The Gospel of John | The Authority of Christ Jesus – John 5:19-47
Jesus Christ is one with the Father and carries the right to rule and reign over all eternity.
Following the healing of the lame man at the pool of Bethesda, the Pharisees stood against the teachings and methods of Jesus Christ. He had openly shirked their authority and customs by healing on the Sabbath in an unconventional way while presenting the religious leaders with an ethical conundrum that they could not openly speak against the healing. Their religious system seemed to be crumbling under their rule and now they sought to determine who undermined their system and by what authority this strange new teacher did so. Now, Jesus proclaimed Himself to be equal with God, something the Pharisees could not stand and they sought to kill him.
The ultimate problem for the Pharisees came down to authority. During their time, numerous sects had arisen claiming to be the true religion and the Pharisees, to their credit, had successfully defended against every heretical sect that arose. Each time, they viewed the sect as an affront to authority of the Pharisees. Now, with Jesus, the question of authority remained the same. This teacher seemingly spoke against the authority of the Pharisees and the traditions set forth by them. By what right and by what authority did Jesus have to do the things He had been doing. From their perspective, the coming Messiah would supplement and support the temple and system in place rather than seek to reform it. Jesus had other questions and sparked the discussion of the where His authority came from.
Jesus’ answers to the accusation remained clear and to the point. In verses 19-47, Jesus rightfully identifies Himself as one with the Father and as being given the authority to judge. Furthermore, Jesus continues to outline the basis of the scriptures, prophets, and various testaments to His Lordship. Submitting to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior involves bowing being the authority of Jesus Christ as God. We recognize the authority of Christ as being one with the Father and being the subject and culmination of all scripture and prophecy. He left not alternative for those who would seek eternal life. Either they would need to bow before Jesus as King and ruler of the universe or abandon the faith for their man made system which cannot save. There would be no alternative when confronted face to face with the realities of Jesus’ authority.
Oneness with The Father
When we talk about God, often times the way we communicate is not entirely helpful for our understanding of how the different persons of the Trinity interact with one another. There is one God in three distinct persons that exist simultaneously and in unison with one another. When we talk about Jesus and God, what we likely mean is Jesus and God the Father. This pedantic clarification comes remarkably important in light of John 5:19-47. In this passage, Jesus claims unity with the Father. Rather than attempt to explain away the cause behind the Pharisees’ rational for seeking to end His life, Jesus doubled down on His divine nature stating that. the authority He carried stemmed from the Father as they were one. The two natures could not be separated. Thus, for the Pharisees, a people who openly worshipped the Father, Jesus created a system where if they disagreed with Him, they simultaneously disagreed with the Father.
The problem for the Pharisees, though, came much deeper than what they originally expected. Jesus stated clearly that while the Father raises people from the dead, the authority to bring people to life. The decision for who will step into eternity fall to those who are in right standing relationship with Jesus Christ. Hence why Jesus will say later in John 14:6 that “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6, ESV) Furthermore, should the Pharisees show dishonor to Jesus, the would be dishonoring the one who sent Him; The Father. While the two are distinct person, God cannot be separated. All three parts of the Trinity work in unison with one another, reigning together as one God. Most importantly, for this passage, Jesus’ authority stems from His divine nature of God. For everything God is, Jesus is likewise. While there may be some differences between what the Father and the Son do, the qualities of God apply to all aspects of the Trinity. Jesus is sovereign over all creation, ruling and reigning before and through all eternity.
Jesus describes the unity that exists between the Father and the Son. Jesus acts as our intercessor and path towards eternity with God the Father. For us to receive the gift of eternal salvation, we need only to look towards the person of Jesus Christ. History culminates in the person of Jesus Christ taking on the form of mankind to bare the burdens of the sins of mankind. For the Christian, Jesus Christ is not just some great moral teacher or a simply a person to listen to. Jesus is God taking on the nature of flesh. Thus, while we approach Jesus Christ as someone who deeply longs to form relationship with us, we also treat Him as a divine ruler and King over every aspect of our lives. So we run to Christ. We run with full abandonment as He is the God who did not need to lower himself to our level, but instead chose to pursue us even while we were against Him. The works of Jesus do not come as we expect them to but instead they come from the divine nature of Jesus Christ as God. He does as He pleases and a Sovereign King, we merely walk in step with where He calls us.
