Time to look at Jesus in John once again.” For this reason they ( the Jewish leaders ) tried all the more to kill him; not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God. Jesus gave them this answer: “Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does. Yes, and he will show him even greater works than these, so that you will be amazed. ” John 5:18-20
Do you believe that Jesus is the Son of God, and equal to God ? But, if Jesus of Nazareth would have said this to your local synagogue in the first century, would you have believed him ? If you were a Pharisee, a political leader, what would you have done when Jesus broke the law on the Sabbath ? In the eyes of the Torah, the Law, , Jesus was a criminal.
Church people tend to want the traditions kept the same. ” We have always done it this way.”, is sometimes the church refrain when something difficult is presented to us . Change in the church is very scary. For example, if I announced that we are not going to have sermons anymore. We will read Scripture and other books for the 20 minutes allocated to the sermon time. Vote now !
Jewish people believe in one God. They worshipped without saying God’s name. It was the worst thing to say God out loud,, blasphemy. You could be put to death. Now, Jesus says that he and God are the same. He is going to do amazing things while on this earth. Jesus is a radical thinker and actor in the history of salvation. If he was speaking the truth, he was God. If not, he was out of his mind.
John continues to paint or sculpt a very different Jesus for his audience. Jesus is a talker, and confronts the powers of his world. Would you have believed in Jesus right away ? It would mean you would have to leave your family, friends and your place of worship. Are you willing to do this ? Jesus’ John will continue to challenge us. Read on
.Prayer Jesus, who were you who are you who will you be ? Enlighten my heart, mind and soul. AMEN.
Fred
Chaos in the winds Scattering my troubled thoughts to land on soft clouds Monica Pieper Landoni 2022
