Welcome to Day 2144 of Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

The Gospel of John – 12 – The Claims of Christ – Daily Wisdom

The Gospel of John – Part 3 Authentication of the Word – The Claims of the Christ

Today we continue our Good News series according to John the Apostle. Three weeks ago, we looked at a Picture of Legalism and how the Pharisees and religious leaders started to look for a way to kill Jesus. Their reasons were that he healed on the Sabbath, performed many miracles, claimed to be equal with God, and people were beginning to follow him instead of them. Since they brought up the subject, Jesus was compelled to support his claims of being equal to God. I am starting with verse 16 to give the passage context. So, because Jesus was doing these things on the Sabbath, the Jewish leaders began to persecute him.  In his defense, Jesus said to them, “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am working.” 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. 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. 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. 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. Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son, 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. “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. 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. 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 judge because he is the Son of Man. “Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice 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. 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. Let me start with a story today. As a distinguished-looking gentleman stood behind a microphone to rally his people in the name of Allah, he praised Jesus as a genuine prophet, a wise teacher, and a worthy example of human goodness. However, he then declared with remarkable confidence that this same Jesus never claimed to be anything more than a man—that He never claimed to be God. While it is true that no one ever recorded the exact phrase “I am God,” Jesus boldly asserted His deity in such precise, unambiguous terms that His enemies were outraged. They called Him a blasphemer for “making Himself equal with God” (John 5:18). The magnitude of Jesus’ many claims may have eluded this Muslim leader, but His enemies understood His meaning completely. When Jesus went to the pool of Bethesda in Jerusalem and chose to heal a superstitious invalid, He knew it would attract the attention of the religious authorities. Sure enough, after scolding the man for carrying his mat on the Sabbath, they hunted Jesus down and denounced Him for violating their rules. Their real purpose was to eliminate a threat to their authority; however, they masked their true intent by pretending to uphold God’s preeminence in the Sabbath. Jesus didn’t avoid the surface issue. He corrected their faulty theology and addressed the fundamental question: Who owns the Sabbath? Even fairly early in Jesus’s ministry, the religious leaders attempt to be judges, Jury, and Executioners as they hold another mock trial. Today's message is a perfect setting for Law and Order – Jewish Temple Edition. "In the Jewish Temple criminal justice system, the people are represented by two separate yet equally important groups. The Pharisees who investigate crime, and the Sadducees who prosecute the offenders. These are their stories." Jesus has been accused of one of the most heinous crimes. Not only is he breaking the Sabbath, but he is making himself equal to God. Let me set up the courtroom scene for you. Jesus is not only the accused, but he is acting as his own defense attorney. This week Jesus presents six arguments for why He is the Lord of the Sabbath and, indeed, is equal with God.  Next week, he will bring five defense witnesses to argue on His behalf.  Jesus answered the question, Who owns the Sabbath? with six specific claims:

1. He is equal with God (5:19–20)
2. He is the giver of life (5:21, 26)
3. He is the final judge (5:22–23)
4. He will determine the eternal destiny of humanity (5:24)
5. He will raise the dead (5:25–29)
6. He is always doing the will of God (5:30)
7. Jesus is equal with God (19-20)

