I'm going to read for you a longer passage of Scripture than I normally do because it's so important to get. This is John 5:19-46.
So Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what He sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, the Son does likewise. For the Father loves the Son and the Son shows him all that he himself is doing. And greater works than these will he show him, so that you may marvel. For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he will. For the Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son, that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him. Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life."
"Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. And he has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is Son of Man. Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment."
(And then Jesus says) "...And the Father who sent me has himself borne witness about me. His voice you have never heard, his form you have never seen, and you do not have his word abiding in you, for you do not believe in the one whom he has sent. You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me..."
Now, it may not sound like it on the surface, but John sets up for us a bit of a court scene. It's like in the court where you need at least two witnesses to establish a fact, and the passage is arranged that way. First, you have Jesus' witness about himself. He claims that he is equal with God, that he has a unique vision, that is, understanding of God's will. Jesus says that the Father has appointed him as judge over everything. Jesus says that he is worthy of worship because he is God. He says he has power to grant eternal life to everyone who believes in him. And he says, like God, he can raise the dead because he has life in himself. These seven claims of Jesus solidify his own testimony to his identity and authority. Listen, there are people who say that Jesus never claimed to be God. Well, then, they didn't read this passage I just read to you because Jesus is flat-footedly, in seven different ways, saying, "I am God!"
But then John turns to other witnesses. There is the witness of God the Father himself to Jesus. There's the witness of John the Baptist who was prophesied to be that special witness to Jesus. There is the witness of the Scriptures, and when Jesus says 'it,' 'it' means the Old Testament. The Old Testament testifies again and again to the identity and mission of this. And Jesus turns to these leaders and says, "You claim to be biblical scholars; you claim to know the Old Testament, and yet you don't recognize me. You don't know the Scriptures as well as you think to do because those Scriptures again and again are about me." (Summary Paraphrase)
Where does this leave us? Well, this is the fault-line. You either receive Jesus for who he is, and you live for his glory, or you reject him, and you live for your own glory. That's where the passage ends. Verse 44, if you don't seek the glory of God, you will live for your own glory. "How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?" There's the fault-line. You live for your glory, or you receive Jesus for who he is, and you live your life for his glory!
Questions for Personal Reflection or Group Discussion
1. Why do you think it's important that Jesus took the time to make seven claims about himself as God incarnate? Why is his intentionality about his identity in these verses relevant to your understanding of Jesus Christ today? Why is it vital to understand Christ's equality with God the Father?
2. How is the divinity of Jesus affecting who you are as his follower today? How do these verses help to shape the way you live as someone under the authority of Jesus?
3. Why does it matter that Christ is judge over everything? What is the significance of this claim in a way that personally impacts you?
4. How does the uniqueness of Christ's claim to be God differ from any other religious leader or ruler? How does his claim to be God impact the way you live day to day? If it doesn't, take some time right now and ask the Lord to help you change and submit to the authority of Jesus in your life. Ask him to transform your heart in ways that are impossible for you to do and ask him to help you see Christ's divinity as the fuel you need for life change.
5. Are you currently living in a way that is glorifying Jesus or does your day-to-day life communicate an active rejection of him?
Conversation Prompts to Use with Children
For Younger Children:
• Why is it such a big deal that Jesus claimed to be equal with God? Why is that important for you and me to understand today?
• How can the fact that Jesus is God help to make us more and more like Christ himself (loving, kind, compassionate, caring, warm, etc.)?
For Older Children:
• How does the fact that Jesus claimed to be God affect you and I today? Do you see any specific ways that I need to change to more accurately reflect Christ's authority in my life?
• Are you currently living in a way that is glorifying Jesus or does your day-to-day life communicate an active rejection of him?
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