The father-son relationship (John 5:19-23)

Scripture reading:
19Jesus gave them this answer: "I tell you the truth, 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. 20For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does. Yes, to your amazement he will show him even greater things than these. 21For 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. 22Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son, 23that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, who sent him.


Observations:
What we can see here are three key points about: (a) the relationship between Jesus and God; and (b) two practical implications of this relationship for us in terms of our desire for a right relationship with god the father.

The observations which we can make in this regard boil down to three key points:


· Jesus’ authority comes solely from god.

In our world today, many of us are heavily influenced by our parents, especially when we are young.

But whilst we learn from them, we are not limited to or bound by the extent of their knowledge, achievements and experiences. Indeed, it is hoped that each generation will go further than those before them, that they will go above and beyond and discover new horizons. This is a natural process – one which we cannot stop, nor should we want to.

But with Jesus, things are different. Unlike our parents, who are human and therefore fallible, the father of Jesus (God) is literally the creator and author of life itself. You can’t go one better than god. His power and authority are infinite, and it is not possible to go higher than infinity.

Because of this, Jesus cannot exceed God the father. More to the point, Jesus depends on the father. Jesus is not a self-made man in this sense. By himself, he would have absolutely no power or authority at all. None whatsoever. By himself, he could have healed the blind man in the pool (see John 5:1-6), nor could he have turned water into wine, healed the official’s son or raised Lazarus from the dead.

Jesus could do these things solely and only because of God the father, on whom he is completely dependent and by whom the power and authority to accomplish these things is vested upon his shoulders.

· God has entrusted all judgment to Jesus.

One flow on consequence of this relationship is shown through versus 22&23, which show clearly show who our judge will be when the time comes for each of us to account for our time on this earth.

The thought of going before a ruler or judge to provide is not always an overly pleasant one, particularly when we ourselves are the ones who are being held to account with regard to whatever matters the confrontation in question relates.

But even where we face judgment, it is quite possible that this may not involve confrontation with the great big ruler in question. Rulers can delegate, and when this happens, the individual to whom we have to answer is not indeed the ruler himself, but rather his delegate, who is entrusted to make a decision on the big boss’s behalf. When this happens, the thought of the confrontation with the delegate himself can be a little unnerving. But this is not because of the individual delegate. Rather, it’s because of who the delegate in question works for and has been entrusted by – the great big boss.

It is the same with Jesus. Each and every one of us is accountable to the father when we die. But god the father has entrusted his son, Jesus Christ, in this regard, and for this reason, our destinies after death are in the hands of Christ Jesus.


· There is one way to god – Jesus.

Appealing though ideas about there being ‘many ways to god’ may be, they are not supported in the bible. The bible makes it clear that there is one way and one way only to god – through faith in Jesus Christ.

Personally, I am not a parent, but I could certainly imagine that almost all parents feel fairly strongly about the type of treatment which their children receive from others. Treatment given to children shows a great deal about how the individual in question feels about his or her parents. Why – because children are part of their parents. Children are part of their flesh and blood of their parents, and parents by nature have a very significant part of themselves invested in their children.

Likewise, how we respond to Jesus says a great deal about how we really feel about God. Jesus is his son, and we cannot claim to be in full relationship with god the father unless we have accepted his sacrifice on the cross as payment for our sins.



Prayer:

Dear heavenly father,

Thank you so much that you sent your son Jesus Christ into the world.

Through him, we saw your glory on full display. Through him, we saw all your power, might and wisdom, and a perfect demonstration of your unfailing love.

Lord, when we think about Jesus, let us never forget just who he is. Let us not forget for one second that you have not only made him our savior, but also entrusted him with our judgment, whether that be at the time of his return or at the time of our death.