When Jesus said, “My Father is always working, and so am I” (5:17), the religious leaders understood exactly what He meant. “So the Jewish leaders tried all the harder to find a way to kill him. For he not only broke the Sabbath, he called God his Father, thereby making himself equal with God” (5:18). The following speech presents the truth of His deity in terms no one in His day could mistake. Jesus began in verse 19 with a double “amen,” meaning “it is true, it is true.” He then claimed equality with God, calling Himself the Son of God and referring to God as His Father. While Father and Son are distinct persons, Father and Son are equal and unified. As such, the Father and the Son cannot act in opposition to one another. The Son is the perfect revelation of the Father here on earth in human form. John 1:14 says, “So the Word became human and made his home among us.” Therefore, everything He does reflects the intentions and actions of the Father. Moreover, what the Father knows, the Son knows, because they are one being; therefore, they share the same mind. 2. Jesus is the giver of life (21,26) In order to be able to give life, you must be the Source of life. John 1:4 says, “The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone.” This would be an outrageous claim for any mere human. Doctors can provide medicine or administer treatment in order to delay death, but they cannot give life to a dead body. Prophets in the Old Testament had been the human instruments of divine power in raising the dead, but none dared claim credit. Only God can create something from nothing and then fill it with life. We are never more helpless than when a loved one dies. If our loved one is sick, we can bring medicine. If our loved one is weary, we can offer rest. If our loved one is discouraged, we can provide encouragement and consolation. If our loved one is destitute, we can provide financial support. But what happens if they die? All we can do is mourn our loss. Only God has the power to restore life. 3. Jesus is the final judge (22-23) Ask anyone, “Who is the final judge of man?” and seldom will the answer be anything but “God.” Only God can discern the heart's intentions because He is omniscient. Only He can weigh the value of a person without being hypocritical, because He is perfectly righteous. Only He can decide the fate of humanity, because He made us, and He is sovereign. The Father has delegated all judgment to the Son, because the Son is equal with the Father. Consequently, Jesus claimed to deserve the same honor due to the Father. 4. Jesus will determine the eternal destiny of humanity (24) Jesus again punctuated a statement with a double amen, “very truly” (“it is true, it is true”). Usually, Jesus called for belief in Himself; in this case, He called for belief in the Father to reinforce the theme of complete unity of Father and Son. To believe in one is to believe in the other, because the two persons are one. Furthermore, this belief impacts one’s eternal destiny. John 3:16-18 says, “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him. “There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son.” 5. Jesus will raise the dead (25-29) Again, the double amen, “Very truly, (“it is true, it is true”) emphasizes the immediate statement in which Jesus claims to be the one who will summon the dead to final judgment. His phrasing in 5:25 is interesting because the verb “to hear” takes a double meaning. “The dead [all of humanity that has died] will hear the voice of the Son of God …” but only “those who hear” (believing loyalty) will receive life. The first “hearing” is literal: mere exposure to the sound of His voice. The second has to do with comprehending the message and believing it. The irony, of course, is that dead people cannot hear anything. His statement has both a present and a future aspect. He will summon the dead to judgment on the final day; however, the “dead”—those who have no spiritual life in Him after death can receive life now, before they die. 2 Corinthians 6:2 For God says, “At just the right time, I heard you. On the day of salvation, I helped you.” Indeed, the “right time” is now. Today is the day of salvation. Jesus validated His qualification to be the judge of all humanity because He is both the Son of God, who can give life, and the Son of Man, who experienced life as a human, yet without sin. In describing the fate of humankind, Jesus explained the two possible destinies: “life,” which is eternal life, or “judgment.” Taken by itself, this statement would appear to declare that their deeds determine one’s eternal destiny; that is to say, evil deeds lead to judgment, while good deeds result in life. Therefore, although good deeds do not save us, our lives will reflect good deeds if saved. I refer to this as “believing loyalty.” It is true that the basis of judging will be one’s behavior, whether good or evil. The Greek term for “judgment” in 5:24 and 29 is krisis, the noun form of the verb krinō, “to judge, divide, assess, and decide.” It is our choice. Theoretically, a person can go to trial before the Judge and gain eternal life if they are morally perfect. However, in a practical sense, no one is morally perfect. Therefore, to face judgment without grace is to face condemnation. Consequently, Jesus uses the two ideas interchangeably; judgment is condemnation. His point is to avoid judgment altogether…by grace that is received through belief. “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.” 6. Jesus is always doing the will of God (30) Jesus’ final claim links His actions on earth to the will of the Father in heaven. Everything the Son does reflects the intentions of the Father, because they are one being. Note the sudden shift in perspective. “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.” Jesus referred to Himself in the third person throughout his claims before this, using the titles “Son of God” and “Son of Man.” As He transitioned from this portion of the claims (5:19–30) to the next week, when he brings in his five character witnesses (5:31–47), He restated His original claim, “So Jesus explained, ‘I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself. He does only what he sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son also does,’” (5:19) only in the first person “I.” His point is clear. He was not referring to another person; He made these claims about Himself. Stop for a few moments and seriously consider these six claims. Then, think of the best person in history (other than Jesus Christ), living or dead. Imagine them standing before you to make a speech having these six points:

• I am equal with God the Father.
• I am the giver of life.
• I am the final judge over all of humanity.
• I hold the destinies of every human in my hand.
• I will raise the dead.
• Everything I do is the will of God.

How would you respond? None would dare make such claims of all the great philosophers, teachers, artists, and politicians who ever lived unless they were either completely insane or shamelessly evil. Not unless He was indeed God in human flesh. Application: John 5:19–30 Jesus’s Declarations That Demand Response Jesus declared six truths about Himself in John 5:19–30, pointing to a single overarching declaration that demands a response. Jesus claimed equality with God, leaving humanity no room for compromise and no middle ground to stand upon. We must choose to believe or reject His declaration. If you reject His claim to deity, you must choose between two alternative explanations. Either Jesus knew His claims were false, or He did not. If He deliberately misrepresented Himself, He was a liar of the worst kind, evil to the core, for demanding the worship of His peers. If, on the other hand, a mere man genuinely believes he is God, then that man has completely lost his mind; he is utterly insane. Therefore, if Jesus was wrong about His identity, He was neither a good man nor a teacher worth hearing. Therefore, none of His words would be trustworthy. If you believe His claim to deity, you must choose between another pair of alternative responses: rebellion or trust. Accepting the fact of Jesus’ divinity without trusting Him for salvation puts you in no better position than that of demons. James 2:19 You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God, Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror. It is possible to believe in the existence of God and even accept the truth of His becoming a man in the person of Jesus Christ yet reject His offer of grace and suffer the just penalty of sin. How is this possible? /By trusting the false claims of religion instead of receiving God’s gift of grace. Religion is nothing more than the attempt of humanity to gain entrance to heaven on one’s own terms, primarily by achieving enough goodness through one’s own efforts. Sadly, the road to hell is jammed with people who proudly trust in their own merit rather than humbly admitting their moral poverty and receiving eternal life as a gift. Matthew 7:13-14 You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it. The response demanded by the Lord is to accept the claims of Jesus as true and to place complete trust in Him, receiving His gift of eternal life through believing loyalty. Of all the alternatives, it’s the only logical thing to do. As I mentioned at the beginning, next, we will continue the trial of the ages as Jesus brings into the courtroom five character witnesses to prove his claims from today. We will examine Five Witnesses for the Defense. Please read John 5:31-47 in preparation. Thank you so much for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and, most importantly, your friend as I serve you through this Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal. As we take this trek together, let us always:

1. Live Abundantly (Fully)
2. Love Unconditionally
3. Listen Intentionally
4. Learn Continuously
5. Lend to others Generously
6. Lead with Integrity
7. Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

I am Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Everyday! See you next time for more wisdom from God’s Word!