A. WHY DID JESUS NOT OPENLY REVEAL HIS FULL IDENTITY?

1. Why didn't Jesus ever say clearly, "I am God. Worship Me!"? (He did say it indirectly - John 6:41,42; 8:58; 17:4,5; etc.)
2. Why didn't He say publicly, "I am Messiah; Believe in Me!"? (Privately he did - John 4:28.) The Jews demanded that Jesus clearly declare whether or not He was the Messiah (Luke 22:67-70).
3. Why did He very seldom call Himself "the Son of God"? (See John 5:25; 10:36; 11:4) Although by calling God His "Father"He certainly implied it (Matt. 27:43). The Jews still demanded that He say so clearly (Luke 22:70). The term, "Son of God" is used synonymously by Jews to mean Messiah, so this is the same as b. above.
4. Instead, why did He almost always called Himself, "The Son of Man?"
5. Furthermore, why did He forbid those who knew His true identity to tell anyone?:
   1. His disciples: - "'But what about you? Who do you say that I am?' Simon Peter answered, 'You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God!' ... Then he warned his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Christ." (Matthew 16:15,16,20; see also Mark 8:29,30)
   2. the demons: - "... He also drove out many demons, but He would not let the demons speak because they knew who he was." (Mark 1:34 - see also verses 24,25); "Whenever the evil spirits saw him, they fell down before him, and cried out, 'You are the Son of God.' But he gave them strict orders not to tell who he was." (Mark 3:11,12); "Moreover, demons came out of many people, shouting, 'You are the Son of God!' But He rebuked them and would not allow them to speak, because they knew He was the Christ." (Luke 4:41)
   3. those He healed: - "... and he healed all their sick, warning them not to tell who he was." (Matthew 12:15,16); "Immediately he was cured of his leprosy. Then Jesus said to him, 'See that you don't tell anyone ...'" (Matthew 8:3,4); Immediately the (dead) girl stood up and walked around. At this they were completely astonished. He gave strict orders not to let anyone know about this." (Mark 5:42,43)
6. Why did He refuse to accept challenges to prove His identity?:
   1. by Satan: - "If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread ... If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down ..." (Matthew 4:3,6)
   2. by the common people: - "Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, '... Save yourself! Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God.'" (Matt. 27:39,40)
   3. by the chief priests, teachers and elders: - "He saved others, but he can't save himself! He's the King of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him ... for he said, 'I am the Son of God.'" (Matthew 39:41-43)
7. Why did He always speak to the people in parables?:
   "The disciples came to him and asked, 'Why do you speak to the people in parables?' He replied, 'The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them ... This is why I speak to them in parables: "Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand." In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah: "You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving ..."' Jesus spoke all these things to the crowd in parables; he did not say anything to them without using a parable. So was fulfilled what was spoken through the prophet: 'I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter things hidden since the creation of the world.'" (Matthew 13:10,11,13,14,34,35)
   "He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him." (Jn.1:10)

B. BECAUSE THIS IS A SPIRITUAL TRUTH; NOT A HUMAN ONE:

1. Because there are two things about Christ a person cannot understand by himself:
   1. Who Jesus really is - "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." ... "Blessed are you, Simon, son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in Heaven." (Matthew 16:15-17)
   2. The Atonement Jesus provided - "For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing . . . The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned." (1 Corinthians 1:18; 2:14)
2. Because God's secret wisdom is known only by revelation:
   • "The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law." (Deut. 29:29)
     
   • "... He brings hidden things to light." (Job 28:11)
     
   • "Truly you are a god who hides himself." (Isaiah 45:15)
     
   • "From now on, I will teach you of new things, of hidden things unknown to you." (Is.48:6)
     
   • "Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know." (Jeremiah 33:3)
     
   • "He reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what lies in darkness, and light dwells with him." (Daniel 2:22)
     
   • "It is written in the prophets: 'They will all be taught by God.'" (John 6:45)
     
   • "When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence of superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified ... My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words . . . not the wisdom of this age . . . we speak of God's secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden . . . " (1 Corinthians 2:1-8)
     
   • "... that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. ... the mystery of Christ ..." (Colossians 2:2,3; 4:3 - see also 1:26,27)
3. Because a person cannot believe in Jesus unless:
   1. he/she is drawn to the Father - "All that the Father gives me will come to me . . . No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him ... This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled him." (John 6:37,44,65)
   2. The Holy Spirit reveals Christ to him/her - "' . . . no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him' but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit . . . we have . . . received . . . the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us." (1 Corinthians 2:9-13)
   3. He is revealed through the Scriptures - " . . . these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name." (John 20:31) (see also John 5;39,40; Rom.16:25,26; Eph.3:4,5)
4. Because Satan has blinded the minds of people: "The god of this world has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ . . . " (2 Corinthians 4:4)

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