Father and Son Are Equal, Not Same

Transcript

GR 348
2/10/1980
Father and Son are Equal not Same
JOHN 5:1-18
Gil Rugh

In our study of the 4th chapter of John, we talked about worship and the fact that worship is an internal matter of me in the spirit in the inner man worshipping God. That helps you understand why there are so many things that come up on a Sunday morning that just puts you in turmoil on the inside—the kids don’t get themselves together, you have a hard time getting yourself together and you get to church only to find you have to part in the snow! And you get snow in your shoes and socks, and then you sit down and you’re going 100 mph. And the usher made you sit where you didn’t want to sit anyway. It is helpful if you know the flesh is going to react and the devil is going to try to keep us from having the right attitude. If you're prepared, you can confront these things and say ’Ah, hah! You didn't catch me off guard. I don't care if I got snow in my shoes! That’s alright.’ I did get here early enough to get a place where I didn’t get snow in my shoes. But just being prepared and knowing these things are going to happen helps you plan ahead. You go to bed a little earlier on Saturday night; you get the kids to bed a little earlier on Saturday night, and you can worship a little more effectively with other believers when we come together.

We have completed chapter 4 and today we're looking into chapter 5 of the gospel of John. John’s gospel and the 5th chapter. This chapter opens up with a note "After these things there was a feast of the Jews; and Jesus went up to Jerusalem." We're not told specifically what this feast was. But evidently it was one of the three major feasts. There were 3 major feasts in Israel that required Jewish men to come to Jerusalem if at all possible. This may well have been another Passover. I mention this because if that is the case, that this is the Feast of Passover again, a year's time has lapsed in the events we had in chapter 4. And in chapter 6 we have another feast, and if that’s another Passover (we'll talk about that when we get there), then another year lapses between chapter 5 and 6. Remember John told us in the purpose of his gospel it was simply to pick out some of the highlights, some particular miracles in the ministry of Christ and record them so that it would have some of the impact presented to be convinced that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah of Israel. And you see how much of just a glimpse we get if chapter 4 encompasses an entire year in the ministry of Christ and all you had was 2 events. The discourse with the woman at the well in Samaria, and the healing of the nobleman's son. Think of all the rest that transpired in the years’ time. In chapter 5, all we have is the miracle of the healing of a lame man and the subsequent discourse based upon that miracle. And then we move on. You can appreciate the fact that John said there were many other things. And if he wrote everything Jesus did, there wouldn't be enough room to contain the books. Imagine the volumes and volumes and volumes it would be. We have all we can do to get a grasp of the gospel of John. We appreciate the fact that the Spirit directed John to just give us the highlights. We catch something of the glimpse of the greatness of the ministry of Christ.

Now with chapter 5, we're going to begin the first 18 verses we'll be looking at today focuses on a miracle that Jesus performed in Jerusalem. And with chapter 5 we come to a turning point in John's record of the ministry of Christ. Because through the first 4 chapters we have the public ministry—two particular miracles singled out and the discourses—which gave evidence of people coming to believe in Him. With chapter 5, there will be an emphasis on the fact that the ministry of Christ is now arousing great opposition. There will be three miracles that will be the center of attention in chapters 5-12, which encompasses the rest of the public ministry of Christ. There will be the healing of the lame man in chapter 5; the healing of the blind man in chapter 9; and the healing of Lazarus in chapter 11. And these three miracles will be the focal point which will stir the hatred and opposition of the Jewish people to the point that with the resurrection of Lazarus, they are settled in their determination that Jesus Christ must be executed. So a little change in emphasis. Rather than draw our attention to people coming to believe in Him, our attention will be drawn to those who are beginning to hate and oppose Him.

