John 5:18-23 • An Exact Reflection

I’m not sure how it’s possible to become even more angry with someone after you’ve reached the point of wanting to kill them, but that’s the state of outrageous agitation the religious leaders had reached regarding Jesus. They had already issued a death sentence for His healing of a sick man on the Sabbath. But John 5 verse 18 informs us that they were even more ticked off at His clear claim of equality with God. And Jesus refused to back down from this. For the next five verses, Jesus declared in no uncertain terms that EVERYTHING He did and said was an EXACT reflection of the Heavenly Father and that He should be honored in the same way the Father is. And there you have it. That’s why the Jewish elite was so mad. It was impossible for them to remain ambivalent about the question of who Jesus was. The testimony of His life was crowding them toward a decision point – one they were violently resisting. Because to embrace the truth of His divinity would have required that they surrender to His Lordship. And that’s what made their blood boil. However, for the rest of us, there’s WONDERFUL news here. Jesus is God! Everything the Gospels reveal about Jesus that move us to fall so deeply in love with Him are EXACTLY true of the Father as well. There is NO difference. And this is incredibly important and healing on many levels, especially for those who have trouble relating to the Heavenly Father because of the failures of their earthly ones. As someone who has spent my life caring for the wounded souls of people, I’ve seen first-hand the damage a dad can do by his words and deeds even if unintentionally. The Devil LOVES to exploit a man’s brokenness to inflict painful scars on his children and thereby cause them to recoil from the love of God. What better way for Satan to keep someone imprisoned in their hurt than to emotionally cut them off from the only One who can free them. But Jesus is the answer. He put on display the father-heart of God. The closer we examine His life, the more we see of what God is really like and the more any barriers melt away. So, if you’ve been victimized by this strategy of the Enemy to prevent you from experiencing the healing embrace of the Lover of Your Soul, let me stand with you today as we welcome the Son to introduce you to the Father.