Jesus Christ: Compassionate And Controversial (pt-2) - [John 5:1-30]

Compassion for the Suffering and the Call to Serve

Why don't we open to the word of prayer? Dear God our Heavenly Father. We thank you for this morning. We thank you for this beautiful day. You've given us to come together and to worship you to learn from you and to fellowship with the Saints Lord.

Even as we open your word, we pray that your spirit would illuminate to our hearts and our minds. That we would learn about you and that we would be transformed by the power of your word. We ask all this in Jesus name.

Amen. Once again, the new members class is in Pastor Mike's office. Pastor Steve is teaching and Today we are going to do part two of last week's Sunday school. So this is what happens when you don't finish your Sunday school on time you get to teach again.

Today's lesson is called the Jesus Christ compassionate and Controversial. We saw this from John chapter 5 last week and we our text for this week is going to be from John 5 1 through 30 and Last week we covered verses 1 through 15.

We'll do a quick review of that just so we have the initial passage in our mind. Before we go into the teaching that comes in verses 16 through 30. If you remember those of you who are here last week, I asked you a question as we opened up I said If you think of Jesus Christ What is it that comes to your mind?

And many of you gave Savior Redeemer some of the work that Jesus has done in our lives that comes to mind when we think of Jesus. And As I was trying to tell you there are two aspects about who Jesus is.

Jesus was fully and completely a man just like you and me and he was also fully and completely God. And last week we saw this incident that happened in the life of Jesus where he powerfully heals and he has this compassion on one who has been an invalid for 38 years and he heals and restores this man to Full health and we saw in in one sense the the true humanity of Jesus that identifies Completely with our needs and and seeks to help those who are in need.

Jesus Reveals His Deity in John 5

And Today we are going to look at Jesus revealing himself as God. And in fact, this is one of the most powerful passages that I can think of in the in the Gospels That talks about who Jesus is and as we as we are learning from today's text I want you I'll try to take you back to the first century Judaism in terms of what the people thought about God and how Jesus comes on the scene and totally explodes their mind in terms of who he is and who God is and So that I hope will be an edifying time for all of us.

But before we do that Let I'd like us to read verses 1 through 15 and take a few application points that we didn't do last week so that we have This event firmly in our minds before we go into the teaching.

I'd like someone to read the verses 1 through 15 brother Bruce. Thank you, Bruce. So hopefully it's a refreshment of what the event was that happened where Jesus healed if you look at the first three verses.

You see there was a place where there was a lot of sick people a lot of suffering going on. Jesus comes finds this one man who has been sick for a very very long time 38 years Invalid unable to help himself living on the arms that are given and Until verse 8 you see the actual healing.

Verse 9 you see Jesus actually with one word Heals this man completely and fully a man who was unable to walk for 38 years. Gets up takes up his bed. Which is like a straw mat and then he's able to walk and then we see the confrontation.

Right after this man starts walking the people the Jewish authorities the leaders questioned this man for for carrying his bed on the Sabbath they almost missed the whole point of the healing and Instead zoom in on a particular law that they thought was broken again.

We saw that this was not an Old Testament law this was one of the laws that they had added on to the tradition in order to keep the Old Testament laws and This man who is healed still doesn't have a good understanding of who this person is who has healed him.

So when they ask him who who asked you to carry this bed? He's like I don't know and Then Jesus we see confronts him again and talks about you know. It's one thing to be healed of your physical need. But there's something even more important and that is you need to be you need to deal with your sin.

And this man, you know goes right back to the authorities and says well This is the guy who told me to carry my bed. You have a problem, you know deal with Jesus and. So that brings us into verse 16 and that sets the context in which Jesus is now going to teach about who he is.

Who is Jesus Christ? So Again before we get into verse 16. There's a few applications that I think I'd like us to quickly get out of verses 1 through 15 and then we'll get into 16. Last week, we saw the compassion that Jesus Christ had on People who were in suffering we noticed that you know, he didn't just go and heal everybody in that.

But this stuff he could have if he wanted to but he chose Specifically to focus his attention on one person. But he was a man of compassion who identified with our sorrows and suffering and we looked at our call as believers you know, what are we to do when we meet suffering and Need in our midst and we looked at some passages about the mandate to Christians.