Go back to Isaiah 35 as just a little background for this miracle.
Isaiah chapter 35. Remember last week we looked in Isaiah 53. Isaiah 53:4 tells us that the Messiah will take upon Himself our diseases, our sicknesses, our illnesses. And we noted that this ministry was fulfilled in the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ, both in the past; and it will also be fulfilled in the future. The healing of Jesus Christ is tied to His earthly life. So the miracles that He performed 2,000 years ago were done for the purpose of demonstrating that He is the Messiah, the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies. And there is coming a time in the future when Jesus Christ comes and sets up His kingdom on earth that all diseases, all afflictions, all bodily ailments will be removed. The curse will be lifted from the creation and we will be dwelling under the reign of the perfect king.

Isaiah 35 describes this. Just pick up at the end of verse 2, "They will see the glory of the Lord, the majesty of our God. Encourage the exhausted, and strengthen the feeble. Say to those with anxious heart, ’Take courage, fear not. Behold, your God will come with vengeance; the recompense of God will come, but He will save you.' Then the eyes of the blind will be opened, and the ears of the deaf will be unstopped. Then the lame will leap like a deer, and the tongue of the dumb will shout for joy. For the waters will break forth in the wilderness and streams in the Arabah." So you note. With the coming of Messiah and the establishing of the kingdom, there is healing among the people—blindness, deafness, lameness. There will be none of that when Jesus Christ rules over the earth. Now His first coming was to present the fact and give clear evidence that He is the Messiah that the Old Testament looked forward to. He is the One who will heal and bring health to the people. So when He does a miracle, the pressure is on the Jews, and particularly the Jewish leaders, to evaluate Him carefully and see if this is indeed the One the Old Testament has prophesied. Now He just did isolated miracles during His earthly ministry compared to the number of sick and afflicted. But when He comes the second time, all ills will be removed.

Back to John chapter 5. Remember we read in Isaiah 35 that the lame will leap for joy? In John chapter 5, we have a particular case where the lame leap for joy. Where a man who is lame is healed. And thus, evidence is given to the nation that the Messiah is present, but the nation is unwilling to accept the evidence and reacts just the opposite to what they should.

Jesus went up to Jerusalem for the feast. "Now there is in Jerusalem by the sheep gate a pool, which is called in Hebrew Bethesda, having five porticoes. In these lay a multitude of those who were sick, blind, lame, withered." They have excavated what they believe to be this pool in Jerusalem, at least part of it. So we have some idea of what it looked like. It’s by the sheep gate and it’s called Bethesda—means House of Mercy. Now you have in your margin it can also have a different title, Bethzatha, which means House of Olives or House of the Olive Branch. Either one is a possible title here, given in Hebrew. As John often does, he translates for the benefit of his readers who would not necessarily be adept in Hebrews. He translates it for them being he is writing in Greek.

It has five porticoes. Around this pool there are five arches or arbors, where these people would sit under around the pool and be sheltered from the sun, etc. We are told there are all kind of sick and diseased and ill people. Sick, blind, lame, and withered have gathered here and there is an explanation given why they have gathered. Why have all these people with all these various physical needs assembled at this pool? We have an explanatory note at the end of verse 3 and through verse 4. And this explanation was probably not in the book as John wrote it. It does not occur in the earliest manuscripts of John. But it appears very early, like 200 A.D. Early church fathers make reference to this incident. So even though John may not have penned it himself it does record the tradition why these people gathered at this pool. They were waiting for the moving of the waters. What caused the moving of the waters? Well, they believed it was an angel who came down and stirred the water. And so any time this water was stirred, whoever got into the water first after the angel stirred it was made well. Now, there is no indication here whether an angel actually does come down, it simply records for us what they believe. It is possible an angel did come down and stir the water, but the fact that John didn't record this would indicate that he is not telling us that this is exactly what happened. There is indication that this pool was fed by an underground stream and periodic pressure from that would cause the bubbling of the water, and it could have been attributed to an angel. Whatever the case, it is not developed here because it is not significant to John's purpose. We know why they are here. They want to be healed. And they believe if they get into the water first after the water begins to bubble as it does on occasion, they will experience the healing. And that is enough to attract them to this place.

