Why are we not fools as Christians? Why are we not fools for worshiping God? Why are we not fools for following Jesus Christ?
Granted that Jesus is Who He claimed to be… What is our response to Him? We will answer both those questions from John 5. Let’s feed our spirits by studying John 5…
THE MIRACULOUS HEALING – 5:1-17:
Jesus was telling people that God was His father and the Jews drew the (logical) conclusion that Jesus was making Himself equal with God (cf. 10:30). Jesus has healed this man who was ill for 38 years. The miracle did not make Jesus the Son of God. The miracle gave the Jews a reason to believe the message, that Jesus was the Son of God, that He was equal with God.
The miracle is in the background and there are two accusations leveled against Jesus: violating the Sabbath law (vs 16) and making Himself equal with God (vs 18) because He claimed that God was His father. This whole episode has taken up 18 verses. That’s nearly half of the chapter. The other 30 verses are a sermon that Jesus gives and in this text, He is talking about what it means to “honor the Son.”
HONORING THE SON INVOLVES ACCEPTING THE AUTHORITY OF THE FATHER – 5:19-23:
Whatever Jesus has done on the Sabbath day, whatever Jesus has taught relative to His relationship to the Father – it has the Father’s permission. How do we know that? Because He just miraculously healed a man who was ill for 38-years!
How should we honor the Son? By accepting the authority of the Father through the Son.
HONORING THE SON INVOLVES HEARING THE SON – 5:24:
Honoring the Son means that we listen to what He says and we believe the Father when He testifies to who the Son is. The Father does that by performing this miracle through the hands of Jesus!
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HONORING THE SON INVOLVES BEING JUDGED BY THE SON – 5:25-29:
Giving life or not giving life and allowing eternal judgment to run its course is the same thing as judging. Jesus says that God the Father has given Jesus authority to execute judgment. Why? Because Jesus is the “Son of Man.” Please read this phrase as “God in the flesh.” Why is Jesus going to judge? Because Jesus came to earth. He’s the one who knows what it is to be a human, to live the human life, to be “God in the flesh.” So, Jesus is our judge.
Why should we honor the Son? Because He will be our judge!
HONORING THE SON INVOLVES ACCEPTING TESTIMONY ABOUT HIM – 5:36:
The word “testify” and “testimony” are two key words and concepts in the rest of the chapter. First, there is the testimony of John the baptizer (vs 33-35).
Notice verse 36. The miracle Jesus performed earlier in the chapter, proves the message that Jesus came to give: that He was God in the flesh. If Jesus could heal a man, and He did so on the Sabbath day, it was only because God the Father had empowered Him to do that healing on the Sabbath day. Clearly, Jesus was not violating the Sabbath law!
God the Father has testified about Jesus (vss 37-38). Finally, the Old Testament testified about Jesus Christ (vss 39-47). Honoring the Son involves accepting testimony about Him and from Him (believing His word). How do we know we can do that? Because Jesus healed a man instantaneously of a thirty-eight year old illness!
If you want to live a life of joy, honor Jesus Christ: accepting the authority of the Father, hear the Son, realize you’ll be judged by the Son, and accept testimony about and from Jesus Christ.
Paul holland