Actually, this is a good question. So we saw Jesus go down here. He saw a man who was an invalid and he healed him. What do you think Christian should do see a lot of smiles? I know what you're thinking.

Somebody be bold enough to answer me. Yes.

Offer help then.

Excellent so you see somebody who is in need and you are able to help them in practical ways. Do that anyone else? Yes. Excellent point. I mean when you look at especially the Gospel of Mark, you see the servanthood of Christ, you know.

Although he was the king he came out and served and he gave his life as ransom and we are called to live a kind in a similar way of servanthood serving one another and. Anything else yes. Prayer. Excellent.

So you mentioned practical ways of helping you also mentioned prayer because you know, ultimately we cannot serve or Solve all the world's problems. But we know that God can and one of the best ways that we can help another person is through prayer.

But we also need to serve through practical ways. I was actually going for a more controversial response. I haven't gotten that yet. I'll I'll get it out of your mouth soon. But but to finish this thought.

To finish this thought we we covered 1st John 3 16 and 17 where it talks about how we ought to be moved with compassion for one another especially within the local body. You know, it's easy to think of the world at large and suffering at large and just kind of say, okay.

My I just feel sad for them when I hear in the news and I you know. Maybe say a prayer here and then I forget about them versus, you know meeting the people in our midst who are in need who are in suffering and doing something about it and.

The worst there we saw was you know. If you if you say that you have the love of God, which is when you are a believer and you now Have received God's love and you have a love for him. That love is evidenced in the love that you have for one another.

And so if you see your brother in need and then you're it says you're you close your heart or your your close your stomach. You just don't have that Compassion for the one in your midst who is suffering then there is no evidence of God's love in your lives.

So the way we demonstrate our love for God is through the love that we have for one another in our midst. This is again review from what we saw last week. There's a few other things. I want to quickly look at before we go into 16 and the first one is Let me actually push that controversial issue here, so.

How many of you have heard of this? Phrase what would Jesus do? Okay, so How do you think you would apply that verse if you saw the same thing here. No, not that verse that phrase. Mm-hmm. Yeah. He just did a few things that we cannot do and I think that's basically what I want to kind of Live in our minds.

One of the things is you know. If this Jesus actually just said get up walk and the man got up and walk. Jesus looked at the man and said, you know, stop sinning. He knew what he was doing and he told him not to do that anymore.

And he told him of the consequences of judgment that was going to happen to him and there are certain things that Jesus alone can do that we cannot do and. But then there are other things that Jesus did as an example for us that we ought to do and I think that's what we were trying to learn from here and.

Especially when you go through the Gospels and you look at the life of Christ. It's always good to look at what did Jesus do that? We are to emulate but there are certain things that we just can't because we are not Jesus in the sense of deity, but we have a model that we can follow.

Then there's one more thing here that happens with this with this man who was Healed when he was confronted by the Jewish authorities. He was you know First shifting the blame and then when he got into trouble with Jesus.

He goes back and tells on Jesus to the Jewish authorities. And there's one thing that we as believers must do which is to take on Responsibility for what happens in our lives because of Christ because when if you especially if you look at John chapter 9 I mentioned when you look at John 5 you want to contrast it with John 9.

John 9 You have the blind man who was healed. And he's asked about who Jesus is and he is unashamed about Jesus Christ. He says Jesus is the Prophet, you know, no man can do these things unless He was sent from God and he's willing to be kicked out of the synagogue for his faith in Christ.

And we find that ultimately he comes and worships Jesus in this passage we really don't know where this man was when this incident completes, but When you stand up for Christ you will actually face Consequences that may not be pleasant, but we have to be willing to take the responsibility and you will see the Opposition that Jesus starts facing even at the end of this passage because of what he did for God.

Jewish Authority, Tradition, and the Sabbath

One last thing again is and this is again another controversial issue that I want to kind of settle before we get into the text. What are the similarities and differences that we have between the Jewish authorities?