Now with verse 5, we zero in on a particular man and he becomes the focal point for this particular miracle. "A certain man was there, who had been thirty-eight years in his sickness." So this is a man who has been in this condition for some time. He is unable to walk. For 38 years he has been in this condition. We don't know if he was born this way or if this happened subsequently. I think there is some indication here that it happened subsequently Subsequent to his birth. Not something he was born with but something happened afterward. But at any rate, 38 years. So there’s no doubt about the fact that this affliction is real. He has been lame for 38 years. I think you ought to note here, in verse 3 it says MIn these porticoes lay a multitude of sick, blind, lame, withered." Verse 5 says "A certain man was there." Of all the ones who are here with physical ones, Jesus picks out one man and heals him. So you can see how selective the healing is. He could have walked through this entire region, through all these porticoes and healed everyone. He had the power and the ability to do it. He chose to pick out one man out of all these with needs and heal him. And he’s a man who does not even know who Jesus is. So it's not because this man was exceptional from the standpoint of trusting Christ. This man does not even ask for healing. Jesus seeks him out. At the end of chapter 4, we saw a miracle where a man seeks out Christ and begs Him to heal his child. This man is not even aware of who Christ is when they talk together. But Jesus sovereignly picks him out. It fits with the earthly ministry of Christ. It will be at His second coming when all disease and all affliction and all illness is removed from the earth. At His first coming, all He is doing is performing selected miracles. Great in number—I don't want to limit the number. But select nonetheless. To give evidence and proof of who He is. But since He is rejected, the kingdom is not established, illness is not removed in completeness. "A certain man was there who had been thirty-eight years in his sickness. When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he had already been a long time in that condition, He said to him, 'Do you wish to get well?'" Now you can see how Jesus selects him out. He knows about his condition. We're not told how He knows—whether someone related it to Him or whether this is simply part of the supernatural knowledge imparted to Him. At any rate, He understands how long this man has been in this condition and selects him as the one for this miracle. And He approaches him, and it says He knew that he had already been a long time in that condition, "He said to him, 'Do you wish to get well?"' is drawing this man’s attention to the area of his will. What is your wish? Now 38 years has been a long time, and this man’s comfort and security perhaps is in this position. In other words, he has probably come to this same place year after year after year after year. He knows everyone around there. He spends day after day with them. We can understand it—we’ve seen in the paper occasions where someone has spent a great deal of time in prison. And it finally comes to the time when they can be released and they beg to please be allowed to stay. We say, how can they do that? Wouldn’t they want to get out But there is a certain security and comfort there.

I think what Jesus is doing is drawing this man to face his condition and see if his desire is really there. And he does have a desire—to be made well And that’s why he is at the water. So in a sense, it is obvious; but for his benefit Jesus is drawing his attention to this. "Do you wish to get well?" Now you note, this man has no conception that Jesus could make him well. He doesn’t cry out, 'Yes, Jesus of Nazareth, heal me!’ Jesus said 'Do you wish to get well’ and in verse 7 "The sick man answered Him, 'Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, but while I am coming, another steps down before me.'" The reason I am in this condition is not because I would not like to be healed. The reason I am in this condition is that I am powerless to be healed. And he has drawn attention to this man to acknowledge and recognize his inability to correct his own condition. As soon as the water is stirred, I try to get down there but before I can get there, somebody beats me to it. So I have to wait.

Now they never knew when the water is going to be stirred. So they just laid and waited, and as soon as it happened someone would get there. But this man is unable to walk, so someone who is deaf but could use his legs, could get there quicker. He says my problem is not a lack of desire, the problem is a lack of ability. I can't. Now there is no discourse here on the person of Christ. You note how abruptly Jesus responds. He has had the man acknowledge his desire, and note what He says. Verse 8, "Jesus aid to him, ’Arise, take up your pallet, and walk.’" Get up, roll up your bed (this would be a cot kind of affair, a portable bed that this man would carry here and recline on during the day, and then be taken home in the evening. So it’s a portable kind of bed or pallet) and walk! Now note. "Immediately the man became well." Immediately! Some of you have studied the gospel of Mark. That’s one of Mark's favorite little words. Immediately! John uses it very infrequently, but here he draws our attention to the fact this miracle occurred immediately. "Immediately the man became well, and took up his pallet and began to walk." An instantaneous healing, after 38 years. This man has not been on those legs for 38 years. He immediately gets up.

It's a little different from a lot of the healings, or so-called healings,
I've observed. I use to live in Pittsburgh and some of you observed the healings of Kathryn Kuhlman. I observed her on occasion healing a lame person. The person who did not have use of their legs—totally different. As she healed this person, the person's crutches were taken away and they struggled to walk across the stage. That's different than the way Jesus healed. This man got up and began to walk. It doesn't say he staggered a few steps. Doesn't say he stumbled along. He got up and folded up his bed and walked off! He is healed! We need to evaluate the miracles that are claimed for today in light of the miracles of the New Testament that they are supposed to be reproducing. This man is healed. Instantaneously, completely, not partially, not gradually. Not, well we can just imagine it will get better over the months. He gets up, he's well enough to bend over, roll up his bed, tuck his bed under his arm and leave. Immediately, it's done.

Now that's a great miracle. Thirty-eight years. It's not an internal miracle that nobody can verify. I've had a headache for years and it's gone.
If you have a headache, you know that it is a great relief when it’s gone.
But this is something that can be verified. 38 years unable to walk and he is healed. Now who else could do this but the Messiah of Israel? I mean, wouldn't that cause you to stop and consider 'Who is this man Jesus?' Who can take a man who has been lame for 38 years and just say 'Get up, fold up your bed and walk' and he does it? But, there's a problem.

"Now it was the Sabbath on that day." Now you and I today in the day in which we live could care less. The Sabbath. This miracle is just as great whether it was done on Saturday or Sunday or Thursday or Tuesday. Who cares? It was nice to know it was the Sabbath. But to us, what's the difference? But it's a big difference here.

Verse 10. "Therefore the Jews were saying to him who was cured, 'It is the Sabbath, and it is not permissible for you to carry your pallet.'" Can you imagine this man? Here for 38 years unable to walk. He's been afflicted. And now here come the great, pious spiritual leaders of the nation and they say 'Mister, you can't carry your bed.' The last thing this guy is worried about is carrying his bed on the Sabbath. He's probably excited over the fact that he can carry his bed! 'It's not good for you to carry your bed on the Sabbath. We don't allow that.' His answer is perfect.

"He answered them, 'He who made me well was the one who said to me, 'Take up your pallet and walk.'"' And the stress here is 'the one who made me well, he is the one who told me.' In other words, what would you do if you had been in this condition for 38 years? If someone healed you and told you to carry your bed, you'd better believe you'd carry your bed! If He's got the authority and power to heal you, then you'd better believe He's got the authority to tell you to carry your bed! What's the big deal here, men? The one who healed me told me to carry my bed! You want to know why I'm carrying my bed? He healed me and said ’Carry your bed' so I carried my bed. You appreciate the man here. His obedience. The one who has that kind of authority and power deserves my obedience! That’s a principle that naturally carries over into every realm for us as believers who have been healed spiritual as well. Naturally, I should be obeying Him, the one who healed me. He has commanded me.

He said to me 'take up your pallet and walk.' "They asked him, 'Who is the man who said to you, 'Take up your pallet, and walk?"' They missed the point. Here is a man who has been lame for 38 years, he says this man healed me and told me to take up my bed and walk, and what do they ask? They don't ask who healed you? Who cured you? Who told you to carry your bed? As though that was the significant thing. It's not significant that a man has been healed after 38 years. It's significant that someone told him to carry his bed and we don't like that. They are so blind to the issue. They don't see it at all.
It goes right by them.

You know, I sit here and think 'Could this really be?' I try to put myself as an unbeliever being a spiritual leader of Israel. Little hard to do. But I'm back there and I have a little hat on and I’m standing there in my long robe, and I just heard this story. It's almost inconceivable. And now I'm going to say...not ask him about the miracle, not ask him about being healed, I'm going to ask him who told him to carry his bed? As though that was more important than getting healed after 38 years.

But the same thing happens today. What happens? Someone comes to trust Jesus Christ as Savior. Their life is transformed, they are forgiven their sins, they are made a new person, and someone says 'How come you changed churches?' Wasn't your baptism good enough? You say, 'You missed the point. That's not the issue.' But just as great a miracle has occurred. The power of God at work in a life and a person misses it because it goes contrary to their religious tradition. Sad thing. It even happens in families. The child comes to trust Christ and the parents are so upset because it is going contrary to our traditions and the way we raised you. No different from the Jews here. They missed the great working of the power of God in the life. And it’s contrary to our traditions to carry beds on the Sabbath. Who cares if you've been healed? Who cares if your sins have been forgiven? It’s contrary to our tradition to carry your bed.

Now I have a note here. "He who was healed (in verse 13) did not know who it was." Can you imagine that! The man who had been healed after 38 years and now they said ’Ok, who?' 'I forgot to find out.’ A little different than the healers today! Where they are sure! They announce it before the fact rather than after the fact even. ’I don't know!’ The explanation given is "Jesus had slipped away while there was a crowd in that place." Can you imagine the stir that occurred? When this man after 38 years is healed and he gets up and picks up his bed, there is such a response through all the people here that Jesus just fades off into the crowd. And this man never did find out who did it!

I think we ought to note here. So much of what is emphasized in healing today is if you've got enough faith. Let me tell you something. This man didn't have any faith, because he didn't even know who Jesus was. He didn't know Him from the gardener. He didn't know Him from the man who kept the pool clean. He didn't have any faith in Jesus—he didn't even know who Jesus was. And Jesus healed him. You know it's a convenient out—if you've got enough faith, God can heal you. Let me tell you something. God can heal you if you don't have enough faith! Because it's His sovereign power that does it. This man doesn't even know who Jesus is let alone believe in Him at this point, yet God healed him. Jesus Christ has healed him and he can't even say it was Jesus. He doesn't even know His name let alone His character or His person. It’s the sovereign work of God in bringing about the work. You say 'Boy, this man stands out because of the faith he had. Of all these sick and blind and lame and withered, he had the greatest faith.' Well, I don't find any evidence of that. He didn't have any as far as recognizing who Christ was. It's a convenient out. 'Oh, well, I could heal you. Let me put my hands on. Oh, you're not healed. Well, you go home and pray about it. When you get enough faith you will be.' It's a convenient out for the healer. It's not the way Christ did it, is it? He doesn't talk to this man about his faith at all. He just says 'get up, take your bed and go!'

Alright. So, he doesn’t know who Christ is. Verse 14. We wonder how that discussion goes on and again you see how John has just given us the pinpoints. I wonder what the Jewish leaders said when this man said 'I don't know who He was.' How they responded. You know, it's almost like the whole thing is left hanging. They're in a box again. There's not going to be any question along the way, you note, about the reality of the miracle. There's no question on whether a real miracle has occurred. There'll be no denial about the reality of the miracle. It's like over in Acts chapter 4 when after the disciples do a miracle, the leaders who don't believe have to admit that a miracle has been done. No one can deny. 'How are we going to keep the news from spreading?' Here, there's no question about a miracle being done. The only question is the response.
Verse 14. "Afterward Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him, 'Behold, you have become well; do not sin anymore, so that nothing worse may befall you.'" For the second time, Jesus seeks this man out. I think there is a spiritual principle illustrated. I don't seek God, He seeks me. "No one seeks after God; no, not one." This man wasn't seeking for Christ, he wasn't looking for Him; but God in mercy sought him out and made him well. And here the second time, Jesus finds him in the temple. And speaks to him not to sin anymore. Two possibilities. It could be that this man’s affliction was the result of sin. There were certain occasions when that happened. 1 Corinthians 11, James chapter 5, we would have reference to where certain physical affliction is a result of sin—emotional affliction as well is the result of sin in our life. You have to be careful—that's not always the case. The next miracle over in John chapter 9, the disciples are going to want to know ’Who sinned to bring about this affliction?' Jesus is going to tell them that they lack understanding, no one sinned. It’s not the result of sin, it’s simply the way God has worked to glorify Himself on this occasion.

It could be that, or it may simply be that this is the point. In the same way that Jesus said to the woman taken in adultery (and we'll come to this over in John chapter 8) 'Go and sin no more'—here, do not be sinning any more. In other words, it's a caution and an exhortation to be turning from his sin to the Messiah. Don't be pursuing your sin, you've seen my power at work. And as the Messiah, then, your responsibility is to turn from your sin to Me. I tend to favor that explanation here. Do not be sinning anymore, so nothing worse will befall you. And ultimately if this man would persist in his sin, this man would be destined to hell. What a tragedy to be healed and confronted by the Messiah, and yet never come to believe in Him. So I take it that's the exhortation here. Do not be sinning any more but turn and believe in Him.

"The man went away..." I take it the discussion was longer because the man has found out who Jesus is, but again, we just get this brief synopsis. "The man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well." I don't think the man is a tattle-tale. I don't think he has wrong motives here. 'Now that I know who he is I'm going to go tell the Jewish leaders so they can get after Him.' It's the natural thing. If this had happened to you and you had neglected to find out who healed you, and then you did find out; the natural thing is to want to run and tell the religious leaders who asked you. ’Say I found out who it was! It was Jesus of Nazareth1 because I take it this man—just as over in chapter 9 we’re going to find to be probably dumbfounded at the unbelief of the religious leaders and the way they would react. He would expect more of a positive response. When you are confronted with the reality of the power of God in a life, wouldn’t you expect it to make an impact upon a person? Always amazes me, how unmoved many unbelievers can be. Exposed to the tremendous work of God in so many lives and they just sit there like stones. It goes on around them but they are oblivious to it. They are unaffected by it. Amazing how imperceptive and blind an unbeliever can be.

