John 5:19-30 Jesus’ unique claims
The Pharisees were angry that Jesus had displayed the power and grace of God on the Sabbath. In reply Jesus makes three key claims concerning himself. No one ever spoke like this and it could have been disregarded as lunacy except for the miracles and displays of authority. The Pharisees could not hear the words of Christ any more than most people today can hear and respond to the gospel.
“I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept his claim to be God. That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic — on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg — or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God, but let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.”
― C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity
Jesus says he does exactly what he sees the Father do. He expresses his unity with the Father, The love the Father has for him and the working relationship between them. Read Job 38. Here God questions Job about things that are far beyond human understanding. But see that God has shown all his works to the Son. All these things that Job could not answer are known by Jesus in his unique personal relationship with the Father.
Impartation of life is a work of God that Jesus sees and does. Genesis 2:7 , “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.” When sin entered the world it separated us from the life of God, spiritual life, so that everyone is spiritually dead unless Jesus gives them The Life (his life, his Spirit, the Holy Spirit) Ephesians 2:4,5, “But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ.”
Read Revelation 20:11-15 and Isaiah 11:3,4. Jesus is judge of all. He is a perfect judge because he knows our situation, Hebrews 2:17,18 and Philippians 2:8-11. And he is a perfect judge because he is in perfect submission to the Father.
Therefore believing in Jesus reveals God to us, imparts life to our souls and rescues us from judgment.
Luke 12:58,” When you are on the way to court with your accuser, try to settle the matter before you get there. Otherwise, your accuser may drag you before the judge, who will hand you over to an officer, who will throw you into prison.”
Psalm 2:12, “Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, And you perish in the way, When His wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him.”
brotherpayne 