That we see here and Church leadership today. First similarities. Can you think of some similarities that you can find between the Jewish authorities and church leadership and that is who? No, no. No, I just use our church.

I want I want us to think of yeah. Thank you. Because I want to think of in an ideal church leadership. What are things that are similar because I think most often we try to contrast and find what is wrong and you'll you'll see that There are certain things where there are similarities to yes.

That's a good thing. I hadn't thought of that. Yes. Position of authority and I think that's primary when you look at this is you know, here is an establishment. These were leaders who are Responsible for ensuring that things got done, right and that is similar with the church leadership, too.

They have a responsibility that they are to Carry out and be and and ensure that things are done correctly. Any other similarities you can think of. Yes. Motives so yeah, that's a good point too because here they had a basis on which they were doing certain things and we'll find out That that was flawed.

But at least what they were trying to do was to preserve God's law and his precepts among the people of God. Yes. Very good point. So these men especially the Pharisees were very learned in the scriptures and they knew what they taught and again We'll see that it was not just the scriptures that they've relied on.

Okay, now let's talk about some differences what were the what are the differences between these Jewish authorities and Right church leadership today. What is a fundamental difference? Exactly, and I think that goes back to what Daniel was saying.

They were legalists. They were trying to follow a strict set of rules and if you go one step further back the basis of all of that was Their authority that they derived from was the tradition of the elders and the and the law and Sadly, they played play such a high value on the tradition that they had forgotten to see the work of God Happening right there in their midst and that's that's a very fundamental difference.

And if you look at the church today the church authorities should Church leadership should rely only on one thing and which is God's Word and how it is revealed to us when we add anything more to the Word of God as the basis of Of authority we are taking away from the work of God that happens in our midst and that tends down to legalism.

Which is why we have to be very very careful not to teach anything even if it is well intentioned that adds to or takes away from the scriptures and I could be here for on and on is there any other questions on this before we move on because I need to get to my text.

Yes. That was a schoolmaster to point us to Christ and that's a good point because you know right now in our church We have the full revelation. We have the New Testament, which they didn't have we have the work of Christ finished and we have the Spirit of God in our hearts to illumine God's Word to every single believer and In in in the sense that they missed the old covenant was they forgot that the What the scriptures were pointing to in fact in verses 30 to 47?

That is what Jesus emphasizes is Old Testament was pointing to Jesus. But you missed the whole point because you are so caught up in the legalistic view of the scripture rather than What the scriptures were pointing to which is the coming of first coming of Christ and then the second coming also?

The Son and the Father in John 5:16-30

Okay, so with that let's get down into our text this morning we're going to look 16 to 30 and Let's begin with verse 16. I'll read 16 through 18 and we'll we'll try to understand what Jesus says. So in verse 15 we've realized that the man goes back to the authorities and tells that it was Jesus who healed him and This was why the Jews were persecuting Jesus because he was doing these things on the Sabbath.

But Jesus answered them my father is working until now and I am working. Now this is why the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him. Because not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own father.

Making himself equal with God. Verse 16 we read they were persecuting Jesus because he was doing these things. What are these things that it's referring to the healings? Yes. Breaking the Sabbath because here he was doing something that their their law was forbidding him to do and So they were persecuting him and we find that they were actually seeking to kill him not just giving him some trouble now.

If you look back at verse 17, what does Jesus say he says my father is working until now and I am working now. Is there something odd in that statement, I mean does it seem to indicate that Jesus is saying I'm God.

My father is working until now and I am working. Okay God works on the Sabbath. That is a good point. We'll cover that in a minute. Yes. Yes that in in one sense but here we are trying to push the limits of how the Jews thought that Jesus is making himself equal with God and There are there are two aspects here, which I think you know, it's in first reading.

We can easily pass by the first thing is he calls God my father and to us. It seems like You know, we are you so used to praying every single prayer. We say with my father our father or and so it seems like well Jesus is not really making any bold statement here.

But if you look at the Jewish thought of what the father was. They would the Jewish people at that time would call God the father in a qualified sense. They can say, you know in a more collective way our father as a father who provides and cares for all our needs in a collective sense.