He went and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well, 'and for this reason the Jews believed.' Now wouldn't you expect that would be the natural follow-through? But that's not what it says, is it? "For this reason the Jews were persecuting Jesus, because He was doing these things on the Sabbath." Amazing. He did this on the Sabbath. Now the Law did say you were not to transfer your belongings on the Sabbath. And what those Laws were geared to was to prevent business as usual on the Sabbath day. Now the Pharisees had added all these little things to the Law and they clearly defined it. You know, you could carry a bed on the Sabbath if it had somebody in it because then you were really carry a person not a thing. But if the person got out of the bed, then you had broken the Sabbath because you were carrying an empty bed. And they went on and on and on with all kinds of ridiculous things to bind people rather than recognize the true purpose of the Sabbath. And now what has Jesus done? Jesus has gone contrary to their laws and their regulations and their stipulations. So now they are persecuting Him. They have not been impressed by the miracle at all. Their traditions have been violated, and that's all that matters. Isn't it amazing? Have you ever given your testimony to somebody who is close to you? You've trusted Christ and you think they're going to be so excited to hear it. And you tell them, and they pick up on a minor point that has nothing to do with anything? They’ve missed the point altogether. They’re not excited about it. They want to know what you were doing in that meeting in the first place. You say 'I’ve come to trust Christ; He’s forgiven me my sins.’ 'Who said you could go to that meeting?' ’What do you mean, who said I could go to that meeting? Don't you understand?'
They’ve missed the point. The same thing goes on today. I read this chapter and wonder how they can do that. But wait, it goes on all the time. Things haven’t changed. It may not be a physical, external healing; but the principle still follows through. The power of God in a life and an unbeliever can look at it and find excuses. Like what? It violates our tradition. That's contrary to what we do. We have baptism, we have confirmation. We have our this and that and the other thing. 'But wait a minute—you don't understand. My life has been changed by the work of God. I’ve come to believe in Christ.’ 'Yeh, but that doesn’t matter to me. The thing that matters is that you have violated our traditions, you know.’ That's what the Jews are saying. It doesn’t matter that you have performed a great miracle. It doesn't matter that you might be the Messiah of Israel. What does matter is our settled tradition. We have done this in our family for years. Your father’s grandfather founded this church! So what? Someone else's father's grandfather founded a tire company! Really! We just lose sight of it. I don’t want to make fun of people, but this is a serious issue. They’ve missed the point because of religious traditions. The traditions of their religion were more important to them than the reality of the power of God at work in and through Jesus Christ, and that hasn't changed. People are more devoted and more loyal to their religious traditions, and if turning to Christ and believing in Him means going against them, I choose my religious tradition. And that’s all the Jews are doing here. Our tradition says ’Don't do these things on the Sabbath.' I believe that Jesus did it on the Sabbath for the express purpose of challenging them at point of contention,
because He could have done it on Monday and taken the pressure off. And don’t we often say that’s the best way to do our witnessing? Do it in as soft a way as possible? Why did Jesus do it on the Sabbath? He had six other days He could have done it, and He knew it would grate the daylights out of the Jews to do it on the Sabbath. But He had to challenge them. They had to deal with His person, and He wants to make them deal with Him, either positively or negatively. He answered them...He doesn’t drop it.
"He answered them, ’My Father is working until now, and I Myself am working.’" He has not resolved the problem, He has complicated the problem. Because now He not only tells these Jews that He does it on the Sabbath, He tells them that I am equal with God and I do what He does. And you think the Jews were irritated before! This just complicates the matter as far as they are concerned. "My Father is working until now, and I Myself am working." And the Jews understand this to mean that He is elevating Himself to equality with God. The Father and I are working—that's putting Himself up there with God. He doesn't submit Himself to the Father, but He gives Himself equality with the Father.

Now verse 19 and following are going to be a development of the emphasis given in verses 17 and 18 regarding the work of the Father and the work of the Son. There's going to be a stress on the equality but not sameness. I just about explode off the top of my head as I read so much of what is going on today in relationship to men and women and now we have the issue of the registration and draft going on. Where you want to treat men and women the same because that’s equality. Equality is not sameness. And Jesus Christ is equal with the Father but He is not the SAME as the Father. We've come to think that if men and women are to be equal, they must be the same. They must do the same things, and that’s not the issue. Equality is not sameness. Jesus and the Father are equal, but they are not the same. And even within the Godhead—Father, Son and Holy Spirit—there is order. And the Son who is equal with the Father is submissive to the Father whom He is equal to. So He is not the same but He is equal. So here He claims the Father is working and I am working, doing the same thing and we’re doing it on the Sabbath. So you're not just challenging me, you’re challenging the Father. How does the teaching help? The miracle had a detrimental impact. What about the explanation given by Christ? "For this cause therefore the Jews were seeking all the more to kill Him." You see what’s happened? The opposition is building. The heat is growing. They had a greater reason to kill Him now. Well not only was He breaking the Sabbath as they understood it, breaking their traditions on the Sabbath, but He was also calling God His own Father, making Himself equal with God. And I think that’s a strong statement. The Jews understood what Jesus said in verse 17 where God is His own Father. There is a possessive note here. The Jews would normally say 'Our Father'. They understood Jesus' claim here as God was His own Father in a special way, as making Himself equal with God. That's how the Jews interpreted what Jesus said. Now that's important. Some people say that Jesus never claimed to be equal with God, but if He was not making such a claim, then He was in error here in not correcting the misunderstanding of the Jews. Because the Jews were right. If Jesus is claiming to be equal with God and He is not, He deserves to die. So they are correct. So If Jesus in His teaching has misled them to make them think He is claiming to be equal with God, then they are right in their response. And it would have been a simple thing for
Jesus to say 'You misunderstand. I don't mean I am equal with God. I simply mean I obey God.' But He doesn't try to explain it that way. They have understood the point well. He is equal with God. He is of the same essence and nature as the Father. He has the same attributes as the Father. He Himself is deity. He is a distinct person, but He is of the same essence and nature— deity. So He is equal with God. So the work that He is doing is the work that the Father is doing. There can be no disassociation. Jesus does the same thing as the Father, thus He is equal with the Father. I can talk about God working through me. I cannot talk about doing the work of God as God does the work of God. I can only talk about God doing His work through me. Jesus could talk about working as the Father works because He was equal with the Father even though He was submissive to the Father.

So the Jews...you note verse 18 says nothing about the miracle? "They were seeking to kill Him “because their traditions regarding the Sabbath and He claimed to be equal with God. They have not evaluated the person and work of Christ in light of His work at all. They have not considered that He might be the Messiah, Lord of the Sabbath. They have not considered that He might be God in the flesh, and so has power over physical ill. They have missed it altogether because they are settled in their own hopeless, religious system. And they are blind to the truth.

So what happens when the person of Christ is presented? The power of God is displayed among those who are settled in their unbelief? They are unmoved. They simply bridle and bristle at the exposure to the truth. They don’t want to be told that their church might be wrong. They don’t want to be told that their religious convictions might be wrong. Who are you to tell me that I am wrong? Well, God is able to do that, and He says what is right and what is wrong in His Word. Here is a great display of power and yet lives are unchanged. The same goes on today. The parallel that we've made. Men are still lost and hopeless, spiritual disease. And only Jesus Christ can bring about the spiritual transformation. I am convinced the teaching of Jesus Christ is in grace and love and He seeks us out and draws us to Himself.

I wasn't looking for God when God found me, but I'm glad He did. And He drew me to Himself and He caused me to realize who He was. Then He brought me about to that point where I believed in Him. Now I can appreciate His work in others' lives as well. You might be here this morning and maybe you're visiting for the first time. Maybe you come week after week, but maybe the work God is doing in lives is going on around you and you’re like these spiritually imperceptive Jews. They are exposed to the same Christ. They were exposed to the same power, but they missed it altogether. Do you know what it means to believe in Him? That He is the Messiah of Israel? Here’s the evidence. Who but the Messiah Himself, the Son of God, could do such a mighty work? Have you considered who He is? He claims to be God's Son. He claims to be the One who came and made sacrifice in His death on the cross for your sins. You may have seen His power at work in lives of friends and family. Their lives have been transformed. Have you ever come to believe in Him yourself so that His power can work in your life to bring about the transformation only God can do? Let's pray together.

Father, we thank you for the great Savior that we love and serve. Father, for the tremendous presentation of His person and power; Lord, the evidence that has been recorded for us so that our faith might be based upon historical fact. We thank you that He came, He revealed His person, His character. He died on a cross that we, 2,000 years later, might be confronted with His claim; and Lord, through the gracious work of the Spirit, be brought to the place of believing in Him.

Lord, thank you for the healing and restoration that takes place in the inner man, that we are made whole spiritually. Lord, we look forward to the time when even this process that has been brought to perfection in the heaven lies in Christ will be realized in every way in the glorification of these bodies. And we shall share together in that Kingdom that Christ shall establish forever and ever.

I pray for those who are here this morning that you in your grace have brought together. Lord, what a privilege we have to come and study the Word.
To consider Jesus Christ and the greatness of His person. I pray for those who are here who have yet to believe in Him. Lord, that the presentation of the Word will be used of the Spirit to cause them to see that your power can work in their lives and they might come to believe in Christ Himself, for we pray in His name