The Gospel of John - part 13
preached 1/20/2019
The Audacious Claims of Jesus
As we begin today, I must confess a mistake. We took a month off from John to examine the identity of Jesus. When I returned to John, I thought we had finished chapter 4, but apparently not. However, my mistake works out for us, because it gives me an opportunity to point out the build-up that is happening in chapters 4 and 5. If you'll recall the structure of John, you will remember that John couples narrative stories with theological discourses which demonstrate the identity of Jesus. Here, the narrative stories are about Jesus' ability to heal. The theological discourse comes in the form of Jesus teaching the Jewish leaders about His authority to heal.
Let us return to the beginning of this section in John 4:43 and look at the first healing. Then we will review the healing at Bethesda and the beginning of Jesus' discussion with the Jewish leaders.
A Tale of Two Feasts - John 4:43-45
After the two days he departed for Galilee. (For Jesus himself had testified that a prophet has no honor in his own hometown.) So when he came to Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him, having seen all that he had done in Jerusalem at the feast. For they too had gone to the feast.
John 4:43-45
After leaving Samaria, Jesus departs for Galilee. The parenthetical in verse 44 points to the same truth in the Synoptics. Jesus' hometown did not honor him, because they remembered him as the small boy growing up with the mother of questionable morals. But much more, prophets generally have the most trouble ministering in their hometowns.
The part I would like you to highlight though is in verse 45. The Galileans welcome him, because they were at the feast in Jerusalem. What did they see? They saw Jesus clean out the Temple and his dealings with the Jewish leaders. And, if they were at the Wedding Feast in Cana, they saw Him turn water to wine. This seemingly insignificant detail also has an extra phrase on the end, "For they too had gone to the feast."
I believe John is subtly and creatively adding a nuance for us to consider. The first sign Jesus performed was at the Wedding Feast in which Jesus turned water to wine. If you recall, we talked about the phrase, "They have no wine." Mary was simply stating the people had run out, but John is using these phrases to paint a bigger picture. The Jews had run out of wine--they had run out of reasons to celebrate. Their kingdom was under Roman occupation, the spiritual leaders were either corrupt or oppressive. There was a great malaise in the land.
But Jesus had come to bring new wine--wine that was greater than what they first served.
The new wine at the Wedding Feast symbolized the celebration for the coming Messiah.
Now in 4:45, John adds a redundant clause, "For they too had gone to the feast". The Galileans had not just seen Jesus at the Passover, they were entering into the Spiritual Feast that Jesus is bringing. Think back to Jesus' genealogy in Matthew: there were 6 sevens that led to Jesus' birth. Jesus is the seventh--He is the Sabbath for Creation.
John is subtly foreshadowing what will be overt by the end of the Gospel: Jesus has brought humanity to a Great Sabbath. By placing our faith in Him, we enter a greater Sabbath rest. We are no longer bound by the Law or Sin, cursed to work without gain. The Law is fulfilled and Sin is broken. It is a time to celebrate!
The healings on the Sabbath feasts demonstrate the coming of the Greater Sabbath through Christ.
This truth is illustrated by the healings of Jesus and explained by Jesus' discourse with the Jews.
Jesus Heals an Official's Son - John 4:46-54
So he came again to Cana in Galilee, where he had made the water wine. And at Capernaum there was an official whose son was ill. When this man heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went to him and asked him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death. So Jesus said to him, "Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe." The official said to him, "Sir, come down before my child dies." Jesus said to him, "Go; your son will live." The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and went on his way. As he was going down, his servants met him and told him that his son was recovering. So he asked them the hour when he began to get better, and they said to him, "Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him." The father knew that was the hour when Jesus had said to him, "Your son will live." And he himself believed, and all his household. This was now the second sign that Jesus did when he had come from Judea to Galilee.
John 4:46-54
The first healing is an official's son. The man's faith is demonstrated in both his willingness to ask Jesus, but also when Jesus shows a bit a frustration regarding his people. The 'you' in verse 48 is plural, so Jesus is not addressing the man individually, He is speaking generally about the generation. It speaks to the enthusiasm the people had over the miracles rather than the miracle worker.
It is still true today. Many people want God to do something miraculous for them, but few actually just want God. The official receives his miracle--he did ask the right person. But he misses out on something even better--knowing Jesus, His Savior. Church, in your effort to pray for a miracle in your life, don't lose sight on the miracle worker. Jesus is the greatest miracle that is readily available to you.
But John gives us a glimpse into the man's faith. The word 'believed' is repeated. John is showing us the progression of the man's faith. At first, he believed Jesus could heal his son, that is why he approached Christ. Once Jesus tells him the boy will be healed, the man 'believes' again. He has trusted to ask, and now he trusts to return home. When the servants arrive with the good news, the man believes again. This time he has experienced the fruits of his faith bringing about more faith. This kind of faith affects his whole family. He leads his household to faith in Christ.
The repetition of 'believed' shows the progression of faith--from a faith that looks for a miracle, to a faith that spreads.
This is the kind of faith I pray for you. If you are here seeking to know what God can do for you, I pray He does all that you need and more. And upon receiving the blessings that come from our God, I pray it grows your faith into the kind that lead others to Christ as well. If you have been blessed by God, and you know you are saved. I pray today is the day you step deeper into your faith to lead others to God.
John tells in verse 54 this is the second sign Jesus performed in Galilee.
The first sign was the water to wine--Jesus brings reason to rejoice.
The second sign is the son's healing--Jesus brings healing for the sick.
