Today’s Reading: John 5
When the time was right, Jesus returned to Jerusalem and boldly taught the crowds and healed the sick, even on the Sabbath. The Jewish leaders harassed Jesus and this is how he responded:
“My Father is always working, and so am I.” — John 5:17
God is always working — He is always paying attention, always responding to our needs. Jesus, too, is always working — always representing us before His Father. Nothing going on in your life is unknown to God. He is aware of how you are feeling and what you are thinking. It is not in His nature to ignore you, for He cares deeply for you. You have His attention because you have the attention of Jesus.
“Whatever the Father does, the Son also does.” — John 5:19b
Jesus was able to heal the sick, raise the dead, and restore sight to the blind because he was capable of doing what God can do. Jesus didn’t have to ask God to work through him, for God had already given him the power over death and disease. If it was Jesus’ desire to give someone life, he could do it. And the Father had given Jesus authority to judge. To honor the Son is to honor the Father, and to honor the Father is to honor the Son.
When we listen to the message of Jesus and believe in God, we immediately begin experiencing eternal life — we “have already passed from death to life” (John 5:24b).
“And I assure you that the time is coming, indeed it’s here now, when the dead will hear my voice—the voice of the Son of God. And those who listen will live. The Father has life in himself, and he has granted that same life-giving power to his Son. And he has given him authority to judge everyone because he is the Son of Man. Don’t be so surprised! Indeed, the time is coming when all the dead in their graves will hear the voice of God’s Son, and they will rise again. Those who have done good will rise to experience eternal life, and those who have continued in evil will rise to experience judgment. I can do nothing on my own. I judge as God tells me. Therefore, my judgment is just, because I carry out the will of the one who sent me, not my own will.” — John 5:25-30
Jesus gave the religious leaders every opportunity to believe in who he was and who had sent him. He explained his relationship with God the Father, and he demonstrated the power God had given him. In addition to this, God had sent John the Baptist to prepare the way for the coming of the Messiah. They had heard John the Baptist preach and foretell the coming of the Messiah, yet they rejected both the messenger and the message.
“John was like a burning and shining lamp, and you were excited for a while about his message. But I have a greater witness than John—my teachings and my miracles. The Father gave me these works to accomplish, and they prove that he sent me. And the Father who sent me has testified about me himself. You have never heard his voice or seen him face to face, and you do not have his message in your hearts, because you do not believe me—the one he sent to you.” — John 5:35-38
The religious leaders loved the Scriptures. They studied them for hours every day, believing that the words on the page would qualify them for eternal life. They were caught in the routine of reading the scriptures and the pride in their thorough knowledge of each verse, yet they were missing the introduction of the Messiah Himself. The only way to eternal life was standing in front of them and they were arguing with him rather than worshipping him.
Jesus loves it when we study the Bible. He even places a hunger in our hearts for the promises found in His word. But we must be careful that we don’t miss the messenger because we are too busy building knowledge. He desires for our study to lead us into a tighter relationship with him. May Jesus come to life for each of us this morning as we study his Word. May he be more real to us today than he was yesterday!