Before we dive into our text for today, I want to briefly remind you of where we ended last week. You may recall that we looked at the account of Jesus healing the man in Bathesda after his suffering from paralysis for nearly 40 years. After being healed by Jesus, this man was found to be guilty of breaking a Sabbath law prohibiting work by a group of Jews nearby, and the man quickly shifted the blame from himself to Jesus for his breaking of such law. When Jesus was questioned about it by the Jews, his answer was anything less than satisfactory from their standpoint. After hearing his response, they not only viewed Jesus as violating the Sabbath, but they viewed him as speaking heresy when he claimed himself to be the Son of God and subsequently placing himself on the same level as God Almighty. A great crime in the eyes of the Jews, who since the time of their exodus from Egypt had been taught verses like Deuteronomy 6:4, “Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one.” Hence the reason why statements such as Jesus’, which placed him on the same level as God, would be so shocking to the Jews. This is where we find ourselves today; Jesus is teaching this Jewish group what authority he has to make such claims.
Now, these Jews were most likely expecting Jesus to recant and somewhat repent of his words about God being his Father. However, much to their surprise, Jesus not only fails to retract his statement, but goes on to further explain why he made such a claim in the first place; he validates his previous words. During the first half of Jesus’ validation and clarification to the Jews we find the terms Father and Son used when referring to God and Jesus respectively. It is here that we are speaking of one of, if not, the most complex and difficult subject matters in all of Scripture. Here, we are talking about the Trinity. You have all heard this word before and if I were to ask you what it means then you would give me some answer that has within it the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. That’s exactly right; these are the three persons in the Godhead, all of them equal in power, substance, and existence. What makes this so difficult is that they are all separate, but one. Yes, I know that sounds difficult, but it is very much the way things are. It doesn’t make sense to us, and please don’t ask me to explain it to you so that you understand completely because then you will discover my own confusions that exist within this area. This is one of those great mysteries that we are told about in Scripture, but that we do not possess the necessary mental ability to fully understand. I know it to be real, and just because I don’t completely understand it doesn’t make it any less real. There are many things in this world that I don’t understand, but that doesn’t make them any less real. I don’t understand exactly how a cell phone works, but I know it does. I know that when I’m sitting in my office, that folks from all around the world can contact me through this little device that is the size of a stack of playing cards. Some of you may say, “Well, I call tell you exactly how a cell phone works.” Good for you; I’m glad that you understand that, but I just don’t have the necessary capabilities to understand it. I’m not wired that way. The issue with the Trinity, when it comes to our understanding of it, is that there has never been anyone other than Jesus Christ that has existed who had the capacity to understand fully the three-in-one nature of the Godhead. So the fact that there is confusion shouldn’t be what deters us, because the confusion is because of our sin. Believe me, the Trinity is real, all-be-it confusing and mysterious, it is very much real.
Jesus is telling this Jewish delegation that he isn’t doing anything just because he wants to, but because the Father has told him to do so. He is doing what the Father sent him to do. He really isn’t worried about some laws a group of men made up; he is only concerned with the fulfillment of the will of God the Father. If there is a violation of an earthly law for doing such work, then it is a problem with the law and not with Jesus himself. To assume that just because these were Godly men who had devoted their lives to God that they were somehow immune from making mistakes is preposterous. It would be like assuming that I am not capable of making a mistake in my understanding and thinking. As my sweet wife can attest to, I can’t even make it a whole day without making some type of mistake, much less a lifetime.
Adding to their confusion, Jesus goes on to describe for this group of Jews how works that they had traditionally seen as only done by God, will be done by the Son; i.e. Jesus himself. “For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he will…the Father has given all judgment to the Son, that all may honor the Father who sent him.” He’s speaking about resurrection and judgment, two things that would have been thought of as exclusive roles reserved for God, that Jesus is saying that he has been entrusted to do. While judgment might have been entrusted to some men to a certain extent, the power to raise someone from the dead was known to come only from God. And while these Jews are standing there with their jaws dropped, Jesus hits them with another statement, “Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him.” I love this statement. I know that sounds weird, but I cannot say enough about how much I love a statement just like this one made here by Jesus. In a world that teaches that all religions are pretty much the same and that we all worship the same God just in different ways, we couldn’t ask for any clearer of a statement than this one right here. You cannot honor (worship) the Father without honoring (worshiping) the Son. All of these other religions out there that many “knowledgeable” people try and compare to Christianity don’t do this. None of them, not one, worships Jesus Christ as the Son of God and as God himself. There are those that view him as a noble, honorable man. There are even those that put him on the level of a prophet. However, there is only one set of beliefs out there that claims Jesus Christ as the Lord and Savior, the second person of the Trinity, and that is the Christian faith.
Then, as they reach the point of probably not being able to handle any more truths about God the Father, the Son, and the authority of the Son, Jesus hits them with the final part of our text. He tells them that there is coming a time when everyone, even the dead, will hear the voice of the Son. He tells them that the Son, Jesus Christ himself, is the one who will judge all mankind. This is somewhat ironic, seeing as how they are the ones who are to a certain extent judging him at this very moment. Here, Jesus tells them three very simple truths. The first, is that there is life after death. The second, is that there are two “options” or paths for this life after death. There is the life eternal and there is judgment, or as the KJV puts it “damnation.” The third thing that Jesus tells this group of Jews, is that the path that they follow depends on whether or not they believe in Jesus Christ as their Savior, the second person of the Trinity, the Son of God. This takes us back to that statement that I professed my love for just a moment ago; the one about honoring the Son just as the Father is honored. The only way to enter into this life eternal and not into condemnation and damnation is to fully believe in Jesus Christ as Lord. There is no way around it. I don’t care how many options you present me with or how many choices you think there are, you are wrong. The only way to enter into heaven’s gates is the salvation that we have by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. Don’t tell me that it’s about good works, being nice to people, following this rule or that rule, don’t give me any of that because I don’t want to hear it. It’s all about Jesus Christ.
Friends, there is only one work that comes into play that has anything to do with our salvation, and that is the very work that is represented by this table that we have before us today; the ultimate work and sacrifice of the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ; the shedding of the blood and the breaking of the body of the only man to ever live a life that was in complete obedience to the will of God. The perfection of Christ and the power of his death paid the price that was due for the imperfect lives of all mankind. These men questioning Jesus this day had no clue about what he had come to do, nor could we really have even expect them to. After all, even those closest to Jesus, his disciples, really didn’t understand fully what his ultimate work was to be. However, we know. We have the full account of events; we have all the information. There is absolutely no reason for us to no surrender and believe. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, came to earth, taking the form of a servant, and humbled himself to the point of death on a cross, in order that he might pay the price that was owed to God for all the sins of the world. Such a price, such a blessing, freely given to you and to me. Glory be to God; in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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