The Incarnation is one of Christianity's core doctrines: the Son of God became man in the person of Jesus of Nazareth. But when did Jesus know He was God?

What Does it Mean to Say "Jesus is God"?

In order to address the question, "When did Jesus know He was God?" It is first necessary to explain what it means to say that "Jesus is God." This clarification is necessary because many people confuse "Jesus" with "the Son of God." What does that mean? The human name, "Jesus" (or "Jesus of Nazareth") should be used to refer only to the incarnation of the Second Person of the Trinity. The Trinity, of course, refers to God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

Each of these – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – is "God" in the sense that they share the same nature or substance. Because each is "God," they were all present at the Creation (as God said, "Let Us make mankind in Our image… [Genesis 1:26, emphasis added]). John's gospel affirms this when it begins, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God" (John 1:1).

The Question: When Did Jesus Know That He Was the Incarnation of the Son?

The Second Person of the Trinity, the divine Son of God, always knew that "He was God." The question, therefore, should be restated: When did Jesus know that He was the incarnation of the eternal Son of God? The Gospels confirm that Jesus is the incarnation of the Son of God:

• "…[A]n angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, 'Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit'…Now all this took place so that what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet would be fulfilled: 'Behold, the virgin will conceive and give birth to a Son, and they shall call Him Immanuel, which translated means, "God with us"'" (Matthew 1:21-23).

• "The angel answered and said to her, 'The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; for that reason also the holy Child will be called the Son of God'" (Luke 1:35).

• "And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us; and we saw His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth" (John 1:14).

What Do the Gospels Say?

Not surprisingly, each of the Gospels bears witness to the fact that Jesus knew that He was the incarnation of the divine Son of God. While some scholars may question whether Jesus knew this (or whether He believed it), Scripture clearly demonstrates that Jesus both knew and believed that He was (and is) the Son of God.

Matthew and Mark: Jesus' Baptism By John

In both Matthew (chapter 3) and Mark (chapter 1), God announces that Jesus is His Son: "After He was baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and He saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove and settling on Him, and behold, a voice from the heavens said, 'This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased'" (Matthew 3:16-17; compare Mark 1:9-11).

This does not mean that Jesus did not understand His identity before His baptism. Rather, it simply reflects that neither Matthew nor Mark included any accounts of prior knowledge or understanding. Certainly, if Jesus did not know before His baptism, He knew at that point!

After all, it's rather hard to misunderstand a voice from heaven saying, "This is My Son"!

John: "Behold, the Lamb of God”

As noted earlier, John's Gospel makes clear that Jesus is "the Word [Who] became flesh and dwelt among us." In fact, the Prologue to John's Gospel (John 1:1-18) describes the meaning and importance of the Incarnation in some of the highest language in all of Scripture. The Word was God; He was with God in the beginning. Through the Word all things were made. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. No one has ever seen God, but God the only Son has revealed God to us.

That is the context for John the Baptist's declaration that Jesus is "the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world" (John 1:29). John made that announcement when "he saw Jesus coming to him." And just so no one misunderstood what John meant, he closed his announcement with the statement: "And I myself have seen, and have testified that this is the Son of God" (John 1:34).

If John the Baptist understood it and proclaimed it in Jesus' presence, then certainly Jesus understood it! (And if Jesus didn't understand it, or didn't believe it, wouldn't He have corrected John?)

Luke: "My Father's House"

The last gospel account to consider is that of Luke. Luke is the only of the gospels to provide any account of Jesus' childhood (other than Matthew saying that Joseph took Jesus and Mary to Egypt, and then brought them back to Nazareth after Herod's death). In Luke 2:41-52, Luke shares the story of Jesus' trip to Jerusalem at age 12, when He went with Mary and Joseph to celebrate the Passover feast.

However, when Mary and Joseph left for Nazareth, Jesus stayed behind at the Temple. Mary and Joseph didn't realize it until they had traveled an entire day, thinking that He was somewhere within the caravan of pilgrims traveling north. Once they realized that He wasn't with them, they returned to Jerusalem and searched for Him.

"Then, after three days, they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard Him were amazed at His understanding and His answers. When Joseph and Mary saw Him, they were bewildered, and His mother said to Him, 'Son, why have You treated us this way? Behold, Your father and I have been anxiously looking for You!" And He said to them, "Why is it that you were looking for Me? Did you not know that I had to be in My Father's house?" And yet they on their part did not understand the statement which He had made to them" (Luke 2:46-50).

When Did Jesus Know That He Was God?

So, to answer the question directly, according to Luke's gospel, Jesus certainly knew by the time He was at the temple at age 12. He understood that the temple was "His Father's house," and He "had" to be there. Contrast His understanding with that of Mary and Joseph. Both of them had been told by an angel before His birth that He was the Son of God; yet they "did not understand the statement which He had made to them." They didn't understand, but Jesus clearly did.

Luke's decision (under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit) to include this account must be understood as saying that Jesus knew that He was the Son of God by the time He was at the temple at age 12. Did He understand it before that time? It's possible, but nothing in Scripture clearly states that.

The gospels' complete silence on any other event during Jesus' childhood should not be interpreted to mean that Jesus did not know. Instead, Luke's account clearly supports the idea that Jesus clearly knew who He was and what it meant by the time He traveled to Jerusalem at age 12.