John 5:19-33

Relax, Read, Reflect

Prayer- Lord, Open our hearts and open our minds and help us learn. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.

What the Father Does, the Son Does

^19-20So Jesus explained himself at length. "I'm telling you this straight. The Son can't independently do a thing, only what he sees the Father doing. What the Father does, the Son does. The Father loves the Son and includes him in everything he is doing.

^20-23"But you haven't seen the half of it yet, for in the same way that the Father raises the dead and creates life, so does the Son. The Son gives life to anyone he chooses. Neither he nor the Father shuts anyone out. The Father handed all authority to judge over to the Son so that the Son will be honored equally with the Father. Anyone who dishonors the Son, dishonors the Father, for it was the Father's decision to put the Son in the place of honor.

²⁴"It's urgent that you listen carefully to this: Anyone here who believes what I am saying right now and aligns himself with the Father, who has in fact put me in charge, has at this very moment the real, lasting life and is no longer condemned to be an outsider. This person has taken a giant step from the world of the dead to the world of the living.

^25-27"It's urgent that you get this right: The time has arrived—I mean right now!—when dead men and women will hear the voice of the Son of God and, hearing, will come alive. Just as the Father has life in himself, he has conferred on the Son life in himself. And he has given him the authority, simply because he is the Son of Man, to decide and carry out matters of Judgment.

^28-29"Don't act so surprised at all this. The time is coming when everyone dead and buried will hear his voice. Those who have lived the right way will walk out into a resurrection Life; those who have lived the wrong way, into a resurrection Judgment.

^30-33"I can't do a solitary thing on my own: I listen, then I decide. You can trust my decision because I'm not out to get my own way but only to carry out orders. If I were simply speaking on my own account, it would be an empty, self-serving witness. But an independent witness confirms me, the most reliable Witness of all. Furthermore, you all saw and heard John, and he gave expert and reliable testimony about me, didn't he?

I used "The Message" paraphrase for this mornings passages. Sometimes that makes it easier to understand. The pharisees are angry at Jesus, first for healing (working) on the sabbath, and second because he is uppity and comparing himself to God. After all, they have followed the law long enough THEY should be the ones closest to God.

Jesus answers by telling them straight up that he has a real relationship with God. He is God's Son, sent to earth to do God's work. He is responsible for do the will and actions of God. Furthermore, if anyone believes with the Son, that person will be blessed with eternal life, (vs. 24.)

He goes on to tell the people that the time is coming where All will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will be alive. It is important that we understand that he is talking about EVERYBODY, not just living Jews, but everyone. He concludes by saying that all authority is not his own, but comes from God.

This can't go over well with the Jewish leaders. Not only is Jesus not saying he's sorry for doing miracles on the Sabbath, he is saying that he is truly the Son of God. That is heresy. Jesus has started the ball rolling that will end in his crucifixion. The good news is that the crucifixion of Christ is not the end of the story for us. The things he tells the pharisees are truth, and if we believe this things, He rose from the dead so that we can live.

Questions:

1. What are the "greater works" Jesus is talking about in vs. 21?

2. If Jesus is doing God's work on earth, what does that mean about God's will?

3. Do you think this is what the pharisees wanted to hear? Is this what we need to hear?

Prayer- Lord, Help us remember that Jesus came to earth to do your work and provide eternal life for everybody. Give us the strength to hear and believe. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.