- 2 days ago
We are reflecting on Jesus' words to the Pharisees after healing the invalid man at the Pool of Bethesda. In our last two daily devotionals, we examined four claims Jesus made about equality with the Father; now, let’s explore the fifth claim.
5) Christ is Equal with God in His Honor (John 5:23).
23that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, who sent him. 24"I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life (John 5:23-24).
Jesus asserted that He shares equal honor with the Father, stating that if we do not honor the Son, we do not honor the Father. The Jews He addressed, claiming to love God but opposing Christ, were essentially tools aligned with God's enemy (John 8:44).
Those standing around Christ and listening to His statements of equality with God had three options to believe about Christ, just as we do. The three options are: 1) He was a good teacher but self-deceived and delusional. 2) He was a deliberate liar. 3) He is Who He said He is, that is, God in the flesh, come to earth. Let's look at all three:
1) The first option is that He was deceived, delusional, insane, and mentally ill. It reminds me of the story of British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. While serving in the government, she visited a mental hospital to check on the level of healthcare the residents were receiving. She introduced herself to one of the patients as the Prime Minister. Thinking she was a new patient, the man replied, "I understand. Many people, when they first arrive here, believe they are the Prime Minister." People with mental illness often suffer from delusions. We would not call someone who suffers from delusions a good teacher! The common belief that Christ was merely a deluded good teacher is implausible. If He was deceived and deluded, He was not a good teacher.
2) The second option is that He was a liar and knew it. In this case, He was an evil man working for Satan to deceive people deliberately. If that were true, what about His many miracles given as signs? How could He heal all sicknesses, raise the dead, cast out demons, and create bread out of nothing? If God were not with Him, how could He accomplish all this, given His power over nature, such as controlling the wind and the waves on the Sea of Galilee? (Mark 4:39).
3) The third option is that He truly is Who He claimed to be, that is, God of very God becoming a man to redeem us as a man. There are no other options; we must believe in one of them. Even the leading teacher in the country at that time, Nicodemus, said of Christ, “We know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him” (John 3:2). I trust that you have concluded that He is who He says He is.
In verse 24 of the passage at the top of the page, the Lord Jesus clearly states the qualifications for receiving an impartation of life from God. It is hearing God's Word and responding in faith to what God has accomplished at the cross to redeem mankind. An individual who responds to the Gospel has eternal life. It is not something that happens when a person passes from this world, but something that begins in the present time. Believers do not need to fear judgment, for their sin has already been judged at the cross of Christ. Upon believing, one has crossed over from a condition of death to that of new life (v. 24). Keith Thomas.
This meditation is a shortened version of the in-depth study: Jesus the Life-Giver.