Review from last week
Chapter 5 then follows Jesus back into Jerusalem where He will heal once again, but this time on the Sabbath. The man healed by the pool in Bethesda tells the Jewish leaders about Jesus, and they confront Jesus with his audacity to heal on the Sabbath.
What authority does Jesus have to heal, and especially on the Sabbath?
Jesus tells them His authority comes from the Father. The Father had been working to bring about the Messiah, and now Jesus Messiah is working to fulfill the mission of the Messiah.
The Jews are astounded and angry at Jesus' willingness to usurp their authority and claim such divinity.
In verse 18, John explains their hostility. Verse 19 begins the next section in which Jesus provides the defense for his authority. Remember the Jewish leaders were similar to religious lawyers. They wanted to know what grounds Jesus would have to break the religious laws. In legal fashion, Jesus gives first his defense, and then, as we will examine next week, He gives testimonial evidence for his defense.
So let us begin.
The Authority of Jesus
Jesus gives the defense for his authority in three “Truly, truly” statements.
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, that the Son does likewise. For the Father loves the Son and 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 judgement 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.
John 5:19-23
Here we must navigate some deep waters of theology, so grab your floatees. Jesus’ authority comes from being the Son of God. As the Son of God, Jesus only does what His Father does, because they are both God. Jesus is both God and Man—as an historical person, He is human, as the pre-existent, eternal Son, He is God. As a human, Jesus understood His divinity and His union with the Father. Therefore, Jesus has the authority to heal, and heal on the Sabbath, because He is One with the Father and does what the Father does.
Verse 19: Honor and authority has been passed to the Son.
- authority to heal and give life
Jesus continues in verse 20 to say that the healing of the man at Bethesda is nothing compared to the miracles that are to come. Just as the Father raises the dead, so also will the Son raise the dead and give life.
The Jewish leaders would know these stories of when the Father raised a dead person to life:
1 Kings 17:17-24 - Elijah raises the widow’s son
2 Kings 4:18-37 - Elisha raises the Shunnamite Woman
2 Kings 13:20-21 - A man was thrown with Elisha’s bones and was raised to life.
Jesus would later raise at least two children, Lazarus and Himself from the dead. Notice the building gap between the Jews’ attitude toward Jesus and how Jesus defends Himself. Jesus has placed Himself equal with God by calling Himself the Son, and has stated the Father has given authority to the Son to fulfill the mission of bringing healing and life to God’s people. If you have ever heard a skeptic say ‘Jesus didn’t claim to be God’, point out these verses. Everything Jesus has said is complete blasphemy if Jesus is not God—but He is God. He is telling the truth, and the healings and raising the dead is proof.
Jesus then gives the Jews something to really think about. If Jesus is the Son, and the Father has given authority to the Son, then Jesus also has authority in matters of judgment and honor. How people respond to Jesus is the same as how they respond to the Father. In order to honor the Father, we must honor the Son.
What does this mean?
It means the modern notion of ‘I’m spiritual so I don’t need Jesus’ is untenable. If anyone wants to approach God, they must go through Jesus, because Jesus is God coming to us. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but by Me.”
It also means to honor God means to honor Jesus in all we do. As a church, we will honor God best by keeping Jesus as the central focus in all we do. Whether in worship, in teaching, or in serving others, we must make Jesus the reason and focus of what we are doing. If we want to serve ourselves or even when we are serving others, if we fail to give honor to Christ as we do it, then we will fail in honoring God.
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.
John 5:24
This truth has been said multiple times in John’s Gospel. Remember: if it’s repeated, it’s important. So pay attention in case you missed it:
Whoever puts their faith in Jesus Christ has eternal life. He or she is not under judgment—they are alive.
Verse 24: Jesus is the way to eternal 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 judgement, because he is the 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.
John 5:25-29
The last ‘truly, truly’ statement is connected to the previous in that both speak of the dead becoming alive. The first part refers to those who appear alive, but are spiritually dead. If you are without Christ, you are spiritually dead and when you die physically, you will be apart from God forever. If you place your faith in Christ, surrender to him as Lord, then you will pass from death to life, and even if your physical body dies, you will live eternally with God.
Jesus tells the Jews to not marvel at his teaching, because another hour is coming when all the dead will be resurrected. He is speaking of the final judgement. At the end of this age, Jesus will return and call all people, both the living and the dead, into a time of judgement. Those who have passed from death to life—the ones who have placed their faith in Jesus—will resurrect to eternal life. Those who have died without Christ will rise to face a time of judgment and condemnation.
Verse 25: A time is coming when all will rise to face judgement.
What is Jesus saying about Himself?
Jesus has given his defense. Next week we will examine the evidence for his claims, but as we close today, I want to recap the enormous claims He is making.
Jesus claims to be equal with God, because He is the Son of God.
Jesus claims to give eternal life to those who believe in Him.
Jesus claims that one day all the dead will rise and be separated by those who have surrendered to Jesus and those who have not.
I cannot stress enough the implications of Jesus’ claims. These are not the claims of ‘just a good teacher’ or ‘a good leader’. These are claims by someone who is either absolutely out of his mind, or the claims of our God and Savior. Jesus does not allow a partial commitment on our part. We can’t just pick and choose the parts of Jesus we like and forget the rest.
If we believe he is telling the truth, then we must give Him our everything—our lives, our devotion, and full attention. If you are unsure he is telling the truth, then I would urge you to read ahead. Next week we will look at the testimonies that point to Jesus as the Messiah, God’s Son who has come to bring us eternal life.
But if you have never trusted in Jesus, you don’t have time to wait until next week. We are not even promised tomorrow. Today is the day that you step out in faith, trust that Jesus is God’s Son who died for your sins and resurrected to bring you life.