No one disputes that Jesus was a real person. He asked his disciples, "'Who do people say that the Son of Man is?'" (Mt 16:13). The antichrist denies that he is the Son of God. They answered, "'Some say John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; but still others, Jeremiah'" (:14). But Peter responded, "'You are the Christ, the son of the living God'" (:16). They were going by what they had observed. He "rebuked the wind . . . and it became perfectly calm" (Mk 4:39) and they asked, "'Who then is this?'" (:41). Later Jesus cleared things up and they replied, "'now You are speaking plainly . . . and we have no need to question You; by this we believe that you came from God'" (Jn 16:29-30). God makes it plain to you. When they "saw the earthquake and the things that were happening, they became very frightened and said "'Truly this was the Son of God!'" (27:54). The demonstrations had a purpose but many were skeptical. Jesus explained, "'If I do them, though you do not believe on Me, believe the works, so that you may know and understand that the Father is in Me, and I in the Father'" (Jn 10:37-38). Later he exclaimed, "'He who believes in Me, does not believe in Me but in Him who sent Me'" (12:44). They had heard his teaching and seen his miracles. Jesus said, "'He who sees Me sees the One who sent Me'" (:45). "If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; from now on you know Him, and have seen Him" (Jn 14:7). But the people didn't have faith and he told them, "'You know neither Me nor My Father; if you knew Me, you would know My Father also'" (8:19). "'He who hates Me hates My Father also'" (15:23). Jesus had said, "'I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel'" (Mt 15:24). But they "did not recognize the time of [their] visitation" (Lk 19:44).
Jesus said, "'Before Abraham was born, I am'" (Jn 8:58). The high priest asked Jesus, "'Are You the Christ' . . . and Jesus said, 'I am'" (Mk 14:61-62). Jesus told them, "'My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and . . . I and the Father are one'" (Jn 10:29-30). He later told Philip, "'He who has seen Me has seen the Father'" (14:9). "The Jews were seeking all the more to kill Him, because He . . . was calling God His own Father, making Himself equal with God" (5:18). Also, they "were persecuting Jesus, because He was doing these things on the Sabbath" (:16). "He answered them, 'My Father is working until now, and I Myself am working'" (:17) plus "'the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing'" (:19). He had just healed a sick man at the pool of Bethesda telling him, "'Get up, pick up your pallet and walk'" (:8). Later he told him in the temple, "'Behold, you have become well; do not sin anymore, so that nothing worse happens to you'" (:14). Another time they brought him a paralytic and "Jesus seeing their faith said to the paralytic, 'Son, your sins are forgiven'" (Mk 2:5). But he didn't heal him immediately as at Bethseda. The scribes who were present reasoned, "'Why does this man speak this way? He is blaspheming; who can forgive sins but God alone?'" (:7). That is why another time they accused "'we know that this man is a sinner'" (Jn 9:24). But it was "'so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins'" (Mk 2:10). He explained "'the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath'" (Mt 12:8). Also "'All authority has been given Me in heaven and on earth'" (27:18). Then he said to the paralytic, "'Get up, pick up your pallet and go home'" (Mk 2:10). "On another Sabbath . . . there was a man whose right hand was withered" (Lk 6:6). He told him, "'Stretch out your hand!' And he did so and his hand was restored" (:10). Then there was a blind man who cited that "'it has never been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a person born blind'" (Jn 9:32). Jesus "applied the clay to his eyes" (:6) and "he went away and washed, and came back seeing" (:7). The Pharisees accused Jesus of being a sinner and the man replied, "'Whether He is a sinner, I do not know . . . [but] now I see'" (:25). Jesus' response is, "'Which one of you convicts Me of sin? If I speak truth, why do you not believe Me?'" (Jn 8:46).