To claim to be God—when you’re not—is blasphemy. And it was punishable by death in ancient Israel.

Several times Jesus claimed to be God by forgiving sins, saying he was “I AM,” and calling God his Father. During his trial, Jesus said he was the Messiah and he would be sitting at God’s right hand. The high priest recognized this as a claim of divinity, tore his clothes, and ordered Jesus be put to death.

Many people will say Jesus never claimed to be God, but his fiercest opponents were furious because he did just that! But Jesus wasn’t guilt of blasphemy because what he said was true—he really was and is God.