The Controversial Claim of Christ

The Controversial Claim of Christ – John’s Gospel chapter 5, verses 16 to 30

2 Things:

• Jesus claims to be no less than God
• And we can be confident that He on whom our faith depends is indeed God.

Jesus, a controversial figure

¹⁶ So, because Jesus was doing these things on the Sabbath, the Jewish leaders began to persecute him.

John 5:16

Just before this He provoked controversy by healing an paralysed man on the Sabbath.

Jesus’s controversial claim

⁷ In his defence Jesus said to them, ‘My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am working.’ ¹⁸ For this reason they tried all the more to kill him; not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God.

John 5:17-18

The angry rulers knew what He meant by saying “My Father” – He claimed to be equal with God.

Jesus defends His relationship with the father.

¹⁹ Jesus gave them this answer: ‘Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. ²⁰ For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does. Yes, and he will show him even greater works than these, so that you will be amazed. ²¹ For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom he is pleased to give it. ²² Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son, ²³ that all may honour the Son just as they honour the Father. Whoever does not honour the Son does not honour the Father, who sent him.

John 5:17-18

• The Son only does what the Father does.
• The Son knows what the Father knows.
• The Son is authorised by the Father to give life and to judge . Why? So that all may honour the Son as they honour the Father.

Jesus calls for a response to His claims

²⁴ ‘Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life. ²⁵ Very truly I tell you, a time is coming and has now come 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 judge because he is the Son of Man.

²⁸ ‘Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice ²⁹ and come out – those who have done what is good will rise to live, and those who have done what is evil will rise to be condemned. ³⁰ By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me.

John 5:24-30

The dead spiritually will hear and live. This new birth. It is the mighty call of the Son of God to all who will hear with faith. Verse 25

And at the end, a second mighty call of the Son of God, on the judgement day, and by what people have done. How we live is the test of our faith. Not perfect yet, but desiring it, pursuing it, loving it. Loving Him. What about you?

We are to honour Jesus our Lord as God.
That we may love Jesus our Lord as God.

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