Life by the Divine Authority of Jesus
January 27, 2019

Life by the Divine Authority of Jesus

Speaker:
Passage: John 5:19-29

Good morning! Happy Lord’s Day to you all! Christians gather and worship, celebrating our Sabbath, on Sunday, the first day of the week. This is the day the Church has set aside to gather and worship. It is modeled after the Jewish Sabbath. There are a few reasons the early church gathered on Sunday: first, note that many of the apostles and early disciples still worshiped in the synagogue on Saturday, the Sabbath of Israel. They continued to gather with the people of Israel, worshiping the Father, but by the blood of the Son and through the Spirit of God. They gave testimony to their people that Jesus was the fulfillment of all they were seeking. But the Christian Church, especially the Gentiles, gathered on Sunday, the first day of the week. This was the day of Resurrection, when Jesus rose from the grave! This became the primary day of worship for the followers of The Way, those who followed Jesus as their Messiah. We know from Paul’s letter to the church in Colossae that we are not to be judged according to what Sabbath we keep, Saturday or Sunday. I don’t, however, see a biblical dissolution of the Sabbath. The Sabbath is rooted in creation, and is the fourth commandment. This is Exodus 20:8–11

[8] “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. [9] Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, [10] but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. [11] For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. (ESV)

[Sabbath Story]

Why talk about Sabbath? It is a primary concern for us as a worshiping people. Sabbath is part of our worship. It is one of the means we honor God with our life. This is why Sunday worship should be of primary importance within the body. Hebrews 10:24-25 “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.”

The Sabbath Day is part of the context of our passage this morning. It is important to understand what it meant to the original hearers of John’s gospel. You may recall from last week, the Sabbath was so important and guarded by the people if Israel that they created additional rules, later called the Mishnah, to keep them from breaking the Scriptural laws. Many of those rules surrounded the Sabbath. 

In our passage in John 5, Jesus is in apparent “hot water” for breaking the Sabbath, and even moreso, for making himself “equal to God.” The underlying question was this: Why could Jesus heal on the Sabbath? Why could he claim God to be His Father, and work when he works? This is why the Jews were seeking to kill him, because he had made the blasphemous claim that a man could be equal to God. This is where we pick up in the controversy. 

Stand and read with me…

John 5:19-29

19 So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise. 20 For the Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself is doing. And greater works than these will he show him, so that you may marvel. 21 For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he will. 22 For the Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son, 23 that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him. 24 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life. 

25 “Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. 26 For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. 27 And he has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man. 28 Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice 29 and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment. (ESV)

[Pray]

So the table is set: Jesus has been unofficially put on trial by the Jewish leaders of the temple, and now he makes his defense. The underlying question was this: Why could Jesus heal on the Sabbath? Why could he claim God to be His Father, and work when he works?

In His response, Jesus taught his oppressors a lesson about the Christ, the Messiah as both God and man. We are going to look at the passage and see that Jesus had:

Solidarity with the Father,

There was Life in the Son

Authority as the Son of Man

Let us look to the text.Solidarity with the Father (v19-20)

19 So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise. 20 For the Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself is doing. And greater works than these will he show him, so that you may marvel.

The accusation of the Jews was not merely that Jesus was making himself out to be equal to God, but that he was a competing god. The People of Israel were staunch monotheists in a Roman world of religious pluralism. Remember, Rome took on Greek culture, with a plethora of gods for each occasion and desire.

Deut 6:4 4Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: 5And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might.

So, their fight against Jesus was, in their minds, a fight for Monotheism. 

Jesus’ response grants us insight into the Trinity. We learn first of the unity of God with the Son of God: “the Son can do nothing of his own accord…Jesus was saying: I’m not in opposition to the Father, I’m in perfect unity with the Father. I don’t act against His will, but I do what I see him doing. He shows me what he is doing—all that He is doing. And He’s going to show me even greater things, so that you will see what I will do, and you will marvel!

Jesus does not act over-and-against the will of the Father. He does nothing of His own accord. They are of the same mind. His relationship with the Father is not like our human relationships: He doesn’t purchase a boat without the prior knowledge and approval of other spouse, nor does he make promises to his children that the other member of the trinity doesn’t know of or agree with! There is perfect unity of mind and heart between the Father and the Son. 

How? Jesus is the Son of God, and of one substance with the Father. The theological term for this is homoousios. They cannot be divided in mind for they are united in substance. Though they are separate in person, they have been together as the Godhead from eternity past and will be to eternity future. And Jesus perfectly shines forth the will, the glory, the power of the Father. 

Hebrews 1:3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power…(ESV)

The leaders of Israel failed to recognize this. Wouldn’t you? What they saw was a son of man, a human being. They failed to recognize by the words Jesus spoke, and by the signs and miracles that accompanied his word, that he was the apocalyptic Son of Man (Daniel 7), who was both man and God. 

Friends, here is another theological term for you: hypostatic union. Here is a abbreviated definition from Evangelical Dictionary of Theology: “In the incarnation of the Son of God, a human nature was inseparably united forever with the divine nature in the one person of Jesus Christ, yet with the two natures remaining distinct, whole, and unchanged, without mixture or confusion so that the one person Jesus Christ is truly God and truly man.”

So they were right… their accusations were correct: That Jesus, though a man, made himself out to be equal with God, because he was both! But their understanding of this knowledge was not complete, nor was their application correct. They believed Jesus was in competition with God, not part of His complete revelation. And they believed Jesus ought to have been murdered for his revelation of truth, not worshiped.Jesus was in complete solidarity with the Father… 

There’s one more piece of evidence in Jesus’ statement that we need to consider. Look at v 20: The Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself is doing… The Father loves the Son… The Father approves of the Son. The Father rejoices in the Son. The Father sees beauty, perfection, wholeness in the Son. This is a breathtaking statement by Jesus that we could easily passover and fail to examine. 

Friends, Jewish thought was one that understood there was none who were good. They understood that sin had run rampant in the world, and all were tainted, for why else would there be a need for constant sacrifice? They understood that God had the judicial right to condemn and execute justice upon all mankind. To say that the Father loved the Son was to say that Jesus gave no reason for God not to love him! This was a claim to perfect purity! This set Jesus over all the highest ranking pharisees! And his claim was verified by this: the Father shows him all that he himself is doing… And Jesus did the works of the Father, the work of creating and re-creating. The claims of Jesus were verified by the works of Jesus. Jesus made the statement: And greater works than these will he show him, so that you may marvel. The works and miracles of Jesus were to lead us to worship him as the Son of God. The works verified the solidarity of Jesus with the Father. As our Lord and Savior stated, “I and the Father are one.”Life in the Son (v21-27)

V20 promised greater works. The greatest of all signs, the greatest of all the works of Jesus on earth was his resurrection. Jesus stated in verse 21 that He himself had power over death, and was able to give life to whom he will. The majority of Jews believed in a resurrection. That was the difference between a Pharisee and a Sadducee. The Pharisees believed they would live again, and the Sadducees didn’t: that’s why they were sad, you see?

The response of Jesus, thus far, wasn’t belaying any fears of the Jews. Instead, he was informing them and furthering their ambition to kill him. Jesus added fuel to their fire by saying the Son gives life to whom he wills! 

First, recognize that Jesus meant what they thought he meant: That he had life within himself. John informed us of this in the opening of His gospel: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the word was God… v4, in Him was life, and the life was the light of men.” Now, the pharisees and religious rulers heard this man who had made himself equal with God now claim god-like qualities. They knew their scripture, that in God we live and move and have our being (Duet 30:20). Jesus claimed to have life within himself, and that he was able to raise the dead, just as the Father raises the dead. 

Second, Jesus claimed a sovereign prerogative. He acted in complete accordance, unity, with the Father, but had in himself the prerogative to raise whom he will. This is reminiscent of our conversation last week, as to why Jesus only healed one paralytic on the Sabbath, and the conversation reaches further to our conversation with Nicodemus: How can a man be born again? He must be born of the Spirit. The third member of the trinity is the quickening power that brings life. But the Spirit is like the wind; it cannot be coerced by man, but it is sovereignly directed by God. Jesus was stating his sovereign power to give life to whom he willed, and when he willed. Ponder that with me… the sovereign, supreme power of Jesus, the Son of God, the Son of Man to give life.

Verse 22 speaks of the authority of the Son, which we will come back to on our last point. Know now that the Son has life and judgement, and that judgement necessitates that the Son of man be honored. Furthermore, Jesus was stating that they, the Jews, and the world, ought to honor him just as they honored the Father! Once again, this doesn’t belay, but belabors their argument against him! He said he ought to be honored as they honor the Father! But honoring the Son is to the benefit of the people of Israel. There was mercy in Jesus speaking these words to the Pharisees and religious leaders of Israel. Why is that?

Look at the rest of the verse: Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him. 

Jesus was saying: If I am sent by God, and you don’t honor my words, if you don’t recognize my works, if you don’t honor me, then you don’t honor the Father who sent me. The Father, whose honor you now proclaim to protect, is the very one you dishonor by refusing me, the Son.

Isn’t it interesting that a prophet is without honor only in his hometown? The world is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof (Psa 24:1), and yet the Creator of the world is without honor. The Son is without honor. The Father is without honor.

Furthermore, listen to what Jesus put forth of most importance: v24 “truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgement, but he has passed from death to life.”

