Divinity of Jesus Explained

Mari Kaimo

Where in the Bible does Jesus say, “I am NOT God. DO NOT worship Me?”

In Acts 10, the Apostle Peter comes to the home of the Gentile Cornelius, and this is what happens:

25 When Peter entered, Cornelius met him, fell at his feet, and worshiped him.
26 But Peter helped him up and said, “Stand up! I myself am also a man.”

Peter immediately rejected the man’s worship (προσκυνέω in the Greek, or proskyneō) of him because, as he said, he, too, was just a man

In Rev 22, the Apostle John has just been shown many visions by an angel. He writes:

8 “I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. When I heard and saw them, I fell down to worship (proskyneō) at the feet of the angel who had shown them to me.”
9 But he said to me, “Don’t do that! I am a fellow slave with you, your brothers the prophets, and those who keep the words of this book. Worship (proskyneō) God.”

But where in the Bible does JESUS say, “DO NOT worship (proskyneō) Me?”

Where in the Bible does Jesus do the same as Peter, the man, and the angel in John’s vision, and reject worship because He is “just a man,” as Muslims and other unbelievers insist He is?

After Christ’s birth, we read in Matthew 2:10-12 that some wise men came looking for Him:

10 When the magi saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.
11 After coming into the house they saw the Child with Mary His mother; and THEY FELL TO THE GROUND AND WORSHIPED (proskyneō) HIM. Then, opening their treasures, they presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
12 And having been warned by God in a dream not to return to Herod, the magi left for their own country by another way

So where do Mary and Joseph say, “DO NOT worship (proskyneō) Jesus?”

In Matthew 14:32-34, Jesus walks on water to His disciples in the midst of a furious storm, and we read:

32 When [Jesus and Peter] got into the boat, the wind stopped.
33 And those who were in the boat WORSHIPED (proskyneō) HIM, saying, “You are certainly God’s Son!”
34 When they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret.

So where in Matt 14 does Jesus say, “DO NOT worship Me?” I will stop adding the word proskyneō from here on because you should have gotten the point by now

After Jesus healed the blind man outside the Temple in John 9:35-39, we read:

35 Jesus heard that they had put him out, and finding him, He said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”
36 He answered, “ Who is He, Lord, that I may believe in Him?”
37 Jesus said to him, “You have both seen Him, and He is the one who is talking with you.”
38 And he said, “Lord, I believe.” AND HE WORSHIPED HIM.
39 And Jesus said, “For judgment I came into this world, so that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may become blind.”

So where does Jesus say, “DO NOT worship Me?”

When the women found an angel at Jesus’ empty tomb in Matthew 28:8-10,

8 And they left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy and ran to report it to His disciples.
9 And behold, Jesus met them and greeted them. And they came up and took hold of his feet and WORSHIPED HIM.
10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and take word to My brethren to leave for Galilee, and there they will see Me.”

So where does Jesus say, “DO NOT worship Me?”

After Jesus’ death and resurrection in Matthew 28:16-18, what happens is:

16 … the eleven disciples proceeded to Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had designated.
17 When they saw Him, THEY WORSHIPED HIM; but some were doubtful.
18 And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.”

So where does Jesus say, “DO NOT worship Me?”

In Luke 24:51-53, Jesus is about to ascend into Heaven, and we read:

51 While He was blessing them, He parted from them and was carried up into heaven.
52 And THEY, AFTER WORSHIPING HIM, returned to Jerusalem with great joy,
53 and were continually in the temple praising God.

So where does Jesus say, “DO NOT worship Me?”

In just these few verses above, we see that Jesus is worshiped:

– upon His birth
– after He walks on water and calms a storm
– after He heals a man blind from birth
– after He comes back from the dead
– just before He ascends up into Heaven on His own power, and
– after He ascends into Heaven

And that is just in the few verses we’ve quoted above!

But wait, there’s more. In Hebrews 1:6, God the Father COMMANDS worship (proskyneō) of the Son:

6 “When He again brings His firstborn into the world, He says, And all God’s angels must worship (proskyneō) Him.”

So to the question,

“Where does Jesus say, “DO NOT worship Me?”

the answer is…

Never!

Jesus never told a single one of those who worshiped Him, “Do not worship Me…” because Jesus, the Lamb of God Who came to take away the sins of the world, IS God. Always Was, always Will Be!

More proof from Rev 22:

3 “No longer will there be a curse upon anything. For the throne of God and of the Lamb will be there, and His servants will worship Him.
4 And they will see His face, and His name will be written on their foreheads.
5 And there will be no night there—no need for lamps or sun—for the Lord God will shine on them. And they will reign forever and ever.”

Peter’s Denial by Rembrandt, 1660. Jesus is shown in the upper right hand corner, his hands bound behind him, turning to look at Peter.