Jun 21stDevotion John 5:16-29 Can’t Handle The Truth Part 1

John 5:16-29 – For this reason the Jews were persecuting Jesus, because He was doing these things on a Sabbath. 17 But He answered them, “My Father is working until now, and I Myself am working.”  18 For this reason therefore the Jews were seeking all the more to kill Him, because He not only was breaking the Sabbath, but also was calling God His own Father, making Himself equal with God.  19 Therefore Jesus answered and was saying to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in the same way. 20 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 be amazed. 21 For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so the Son also gives life to whom He wishes. 22 For not even the Father judges anyone, but He has given all judgment to the Son, 23 so that all will honor the Son just as they honor the Father. The one who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him. 24 “Truly, truly, I say to you, the one who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.  25 Truly, truly, I say to you, a time is coming and even now has arrived, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. 26 For just as the Father has life in Himself, so He gave to the Son also to have life in Himself; 27 and He gave Him authority to execute judgment, because He is the Son of Man. 28 Do not be amazed at this; for a time is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear His voice, 29 and will come out: those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the bad deeds to a resurrection of judgment.

For this reason the Jews were persecuting Jesus, because He was doing these things on a Sabbath.”  The Jews were persecuting because Jesus healed a lame man on the Sabbath.  What a horrible lack of love.  Now if were ministering in today’s world He would be told by too many that the Jews were offended so now Jesus should back off.  He should give them a break because, after all, it is (in their minds) the loving thing to do.  Don’t keep pushing the truth but let them digest what they have and then revisit His point.  They would say to Jesus, be loving, be nice, after all, “what would Jesus do.”  Well, Jesus shows in the next verse what He would do, what He did.  He wasn’t there to be soft on error or make allowances for the pride of men.  He came to give us an exact representation of who the Father is.  (Hebrews 1:3)

“But He answered them, “My Father is working until now, and I Myself am working. 18 For this reason therefore the Jews were seeking all the more to kill Him, because He not only was breaking the Sabbath, but also was calling God His own Father, making Himself equal with God.  ”’ Okay, the Jewish leaders were beside themselves because when Jesus healed the lame man on the Sabbath, and so, according to their tradition (not God’s scripture), He had broken the Sabbath.  They had been as angry as they thought they could be.  Jesus did not back off.  He who is the Truth (John 14:6) was not through bringing them the truth.  He was the Truth and the Light (John 8:12) and He could be nothing else.  He had come to earth to do the will of the Father (John 4:34), not to appease men.  He then made the above statement equating Himself with Father God. Some might say He was not being nice.

There is no shortage of proud people who say that Jesus never said anything that proclaimed Himself as God.  That’s just silly.  They who live today claim to understand what Jesus said and did better than the Jewish leaders of the day.  These leaders were more educated and intelligent than many, if not all of the people who today spout such quackish malarkey.  Jesus knew that what He was saying would cause these Jewish leaders to overheat.  In their lack of understanding (by the force of their will) they thought that Jesus would be defaming God by making Himself equal with God.  These experts in the law and prophets would have instantly thought of verses like Deuteronomy 6:4 which states that God is one and Isaiah 40:25 which states that God had no equal.  And He would have been trespassing if not for the fact that He was indeed God in human form (John 1:1-2, Philippians 2:6-8).

Now the Jews thought that not only had Jesus not kept the Sabbath day (according to their tradition) but He now was making Himself to be equal to God.  Only God is equal to God and in their mind, there was only one, so Jesus could not be equal to God and could not be God since God was “one.”  We must remember that they did not know of the Trinity.  In their minds Jesus spoke like a heretic who was deserving of death.

We see that Jesus kept proceeding to give the truth, whether they could handle it or not.  He did not back up.  The anger of the leaders grew as Jesus spoke the truth and as they challenged Him Jesus kept answering them and so, their rage grew.  We would later see this same reaction as the Apostles of Jesus would share (Acts 23:10)   Family and Friends, Jesus did not back up, He did not stop speaking the truth.  He was not speaking to provoke them.  He merely spoke the truth and the light of the truth provoked them.  (John 3:20) Light and truth was exactly what He came to share.  Light and truth is exactly what Jesus sent us out to spread as we share the Gospel.  People will be angry, and even hate us if we hold to the truth (Matthew 10:22), but we must nevertheless hold to it.  Having expressed that, we must remember that we are not the Lord.  We do not have His knowledge, insight and wisdom.  So we must remember to be kind, as we never compromise the Word.  We remember that the most loving and most kind thing we can do is to always tell the truth of God and to not ever apologize for it.  As the Holy Spirit leads us in love, we boldly shares the Gospel.  And in doing that we do what Jesus modeled for us.  He did the Father’s will.  We also will do the Father’s will as we honor Jesus.  And that we strive to do.  Praise God!

Psalm 150:6 – Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.  Praise the Lord!

Micah 7:7 – But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will Hear me.

Micah 6:8 – He has shown you, Oh man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you, but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.

Numbers 6:24-26 – The Lord bless you and keep you; 25 The Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you; 26 The Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace.