Week 22 Jesus Equality with God the Father John 5:19-30

Transcription

1 Week 22 Jesus Equality with God the Father John 5:19-30 Presented Live on March 26, 2017 I. Introduction and review A. Chuck Swindoll tells a story about a very distinguished looking man addressing a convocation of Muslim adherents 1. He opened the convocation by invoking the name of Allah 2. But then he turned his attention to Jesus a. He informed those present that Jesus was a man who was very praiseworthy b. He was clearly and without question: (1) A genuine prophet (2) A wise and noble teacher or rabbi (3) A worthy example of human goodness c. He then claimed with great passion that Jesus never claimed or declared himself to be anything more than a man d. Repeating himself, he reiterated that Jesus never claimed to be God 3. Was the Muslim cleric right in claiming that Jesus never said the words, at least as far as we know: I am God? a. That phrase is never found in the Scriptures, but such a statement is clearly misinformation, at best Page 1 of 12

2 b. For although Jesus may not have said those exact words, He boldly asserted His deity in such precise, unambiguous terms c. His enemies were outraged that He would say the things that He said 4. They called Him a blasphemer for making Himself equal with God [5:18] 5. The clear extent of Jesus claims may have eluded this Muslim cleric, but let them not elude us 6. For Jesus enemies unequivocally understood the meaning of His claims to Godhood B. We are going to study today, the passage identified as John 5: This portion of the narrative is written as a chiasm 2. A chiasm is a form of literary structure 3. Chiastic structure, or chiastic pattern, is a literary technique used in narrative motifs and other textual passages usually by those from an Oriental culture 4. An example of chiastic structure would be two ideas, A and B, together with variants A' and B', being presented as A,B,B',A'. 5. I do not intend to talk about the chiastic structure of this passage, you can look into this on your own if you consider yourself a masochist C. When Jesus arrived at the Pool of Bethesda, intending to rejuvenate a superstitious, old invalid, He knew it would attract the attention of the Jewish leaders 1. Why else did He say to the man take up your palate and walk 2. He knew it was the Sabbath 3. And He knew the religious leaders would see and question this man 4. He was not trying to sneak one by them Page 2 of 12

3 D. You will see that Jesus did not hold anything back 1. First He corrected their faulty theology 2. Second He has addressed the question: Who owns the Sabbath? 3. And now He will speak to the question of is He equal with the Father 4. And you will find that in so doing He makes nine specific points II. Who Jesus is, according to Jesus [5:19-30] A. This is in effect an opening statement as one would make in trial 1. Some television personalities claim that they know how to make an opening statement, but they don t 2. However, your Lord and Savior does know how B. Jesus claims to be equal with God the Father 1. [5:19-20] Jesus starts by saying the He and the Father are interrelated 2. What one does the other does, they work together, each in His own sphere a. What one knows the other knows b. They are equal and unified c. Jesus is telling them that it was the Father s plan for Him to heal on the Sabbath d. And for the one healed to carry his pallet home 3. This passage pictures the business or workshop of a fatherson team where the father teaches the son his trade a. That could lead to an interpretation that Jesus is lower in rank than the Father b. We must remember that Jesus left behind His throne and willingly submitted Himself to the Father c. Consider Phil. 2:5-8 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied Himself, Page 3 of 12

4 taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. 8 Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. d. ñðáãìoò harpagmos {har-pag-mos'} Meaning: 1) the act of seizing, robbery 2) a thing seized or to be seized 2a) booty, to deem anything a prize 2b) a thing to be seized upon or to be held fast, retained 4. There is equality of work C. [5:21] Jesus claims to be a restorer of life 1. Jesus, in claiming that He is a life giver is claiming to be God a. The Jews understood that only God could restore a life b. Consider: (1) II Kgs. 5:7 When the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes and said, "Am I God, to kill and to make alive, that this man is sending word to me to cure a man of his leprosy? But consider now, and see how he is seeking a quarrel against me." (2) Ezek. 37:13 Then you will know that I am the LORD, when I have opened your graves and caused you to come up out of your graves, My people. 2. Since only God can restore life, therefore, for Jesus to claim that He can restore life, He is making a claim to divinity 3. Jesus makes this claim in the context of raising the dead a. This is not just about restoring physical life b. But also about the restoration of spiritual life 4. And He will prove this point indelibly in the near future [John 11] 5. Equality of restorative or resurrection power Page 4 of 12

5 D. [5:22] Jesus claims to be the final judge 1. God also is the one who judges man a. Gen. 18:25 Far be it from You to do such a thing, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous and the wicked are treated alike. Far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth deal justly?" 2. This is of course the sole prerogative of God 3. However, Jesus does not say that He will share this role of ultimate judge with the Father, as He shared the restoration of life with the Father 4. Instead He claims that He will be the sole judge of all mankind, that the Father has turned this over to the Son a. Is that really the case, at the final judgment, Jesus will be doing the judgment b. Acts 17:31 because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead." 5. Does that mean that Jesus will judge all men, are we as believers exempt from that judgment? a. II Cor. 5:10 b. You will be judged on three criteria, your use of: (1) your time, (2) your talent, and (3) your treasure 6. This He is uniquely suited for a. He knows all things, even the thoughts and intentions of a man s heart b. He understands all things, including motivations and stresses c. He can weigh the value and merit of a person [remember the handwriting on the wall] Page 5 of 12

