Who Did the Jews Worship?

Start with a question If Jesus had come to teach a completely new understanding of who God is—one the Jews had never heard, one that required a philosophical creed from a later century to understand—what would you expect to see in His conversations with them? You would expect corrections. You would expect Him to say, "You have misunderstood the God of your fathers; let Me reveal the true nature of the Godhead." But let us look at the biblical record. Did Jesus correct their understanding of who God is, or did He affirm it?

A fair starting point Before we begin, something has to be said clearly, because it will keep us honest. A Trinitarian can read the sentence "the Lord our God is one Lord" and say "Amen." They can refer to God as "He" and "Him." The singular language of Scripture isn't proof against a Trinity, and it would be unfair to say it is. A Trinitarian doctrine is also monotheistic. So we won't argue from "God is called He." We will ask a different, more precise question: Whom did the people of God say their God was, and did Jesus ever tell them they were mistaken about His identity?

John the Baptist John was the man God sent to prepare the way of the Lord, "the voice of one crying in the wilderness" (Matthew 3:3, quoting Isaiah 40:3). Jesus said of him: "Among those that are born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist" (Luke 7:28), and identified him as the Elijah who was to come. Here is what John actually said about Jesus:

John names the Son of God, and he speaks of the Spirit resting on Him. And he describes God as the One who "sent me to baptize with water" (John 1:33). He speaks of the sender, the Son and the Spirit, in distinct roles.

The scribe "And one of the scribes came... and 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... 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." (Mark 12:28–29, 32) The scribe was a first-century Jew. When he says "one God, and none other but he," he is speaking of the God of Israel. "And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly, he said unto him, Thou art not far from the kingdom of God." (Mark 12:34)

"He is your God" In John 8, Jesus argues with some of the Jews. They say: "We be not born of fornication; we have one Father, even God." (John 8:41) Jesus answers: "If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me." (John 8:42) And later:

The woman at the well A Samaritan woman raised the question of where to worship. Jesus said:

1. Jesus says the Jews "know what we worship." He is saying their understanding of who God is was right.
2. He says the true worshippers will worship "the Father."
   The passage in full

   Here is the whole exchange, to the end: “Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship. Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things. Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he.” (John 4:20–26)

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What Jesus Himself called God Throughout His teaching, whenever Jesus speaks of God, here is what He says:

1. In His prayer: "that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent" (John 17:3).
2. Teaching how to pray: "Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven" (Matthew 6:9–10).
3. In thanksgiving: "I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth" (Luke 10:21).
4. About the gift of the Son: "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son" (John 3:16).
5. On the cross: "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" (Matthew 27:46).
6. After the resurrection: "I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God" (John 20:17).
   The passage in full

   Add the end of the prayer He taught, and the end of His own prayer: “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.” (Matthew 6:13) “O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee: but I have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me. And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them.” (John 17:25–26)

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The objection

1. Does it apply after the resurrection? John 20:17 was spoken after He rose. And as we'll see in Lesson 18, He says "my God" again from heaven, in Revelation 3:12 (four times in one verse!).
2. Do the apostles say the same thing? If "my God" was only the language of His earthly humanity, we would expect the apostles to speak differently after His ascension. In Lesson 17 we will see that they don't.