Like Father, Like Son

Things take a hard turn in John 5:16 -30. Jesus is not making a lot of friends at the top of the social ladder, that is for sure. We see Him upset the religious leaders before this for working on a Sabbath when He heals the man. (Even though it isn't work to do the very thing you are created to do; to bring life). So, in this passage, Jesus gets into it with these leaders.

He takes things a step farther, and calls God His Father. To us, it's no big deal. We are used to language like this. But to a Jew in that day, God was not someone to be spoken of lightly. The wouldn't even say the name of God. They would literally refer to Him as they spoke by saying the phrase "the name of God" in their conversation, instead of saying His name. There was reverent distance between them and their creator. This was the God that was only seen once a year in the innermost courts by one priest, who could die for being there. And Jesus, this irreligious teacher, said that God was His father, and He was God's son. That was too much.

But Jesus doesn't care. He came to tell truth, and no one can stop Him from doing just that. He is here to give life, to raise the dead, and He has the power and authority to do it. But He is concerned with far more than just physical death. He is here to raise everyone who is dead spiritually, where it counts. The forever part. Not just the temporary part.

What of me? Do I look for ways to speak truth that heals, no matter what? I know that sometimes I am too reserved, too soft. I need to remember that Christ came to bring life to the dead. Now, I am His voice on this planet. He has promised to pass His power, His authority on to me, to you. What are we doing with it today?