6 d. He can be fair and impartial 7. The personal application for these Pharisees is that Jesus will be the one judging them one day 8. The choice we all have is the same as that of these Pharisees: Do you want to meet Him first as Savior or as Judge? E. [5:23] They, the Father and the Son, are also equal in honor 1. If Jesus is now the judge of all earth, He is due the honor belonging to the judge in that position 2. Judges are due the honor of their position. 3. Anyone who dishonors them is foolish 4. Another word for honor is glory a. Consider Isa. 42:8 I am the LORD, that is My name; I will not give My glory to another, Nor My praise to graven images. b. That s why when God has a job for a human to do He usually selects the most unqualified of candidates 5. Jesus and His Father are equal in the honor, power and authority F. [5:24] Jesus has the only answer for the plague of mankind sin 1. This is the center point of this chiasm and the key message in Jesus opening statement 2. Everyone will be judged. 3. Those who don t pass muster will be condemned 4. Jesus now as the judge is telling them how they can avoid condemnation 5. And they are ignoring Him 6. Notice in this case, He doesn t call for belief in Himself but in the Father 7. But this only goes to reinforce their equality 8. Equality as the object of saving faith G. [5:25-26] Jesus now proceeds to the back end of the chiasm Page 6 of 12

7 1. Certain of those who have died will be raised from the dead 2. One of those of course is Lazarus 3. This verse relates back to verse But He and the Father share an equality of the possession of life H. [5:27] Jesus has been given all authority 1. First is the position of Judge 2. But is that authority of which Jesus speaks, all encompassing a. See Matt. 28:18 And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. b. Consider the name He then uses to refer to Himself the Son of Man c. The Pharisees knew exactly who and what He was talking about d. Dan. 7:13-14 "I kept looking in the night visions, And behold, with the clouds of heaven One like a Son of Man was coming, And He came up to the Ancient of Days And was presented before Him. 14 "And to Him was given dominion, Glory and a kingdom, That all the peoples, nations and men of every language Might serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion Which will not pass away; And His kingdom is one Which will not be destroyed. e. Mk. 14:61-62 But He kept silent and did not answer. Again the high priest was questioning Him, and saying to Him, "Are You the Christ, the Son of 62 the Blessed One?" And Jesus said, "I am; and you shall see THE SON OF MAN SITTING AT THE RIGHT HAND OF POWER, and COMING WITH THE CLOUDS OF HEAVEN." f. Did the Pharisees understand what Jesus was saying? Page 7 of 12

8 III. g. Consider Mk. 14: Tearing his clothes, the high priest said, "What further need do we have of witnesses? 64 "You have heard the blasphemy; how does it seem to you?" And they all condemned Him to be deserving of death. I. [5:28-29] Jesus is the one who determines finality, or the end of one s journey 1. An hour is coming compare this verse with verse The word deeds is not in the original text 3. Good ãáèoò agathos {ag-ath-os'} Meaning: 1) of good constitution or nature 2) useful, salutary 3) good, pleasant, agreeable, joyful, happy 4) excellent, distinguished 5) upright, honorable 4. The idea here is the right choice versus the wrong choice 5. The alternatives are life and judgment that is that you are resurrect for one or the other (in the KJV these alternatives are life and damnation) J. [5:30] Jesus is always doing the will of God the Father 1. It should always be the Father who directs 2. He promises those who will judge Him one day that when He judges them, His judgment will be just 3. There is equality of purpose and direction Final considerations A. When you take into consideration all of these declarations which Jesus makes in this passage, the conclusion is not elusive 1. He claims to be equal with the Father because Jesus is God 2. Now the choice is yours, either a. Choose to believe those declarations, or b. Reject His claims c. If you accept His claim to deity you are put to another choice (1) rebellion, or (2) trust Page 8 of 12

9 d. But either rejection of his claim to deity or rebellion against His dominion, end in judgment B. Let s look back on verse 20 before we finish 1. For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself is doing; and the Father will show Him greater works than these, so that you will marvel. [Jn. 5:20] 2. Jesus understood that His role on earth was to be a servant of the most high God, even though He was the most high God 3. One of the main reasons for this was to be an example to us 4. See... just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many. [Matt. 20:28] 5. As a servant He never sought to initiate activity or ministries for the Father a. The servant never sets the agenda b. His or her master sets the agenda c. The good servant is one who is so cognizant of what his master is doing, that when the master begins to move in a particular direction, the servant joins him 6. Jesus did not make plans on His own, but always sought to find what the Father wanted and joined in with Him in accomplishing that goal a. One of the reasons that Jesus could do this so well is His intimate knowledge of the Father b. He was keenly sensitive to divine activity initiated around Him c. He was experienced in recognizing the plans and working of His Father 7. It is possible for believers to be so caught up in what we want God to do, that we don t even notice what He is doing in our world, and therefore fail to join in with Him in those efforts Page 9 of 12

10 a. He wants to redirect your focus to His plans, but many times we tend to evaluate what is going on around us based on how it effects us b. We instead need to reorient ourselves so that we can see what is happening around us from His perspective c. For example, as God brings someone into your life, consider: (1) is that person in need of salvation, or (2) is that person needing the comfort of a loving believer, or (3) does that one need encouragement in the face of a challenge, or (4) is that person one who should be reproved, or (5) could that one be in need of instruction that God wants to give them through you. 8. We should live each day of our lives with anticipation a. Where will God be working today b. Where does He want me to join in c. He will start to open your eyes so that you can what He is doing d. And when you see it, you will marvel Believer s Bible Class, & Douglas W. Brady Page 10 of 12

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