Or they would say you know my father in heaven, you know as opposed to my father my physical father here on earth and there is a Qualification a distance between the individual and God in terms of the intimate relationship of fatherhood so you can have God as a broader sense of father who Provides and cares for or as you know a father who is still distant from you he's not someone who is very intimate to call my father is unheard of in in first century Judaism and when they hear Jesus say my father is.

You know already their hairs are standing up it's like hey that kind of language. It's not appropriate for a man to use you don't call God my father and so right there it starts. You know, they have their brain starts working.

That is true. They would. You know, it's Elohim and Actually, can somebody correct give me the right phrase that they used instead of yes Charlie. Uh, they wouldn't use the name of God and so they would use an alternate.

I Don't I Lord? Yes, I think that was one and this Yahweh and what would they use instead? Jehovah. Oh, yes. That's right. W YW Y HWS. Thank you. But again, you know, they had such a reverence for the name of God and that you know familiarity with God was.

And that's the first one with my father but then the second thing that Jesus says here is very interesting he says my father is working until now and I am working and You know, although the phrase doesn't totally bring that out to us here.

What Jesus is saying and especially if you think of the context? Jesus has just broken the Sabbath and he's saying my father is working until now and again, you know if you think of the Sabbath in the Genesis 1 and 2 God Created the first six days of the week and he rested the seventh and The Jewish people fully understood that meant that he was not creating anymore.

All his work of creation was done on the first six days. But it was by God's sustaining power and his work that life existed. So God continues to work and if God just said, you know, I've made this world I'm just gonna close my eyes and turn back.

You know this whole earth what world would collapse and the people knew that it is only because of God's power that sustains that we have life and we are able to live and it's God's work that keeps things going on and Jesus is not saying, you know, you think I broke the Sabbath my father is working until now and I am Working and he is making a connection that the people get right away.

I mean although for us it may be a little hard to follow the intimacy of the relationship with the father and the same kind of work That the father is doing the son is also doing and when he says that In verse 18 this juice had no Trouble understanding.

Yes, Daniel. No, actually, it's not. I actually went and checked that to see if this was another I am statement It the I'm working is is just the working word. That is just drawn out. So It says and I am Working is one word.

So but again the main essence here is his relationship with God and his work now and What we have here in verse 18 Calling God his own father and making himself equal with God and that's a summary statement of what we are going to see from verses 19 through 30 and we are going to explain what that means.

So, you know if in the modern 21st century Many of us, you know, if you go and talk to your friends, you know Jesus is just a guy who did good things and you know lived historically 2 ,000 years ago, but you know God hmm, that's kind of dubious and what else is he going to do is he going to come back again most people are skeptical of that and this is a passage that talks powerfully about what Jesus has done and what he is going to do and How he is in fact God so just as it was applicable to the first century Jews who had a view of God that was Still not complete.

So also for the world today who Jesus Christ is this passage talks powerfully, too. So let's look at verses 19 and 20 in verse 19 Therefore Jesus answered and was saying to them Truly truly I say to you the son can do nothing of himself Unless it is something he sees the father doing for whatever the father does these things the son also does in like manner for the father loves the son and Shows him all things that he himself is doing and the father will show him greater works than these so that you will marvel.

In fact verse 19 the way it opens out Jesus answered and was saying to them. That's a truly rabbinic Fashion like how the rabbis would go and speak. So you ask a rabbi a question. He would you know sit down and explain his with authority what he understood of that subject Jesus the language use is very very Legal in that sense.

He is actually explaining to them with full authority who he is and what he is doing and Now let's talk about the word he uses here and this if you look at this Maybe after the Sunday school, you can go back and study this you'll see how Jesus addresses himself.

Here he uses himself the son and in the rest of the passage. You'll see the son of man. You'll see the son of God and in the rest of the scripture. You'll see son of David it is there are several titles that are used of Jesus Christ as the son of some and we will look at what son of man and son of God mean.

But here he just uses the son and he uses it again and again and again and his emphasis here is the unique Relationship that Jesus has with God the father here. You have God the son Who is in in a in a relationship that is utterly and totally unique with God the father and and the people will soon catch up on it and they'll have trouble trying to understand what that means and If you look at verse 19 again, he says the son can do nothing of himself.

And in fact if you go all the way to verse 30 He says I do not seek my own will but the will of him who sent me is he? Jesus is emphasizing throughout this passage the utter and full Complete dependence that he has on God the father.

Now. Can you think of a reason why Jesus would do that? You know Jesus here is God the Son the Jewish people had no concept of God the Son and why would Jesus? Emphasize his relationship with God the father instead of saying well I can do anything I want.

Why is Jesus Really pressing the issue of his relationship with God the father. Yes.

Excellent point. Actually, I want us to keep that. Yes, Charlie. That's a good point.

You know here he Jesus doesn't say I'm the Lord of the Sabbath that you see in other passages but the implication is very real especially when he talks about the intimacy he has with the father and that every single thing that he's doing is An outflow of obedience to God the father and I also want us to keep this work of Christ in mind.

Especially as the father ordained and as the son does things. But let's kind of go back to first century Judaism to kind of understand why Jesus says this. The Shama what is the Shama say hero Israel the The Lord is one and the people of Judaism They were unique in this period of history because they were the only ones who believed there was one God.

You know, you cannot have two gods. You cannot have multiplicity of gods. There is one God and Here Jesus comes and talks about the father and when Jesus talks about the father they are thinking of the one God.

They have no idea or concept of the Trinity within the Godhead. They have no Understanding of who the Messiah is in the in the full-blown sense. They know a Messiah is coming, but they are still still thinking in human terms.

They have Old Testament prophecies talking about this Messiah being Outside the category of human but they still haven't gotten all that figured out yet so they have a monotheistic understanding of God, which is correct, but the Mystery of the Godhead which has God the Son as part of it is still unknown to them.

So Jesus now tells them, you know, God God the Father and now you have to understand the relationship that I uniquely have with this one God whom you're worshiping and The implication that you draw out will be that I'm not just equal.

And in fact, if you look at verse 18 when they think that he was equal with God. They were not saying well, you're claiming to be God, you know, they were saying that you were Claiming certain attributes that are you know crossing the line that men are supposed to not have they it is not still registering to them.

That you know, Jesus is God in the sense of God the Father because they knew who God the Father was, you know. They know Isaiah 6 they know. You know from Exodus, you know, what is it to mean to look at the face of God?

You cannot and here they are looking at a physical man and Jesus is now saying well I am teaching you who I am and you will learn that there is more to this one God than you ever knew before and so he begins by talking about his unique relationship with God the Father and So he says I can do nothing on of the son can do nothing of himself unless he sees the father doing and here again the The work that he talks about and I'll kind of quickly go through this so we can finish our lessons Versus for today, but he says that what the father does the son also does and it is not just an imitation that you know.

The prophets did you know, the prophets were told to do something and they would just go ahead and do it. But here there is a sharing in the work of God. It's almost like you know, if you go back to John 6 28 the people ask, you know, what must we do, you know to do the works of God and Jesus tell them well you ought to and that is how you know can please God.

But it is God who has to do the work in you and that is the kind of work that Jesus is doing. He is doing the work of God in their lives now. If you want to think of an analogy, in fact, one of the commentators seems to think that this passage could have happened in In in probably back in where Jesus was working as a carpenter, you know.

So there could have been a break between verses 15 and 16 and not necessarily happening in Jerusalem. So Jesus is doing his carpentry work and you know in a physical sense, you know Joseph probably taught him all the stuff of carpentry that Jesus learned and So, you know the analogy of a father and a son, you know, you see something and you do something but here Jesus is talking about a different work.

He's talking about The work of God that he is doing and that is what he has seen the father. Show him and that is what he is actually doing in their midst and they will have to reckon with the nature of Christ.

He also goes on to talk about Greater work and he says he will the father will show him greater works than these so that you will marvel. So you want to think of what greater works? We've seen that Jesus just did healing On the Sabbath and what is the greater work that he is going to do?

There are two things that we're going to see in this passage. Yes. That is true in ultimately we will he will talk about that. But here in this passage. He's going to talk about two things one is He has life he can give life and he is the judge and those two functions that God alone has the Son has Authority to do and when they recognize that Jesus has this greater work that he is going to do.

