Dave's Diary

Daily Readings: John 5 and Psalm 40

Probably the most significant statement in John 5 is this:

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.

Make no mistake. The Bible is clear. Jesus claimed to be God. The Jewish authorities understood that He was claiming this. We should be clear too. Jesus is God. He declared it to be so.

Jesus had just performed the 3rd of the seven signs that John highlights in his Gospel. He had healed a man who had been lame for 38 years. No one and nothing had been able to heal this man and restore his ability to walk, but then Jesus came along and, with one command, He imparted complete healing and restoration. There could be no doubt that this was a miracle.

Sadly, instead of focusing on the miracle, the Jewish religious leaders focused on the fact that their standards of Sabbath-keeping had been broken by the healing. In their ensuing debate with Jesus, He made the following remarkable revelations:

• He is God’s Son.
• He is loved by the Father.
• He knows the Father’s will perfectly.
• He has the power to give life, to raise the dead, and to grant eternal life.
• He has been entrusted with all divine judgment by the Father.
• The Father had testified regarding Who Jesus is – to Jesus at His baptism – but also in that all “the Scriptures” (i.e. the entire Old Testament) point to Jesus and bear witness to His identity.

Jesus was also perfectly clear that all the wondrous signs He performed bore witness that He is Who He says He is – the Son of God. (v.36 “For the works that the Father has given me to finish – the very works that I am doing – testify that the Father has sent me.”)

Life application: Believe in Jesus and allow Him truly to be God in your life today. Honour and obey Him in everything you do, seeking only to please Him and not people (v.23 & 44).