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“Truly, truly, I say to you, “whoever hears My word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life.” John 5:24

The Gospel according to John

REVIEW – While in Jerusalem, Jesus healed a man who had been an invalid for 38 years. The man said he was waiting for the angel who stirred the water of the pool to heal him. But when Jesus asked if he WANTED to be healed, the man hedged. Nevertheless, Jesus spoke and healed him, telling the man to pick up his mat and get out of there. Later the religious leaders chided the man for “working” on the Sabbath. Then, after Jesus met and cautioned the healed man to “sin no more,” he went to those leaders and identified Jesus as his healer… and the One who told him to carry his mat. This infuriated the uber-legalistic Jews.

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John 5:16-17.

The religious leaders now had a foothold on which to stand and accuse Jesus. They said He broke the 4th commandment by doing miracles on the Sabbath. They soon would have another reason to not only accuse and persecute Him, but to execute Him.

Jesus said to them, “My Father is working continuously (even on the Sabbath), and I (also) am working.” It was very clear to these Jews that Jesus was calling God His Father, and indeed saying He was equal with God. (a blasphemy worthy of death)

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John 5:18-24.

So Jesus gave his own personal statement of His diety. He is equal with God…..

• in His person. (calling God His Father) vss. 17-18
• in His works (what the Father does, the Son does) vss.19-20
• in His power and sovereignty (as the Father raises the dead, so the Son gives life) vs 21
• in His judgment (the Father has GIVEN all judgment to the Son) vs. 22
• in His honor (all honor the Son just as they honor the Father) vs. 23

I can imagine the religious leaders standing stunned and silent at so open a declaration by Jesus to be EQUAL WITH GOD.

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John 5:25-30.

Then, Jesus proclaims yet another time “the way to eternal life,” “Truly truly (double emphasis), 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.” Did they even HEAR this??

And again, a shocker. “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.”

And, “For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son also to have life in Himself. AND, He has given Him authority to execute judgment, because He is the Son of Man.”

Then Jesus tells them that He can do nothing on His own, but only at the will of God who sent Him. What does He mean?

(This all was the will of the Godhead, the triune God, who were in complete accord since before time and creation, when this moment in time, this plan of salvation through the substitutionary death of Jesus, was all planned and agreed upon. And now, Jesus does exactly that will, even after His prayer in Gethsemene. Then: Not my will, but thine. And now, I can do nothing on my own.)

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More in the next reading of this difficult section.