of Man. We've already briefly discussed where this title comes from. However, Jesus' response here tells us that he is directly pointing to Daniel 7. Daniel there speaks of one like a son of man coming with the clouds of heaven and being given dominion, glory, and a kingdom. These ideas are captured in Jesus saying, "The Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of power and coming on the clouds." He is directly equating himself to God.

15:40 — Part II: What Did Jesus Do?

Here we've seen several scenes now from across Jesus' ministry that, when viewed from a first century Jewish understanding, say that absolutely Jesus claimed to be God. Did he come out and say, "I am God?" No, not in so many words. But as we've seen, he said things only God can legitimately say. And when questioned by the high priest, essentially he did say, "Yes, I am God."

But what did Jesus do? Are there places we can look and see Jesus doing things only God can or should be able to do? Absolutely there are. And unsurprisingly, they're intimately linked to the things Jesus said. In fact, we're going to look back at some of those same examples in looking at what Jesus did. There are specific verses we could look at, but instead, I want to give you four categories of things Jesus did. That is four different types of things he did multiple times that point to him being God.

1. Lordship Over Nature (Mark 4:35–41, Mark 6:45–52)

First, we see Jesus demonstrating lordship over nature. In Mark 4:35-41, Jesus tells the disciples to cross to the other side of the Sea of Galilee into Gentile territory. During that crossing, a storm comes up. Jesus is asleep in the boat, but the disciples wake him and he rebukes the wind and tells the sea to be still.

Likewise, in Mark 6, which we've already briefly mentioned, we see Jesus walking on the water. This itself is a dramatic representation of something that only God can do. Job 9:8 says that it is God alone who tramples the waves of the sea. By demonstrating mastery over nature, Jesus is showing that he is able to do what only God can do.

2. Sovereign Authority Over Demonic Forces (Mark 1 & Mark 5)

But what else do we see? The next two categories are closely related and they both deal with Jesus' authority. In several places in Mark, we see Jesus cast out demons. Two of the most prominent are Mark 1 and Mark 5.

In Mark 1, while Jesus is in the synagogue in Capernaum, a man with an unclean spirit comes in and approaches Jesus. Mark 1:25 says:

"Jesus rebuked him, saying, 'Be silent and come out of him.'"

We see the same pattern in Mark 5. And since I covered this event in depth back in episode 5, I don't want to go too deeply into it today. Basically, Jesus crosses the Sea of Galilee, encounters a demoniac who is possessed by a very large number of unclean spirits, and just like in the synagogue at Capernaum, He issues a command for these demons, these unclean spirits, to come out of the man. And he does this by his own authority. This is something even the people around him note, and we'll talk about that in a minute.

But Jesus acts as though the demons are subject to him. He commands them from a place of power and authority. And that's something that only God can do. Jesus even counters the idea that demons can be driven out by the power of another demon. He calls it a house divided against itself when he's confronted with that by other people—it's an absurd proposition. He says this is divine action, and it's accomplished by one who must be divine based on the results that happen.

3. Sovereign Power Over Death (Mark 5:21–43)

Similarly, we see the same thing when Jesus raises the dead. In the Old Testament, we have a couple of examples of the dead being raised to life. Most notably, the Shunammite's son by Elisha and the widow of Zarephath's son by Elijah. In both cases, the prophets pray to Yahweh to raise the sons.

But we see a different example in Jesus. Mark only records one event where Jesus raised someone from the dead. And we find the raising of Jairus's daughter in Mark 5. Jairus, a synagogue ruler, comes to Jesus because his daughter is sick. Along the way, Jesus is held up by the woman with the issue of blood. And shortly after that event, people come to tell Jairus his daughter has died. Jesus tells him not to be afraid and then continues on with him. And once there, Jesus doesn't pray for the girl to be raised from the dead. He simply takes her by the hand and commands her to get up. Just as with the demons, he acts according to his own authority. He is the sovereign Lord who holds power over life and death. And he demonstrates that clearly in the raising of Jairus's daughter.

4. Wilderness Provision (Mark 6 & Mark 8)

Now, finally, let's look at two more events that demonstrate Jesus making claims to be God through his actions. In both Mark 6 and Mark 8, Jesus feeds a crowd of people. In Mark 6, it's said to be a crowd of 5,000 men, and presumably there are also women and children there as well, but the text doesn't tell us that. In Mark 8, we're told it was a group of 4,000 people.

The passage in Mark 6 tells us the disciples call the area they're in a desolate place, presumably some wilderness area. Mark 8 doesn't describe the area around them, but it appears that they're back in the Decapolis area east of the Jordan and the Sea of Galilee. In other words, a spiritually desolate place, if not a natural one.

And there, in those desolate wilderness places, Jesus feeds multitudes, just as God did with the Israelites under Moses in the wilderness. In other words, Jesus does something that the Jews in the crowd would have immediately associated with Israel's time in the wilderness and provision that only God can provide.