Truly, Truly… this phrase is used 3 times in this monologue. It’s a saying that indicates the great importance of what follows. LISTEN TO THIS! 

Listen to how life enters the individual: whoever hears my word and believes… We must see John’s theme of hearing the Word of God become flesh, Jesus, and the power of His spoken word as it brings life and healing to the person. He spoke, and the official’s son was healed. He spoke, and the paralytic was made whole. He speaks, and those who hear have life.

Next, look at the one whom we believe upon hearing: Him who sent me… Jesus made a direct connection to believing the Father through the words of the Son. If you listen to the words of the Son, you believe the Father. Again, the one whom the Jews are claiming to protect is the one they are thus denying. Jesus is in complete solidarity with the Father. 

…Whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. This is of grave importance.. Truly, truly… listen to me… can you hear the pleading of Jesus as he conversed with his opponents? This is a matter of life and death. Theres’ no time to be vague here. If you don’t listen to me, you die. Like a surgeon urging his patient to be still to let him operate, Jesus used a strong phrase to let his opponents know they have death in their bones, and only he could speak to the the spirit of man and make him live. It happens the same way the stars were formed: by His word. Just as there was no matter, no life prior to the creation of God, we see no spiritual life prior to the work of God.

Look at the end of verse 24: He does not come into judgement, but has passed from death to life.

The starting point is death. We are all born in the same condition: spiritual death. We can’t think of salvation as merits earned, or that we somehow obtained it by our wisdom, intelligence, or ability to see with our great moral compass. When you’re dead, you have no movement, no perception, no feeling, no life! Spiritual life isn’t earned, it is given graciously, sovereignly, by our Savior!

That life given is present and active! That life, which is eternal, is granted in the here and now, with culminating effects in eternity! Jesus was rolling back the effects of sin, both in the body and in the heart and mind of mankind. The life Jesus gives is so much greater than the healing of the physical body: it is healing of the soul of man! It is bringing life where there once was death! O Christian, testify with me that you have life in your bones— not because of physical wellness but because of an enlivened soul! 

Fanny Crosby, the famous hymn writer, was asked if she would prefer to be healed now, or later. Her response was this: “If I had a choice, I would still choose to remain blind...for when I die, the first face I will ever see will be the face of my blessed Saviour.”

Life in the soul far outweighs the physical wellness of life in the body. Friends, I plead with you, read your Bible. In it you find the words of Christ, the one who has the words of life. There is life for your soul in His words. Truly, Truly, I’m telling you… and He gives life to whom he wills.

We must look at this passage and trust that Jesus possesses all that the Father is, in goodness, love, mercy, kindness, justice, and holiness. He is all-knowing, all-powerful, and ever-present. We must trust that though some things be beyond our understanding, they are not outside his perfect, loving, sovereign hand. Jesus’ plea with the religious leaders was that they would hear and believe his word. His desire was to set them free from death. And we know, as he himself said later in John , “if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” (Jhn 8:36)

And this is possible only because Jesus has Authority as the Son of Man

Authority as the Son of Man

25 “Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. 26 For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. 27 And he has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man. 28 Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice 29 and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment. (ESV)

Jesus, in this statement, is revealing that He has authority to call the dead, the physically dead, to life. First, the spiritually dead, and now, the physically dead. They will come out of the tombs at the sound of his voice. They will come to his throne to the judgement seat.  The Son has the authority to execute judgement — as the Son of Man. 

Why? Why is this important? Jesus, as God who has become man, is both fully God and fully man. He is also our great high priest, able to sympathize with our weakness (Heb 4:15).  He is the Head of Humanity, our Perfect Ruler, Judge, and King! He took on our infirmities, our weakness, our sin and suffered for us. He is the King who paid the price for His people. He has every right, and has been given full authority by the Father to execute judgement.

Jesus, in the week leading up to his death, witnessed the death of his friend, Lazarus. In fact, the scripture informs us that he waited to go to him, delaying what could have been a healing. When Jesus arrived, Lazarus had been dead 4 days. It was by the word of His voice that Lazarus came out from the tomb. 

Friends, it will be by the powerful voice of Jesus that all who are physically dead will rise. Life will be restored to its fullest.

The call this morning is this: Do you believe the word of Jesus and honor the Father? Do you believe you are dead in your trespasses and sin, and without the sovereign word of Jesus, you had no life? Do you believe Jesus us the Author of life? Do you believe it is only through Him, through His divine authority, you have life now and in eternity?

It’s easy to dismiss these words as mere theology, a chapter in your statement of faith, under the heading of Christology. My question to you is this: will you worship the Lord of the Sabbath, and rejoice in the life he gives you? 

Do you treat the sabbath as your means to appease your flesh? Or do you dig deep into the life in the Word of God? Do you honor the Son who alone can give you life by His divine authority?

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