Home > Jesus is God in Mark's Gospel
Mark 14:61–62:
When asked, "Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?" Jesus replies:"I am and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven."
This is the most direct claim to deity in the Gospel of Mark.
The Name:
He uses the "Ego Eimi" of Exodus 3:14. Jesus does more than provide an affirmative; He invokes the Septuagint’s rendering of the Burning Bush encounter. Its usage in this judicial context—immediately followed by high-level messianic imagery—functions as a claim to the self-existent nature of YHWH.
Psalm 110:1:
"The Lord says to my Lord: 'Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.'"
Jesus claims the "Right Hand of Power" from Psalm 110:1. He sits in seesion with the right to share the very throne of God, an act impossible for any mere created being or earthly king.
This is not the only occasion Jesus uses "I am" especially mentioned in John's Gospel:
John 8:58: "Before Abraham was, I am." The crowd immediately "picked up stones to throw at him." In their eyes, the claim to be the "I Am" was the ultimate violation of the monotheistic boundary—unless, of course, the claim was true!
John 10:30–33: "I and the Father are one.They attempted to stone Him "for blasphemy, because you, being a man, make yourself God."
Daniel 7:13:
Daniel’s vision of one "like a son of man" who comes to the Ancient of Days and is given "dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him."
Jesus speaks about as the "Son of Man" coming with the "clouds of heaven." Jesus claims this "Cloud-Rider" status of Daniel 7:13.
The Reaction:
The High Priest tears his robes. The charge of blasphemy proves the Sanhedrin understood Him to be claiming Equality with God. If He were just claiming to be a human king, there would be no grounds for blasphemy.