JOHN 5:19-23 SONS OF THE FATHER

19 Jesus 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. 20 For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does. Yes, to your amazement he will show him even greater things than these. 21 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. 22 Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son, 23 that 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.

The uniqueness of Jesus and his relationship with the Father is laid out for us in this passage. Because the Son is God and has been with God since before creation, and since the incarnate Son, Jesus, has a relationship with the Father that is unclouded by sin, he knows God perfectly and completely. Given that he has this relationship with the Father, he does the things that the Father does. Therefore, Jesus is the perfect revelation of the Father to humankind.

Since through faith and the Holy Spirit, believers are reborn as children of God, Jesus not only reveals God to us but also reveals the true character of our sonship. Because our Father is God and he is perfect, then our lives are to be lived according to his perfect will. As we live our lives in obedience, we will reveal to the world the nature of the Father, because as his sons we are sent into the world for this purpose (Genesis 12:2-3). At the same time we will be announcing and demonstrating the identity of Jesus as the Son of God through our lives.

Jesus’ life becomes the plumb line against which the lives of all humankind are measured. Unbelievers condemn themselves by refusing to believe in Jesus, thereby cutting themselves off from the only available avenue of salvation. Believers must constantly evaluate their lives by comparing them with that of Jesus in order to maintain conformity with God’s will. It is the best carpenter and mason who continuously test their work with a plumb line or spirit level, who builds the straightest walls and lays the straightest rows of brick. The Son may be in perfect relationship with the Father always, but the sons in this world need to constantly and intentionally check-in for guidance.

Dearest Father, I acknowledge that all life comes from you and that you have revealed yourself most fully through your Son, Jesus Christ. With your help, may my life be so aligned with your will that it will glorify you and lead to those around me being blessed by the knowledge of you. May my life of obedience not be a harsh and prideful condemnation of others, but a winsome witness to your love and mercy. Amen.