They will not have a choice in terms of understanding who the son is. So he tells them there are greater works that are going to he is going to do and he says there that you will marvel and In fact, this is basically the point where Jesus is opening up their minds to say, you know until now you had no idea about the mystery of inner Trinitarian Godhead and you are now going to see Jesus exhibit who he is as God and when you see that You are going to marvel and that will be for your salvation or for your condemnation if you reject the Sun so let's read verses 21 to 23 and He says what these greater works are.

For just as the father raises the dead and gives them life even so the son also gives life to whom he wishes. For not even the father judges anyone but he has given all judgment to the son. So that all will honor the son even as they honor the father.

He who does not honor the son does not honor the father who sent him. In fact, there are four Aspects of this greater works that are mentioned in this verse if the first one is in verse 21 It says for as the father raises the dead and gives them life.

So also the son gives life to whom he will verse 22.

Actually, I'm skipping.

Two things here if you go back to verse 19 It says for whatever the father does the son does likewise. Verse 24 the father loves the son and shows him all things that he is doing and then the next two things you see in verse 21 and 22 which is raises the desert and gives them life and the judgment is given to the son.

Those are four aspects of what the of the works that the son does which the father used to do now think of God the father. Raising the dead in the Old Testament. What passages can you think of? You probably think of LA.

Yes Elijah and Elisha raising the son God gives them God allows him to give life in that particular instant and It was known throughout that it is only God who has the authority to give life. In Deuteronomy 30 to 39 we see that God alone has the power to give life and no one else and.

So the the Jews fully understood that life was a prerogative that came from God. I mean even now even in in a secular society people know that we do not have the power to give life. We can probably extend life we can maybe resuscitate it for a little while, but We cannot create life by fiat.

It is only the work of God that can make that happen and Jesus now says the son Has life in himself and not just that the son can give life to whomever he chooses. On the one hand He talks about the utter dependence that he has on God the father.

But then he talks about the life that is Within the son and that is a prerogative of the son to give to others and we'll talk about what this life means. There is a life in the sense of physical life, but there is a spiritual life that Jesus is also talking about here and The second one is judgment.

No, we know that Throughout the Old Testament God is talked about as the righteous judge who judges the world. But they also knew that the Messiah who was going to come had an aspect of judgment that he was going to execute the Kings the judges they had a lower level of judgment on the people of God that they were responsible for and In Isaiah 11 you look at how the Messiah would judge in equity.

Just as God does and so they knew that there was an aspect of judgment that was going to come. But Jesus here is talking about the ultimate judgment. At the at the end of at the resurrection and so he will talk about that a little bit more in verses 25 and following.

Now again in the end of verse 23 He says whoever does not honor the son does not honor the father who sent him again. He's pushing this Unity that the father and the son have you know. No matter what else a man under God might have done whether he was a king or a judge or a prophet.

He would not receive the honor that was due God to think of receiving the glory of God for a human being was blasphemy and God is jealous. He never shares his glory with another and here Jesus is saying You you know, you need to honor God, but you have to honor the Son.

In fact, if you don't honor the Son, you will not be honoring the God who sent him and when he says God here He's talking about God the Father and that is the sense in which the term God is used in the rest of this passage and now in verse 24 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 into life. In fact, there are three times that Jesus says truly truly or amen. Amen. These are very solemn words. These are words of life and you need to believe these in order to have Life and he says whoever hears my word and believes him and he's actually using these two Interchangeably it's not believes in him who sent me it's not believing that there is a God the Father but believes what God the Father has done or what the Father has said and the Father has sent the Son and When you believe God the Father you will hear the Son and he is using those two interchangeably.

We'll see that again in verse 25 and he says The one who believes in God and the one who hears the words of Jesus does not come into judgment. But has passed from death to life and he's going to use these two aspects of eternal life.

One is you have to deal with judgment when we die. We have to face a righteous judge and we have to talk about life after death. Our true spiritual life in Christ and he's going to talk about how you can have eternal life in verses 25 to 29.

So let's read that. 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.