The Ancient of Days

Mark 2: 1 – 12 (NIV): A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. So many gathered that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them. Some men came, bringing to him a paralytic, carried by four of them. Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus and, after digging through it, lowered the mat the paralyzed man was lying on. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven." Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, "Why does this fellow talk like that? He's blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?" Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, and he said to them, "Why are you thinking these things? Which is easier: to say to the paralytic, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Get up, take your mat and walk'? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins . . ." He said to the paralytic, "I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home." He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, "We have never seen anything like this!"

If you believe that a man named Jesus walked the earth – he preached and healed and died, but he wasn't God in the flesh, then you believe that man, Jesus, was a liar. Because Jesus clearly claimed to be God incarnate. Jesus called himself “I Am” in John 8:58, and here, refers to himself as the Son of Man. This was Jesus' favorite way to refer to himself, calling himself this 83 times in the Gospels. The Son of Man was equal in power and sovereignty to the Ancient of Days in Daniel 7:13. The Son of Man was worshiped by all people in Daniel, and here the Son of Man forgives sins. Only God can forgive sins.
John 1:1 and Colossians 1:15 say Jesus was the voice and face of the unseen God. Jesus accepted worship from the disciples in Matthew 14:33. Stephen prayed to him in Acts 7:59. Paul says in Colossians 1:16 that nothing was created that Jesus didn't create. This not only means Jesus is the creator of the universe, but also that he was not created. Only God is not created.
I know this is pretty deep for a three-minute study, but we must get this one right. We must understand who Jesus is. He was not just a prophet, or just a teacher, or just a man, or a martyr. He conquered death and every other enemy of mankind, and who but God could do that? He not only healed, but gave eternal life to all who believe. He was the sinless, human form of the Ancient of Days.