Now, this particular category resonates with me. In my time working in restaurants, I've dealt with days where we had large numbers of people or even hours where we had large numbers of people come through and had to serve them quickly. And I've done catering events as well that ranged upwards of almost 300 people, and I can tell you arranging and cooking and then serving that many people is a massive undertaking. It takes a lot of people to be involved in it and takes a lot of time—and it's less than a tenth of the crowds that Jesus fed here.

And he didn't have to cook. Mark says he simply took the bread, gave thanks for it, broke it, and the disciples distributed it and had enough left to fill multiple baskets after everyone had eaten all they wanted.

21:15 — Part III: What Did the Witnesses Think?

But what about those who interacted with Jesus? What did they seem to think of these actions and sayings of Jesus? If he was just a good moral teacher, you would expect those around him to treat him that way. But the evidence we see in the Gospel of Mark tells a completely different story.

1. The Terror and Obedience of the Spirits (Mark 1 & Mark 5)

Since we looked at authority over spiritual beings a moment ago, let's revisit those same passages. In Mark 1 and Mark 5, Jesus encounters men possessed by unclean spirits. And there's some common things we see between the two events.

The immediate response of the spirits is not to argue or debate with Jesus. It's absolute and total terror. The Capernaum demon screams out:

"Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!"

And then in the region of the Gerasenes in Mark 5, the demoniac falls to his knees and cries out:

"What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, do not torment me."

The second thing we see is obedience. In both cases, when Jesus issues a command, the demons respond in obedience.

Think about what's going on here. These spiritual beings don't look at Jesus and see a merely human teacher. They look and see a man who is the physical embodiment, the incarnation of the second person of the Trinity. They look and see their judge. And they want to know if he's come to torment or destroy them. You don't ask that of someone who doesn't have the power and authority to do it. And the only one who does is Yahweh himself. And when they see Jesus, that's who they see.

2. The Reaction of His Human Enemies (Mark 2 & Mark 14)

And it's not just the spirit realm that recognizes and understands what Jesus is claiming by his words and actions. We see the same understanding from those who could be described as his human enemies.

In Mark 2, when the paralytic is lowered through the roof, Jesus looks at him and says, "Your sins are forgiven." And immediately there are scribes who are present who begin questioning in their hearts:

"Why does this man speak like that? He's blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?"

Notice they don't start talking about how encouraging Jesus is being or how good he is. No, they charge him with the ultimate offense against God: blasphemy. That is, taking upon himself the identity of God or the ability to do things that are God's prerogative alone.

Now, understand, scribes were not just tasked with copying scripture. Yes, they did that, but they were also considered experts in scripture because of the amount of time they spent with it. They taught the law of Moses to the people and often interpreted scripture, and they wrote commentaries about it. These men who know scripture and are able to teach and interpret it understand exactly what Jesus is doing. They didn't misunderstand Jesus. His very words are a claim to be God. And that's why their immediate response is blasphemy.

And then there's Caiaphas. Let's go back to Mark 14 and Jesus' trial before the Jewish council. Remember, there Caiaphas asks Jesus directly if he is the Christ, the Son of the Blessed. And Jesus responds directly. When Jesus says "ego eimi" (I am) and then references Daniel 7, Caiaphas responds by tearing his robes. This is the standard response to grief, horror, or indignation.

Now, some have questioned Caiaphas's motives here, claiming that it could have been real indignation, or it possibly could have been an attempt to manipulate the council emotionally. It doesn't matter, honestly, because either way it's a response that is in line with Caiaphas's words. He immediately charges Jesus with blasphemy. The indignation is real, and the council agrees by condemning Jesus to death because they understood exactly what he was claiming.

24:50 — Conclusion: Transforming Grace and Authority

So looking just at the Gospel of Mark, the gospel widely believed to be the earliest gospel, we see a very highly developed view of Christ's divinity. Mark continually shows by way of Jesus' words, actions, and the responses of people around him that Jesus repeatedly claimed and was understood to be claiming to be God.

The question then for us is: what do we do with that information?

One of the things that I believe is that we shouldn't try to gain information solely for the sake of gaining information. That holds true especially for theology. If we don't allow the Spirit to use the knowledge we've gained to transform us, we've missed the point.

And I don't want you to miss the point. It is my hope that this episode will help to give you some tools to stand firm in your faith when you hear someone say forcefully, or even when they're backed by academic credentials, that Jesus never claimed to be God. And maybe what we've looked at here today will inspire you to dig deeper into the realm we call apologetics—being able to give an answer for your faith.

In both cases, it's my desire that by learning to see clearly the claims made in scripture about who Jesus is, you will submit yourself more fully to his authority. Because if he really is God, and if he really claimed to be God, then you and I need to respond accordingly.

Thank you for joining me today. If this episode has spoken to you in some way, would you please share it with a friend or family member? And if you would like to help support the show financially, there's a link in the show notes that will take you directly to the support page, or you can go to:

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Now, it's time to slip the moorings and head for the deep waters.

The Deep Waters Way: Where scripture, theology, and transformation meet.