- Explain the relationship with Jesus Christ and God the Father. What implications does this hold for the teachings of Jesus Christ?
The Witnesses to Christ’s Authority
Jesus’ words to the Pharisees deeply challenged the authority of the Pharisees. While Jesus needs no justification to do what He says, He did, however, gave the various witnesses for His personhood at God. Anyone can claim anything about themselves. For Jesus’ testimony to be true, the witness of creation and others would need to verify and speak truth. If Jesus Christ is fully God, then you would expect there to be signs that point to His divinity as Christ’s presence is a radical intervention into creation. The Pharisees would not be willing to accept the testimony of Jesus Christ as authoritative so Jesus gave them the witness of other to speak to what stood before them.
First, Jesus appears to the authority of John the Baptist. At one point, John had been a reputable teacher, one they kept a close eye on. Then, as his message shifted to proclaiming Christ had come, they began to reject the authority of John’s witness simply because they did not like the message. Then, Jesus appeals to the will of the Father. For the Pharisees to have held the position of their intimate and authoritative connection to God, they surely must have discerned the will of God to send His son as a Savior. Finally, Jesus appeals to the whole of scripture as pointing to Him. For years, the Pharisees treated the scriptures as if they were an end to themselves. In reality, the scriptures pointed to the coming of the Messiah and the biblical prophecies all pointed to the person of Jesus Christ. The scriptures are not the incarnate Christ but only a sign and story of God’s work in all creation.
The witness to the person of Jesus Christ exists all around us. All creation speaks to the magnificent nature of Jesus Christ and His redemptive work in humanity. We may be able to conjure up plausible explanation to what we see in an effort to deny the Lordship of Jesus Christ, but to do so would reject the reality that stands before us. The scriptures from the law to the prophets speak to the glory of God in Jesus Christ. We respond to the witness of creation, scripture, and the works of Jesus Christ by submitting fully to Jesus Christ as Lord and fully God.
Seeking or Giving Glory
Ultimately, the Pharisees had made their mission their own personal glorification. They viewed themselves as the protectors and arbiters of truth and the gate keepers to salvation. All works and miracles would need to be personally verified and performed by them in order to be legitimate. Hence the outrage at healing. The manner in which Jesus healed the man sat outside of their boundaries and walls and defied the glory of the Pharisees. They could not see the healing that took place because their eyes focused on the offense of the rules they added to the word of God. The Pharisees ignored the hosts of witnesses that the Messiah stood before them because they could see nothing but their own personal glory, claiming to be holier than everyone around them.
We may read the actions of the Pharisees and thank God we are not like those sinners, but that would only mirror the prayers the Pharisees prayed countless times. In truth, our flesh consistently seeks its own glorification above God. Even when we perform good works we still want others to see them in marvel at our ability. In truth, we struggle with craving attention and glory that rightfully belongs to God. This lifestyle, though, is exhausting and we cannot maintain its face in. Jesus Christ does not fall under our authority nor can he be boxed or contained in any barrier we intend to put him in. The Lord will act in his own sovereignty in for his own glory. As the author of life, He rightfully interprets truth and stands as the long awaited Messiah who will redeem mankind as He sees fit.
The question for us is the same as the question for the Pharisees; when confronted with the authority and divinity of Jesus Christ, where do we seek to find glory? Ultimately, all glory belongs to the Lord. When we form our identity in the person of Jesus Christ, we share in the glory of God. The world will offer us various opportunities to pursue our own glory for our own sake, but this glory will face. Only when we become willing to seek the glory that comes by God, by being identified with Jesus Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection will we receive the glory that lasts for all eternity.
- Where did the Pharisees attempt to find their glory? How did Jesus challenge this sentiment?
Discussion Questions
- What implications are there that Jesus is fully divine? What does this tell us about the strength of His message?
- What does it look like for us to submit to the authority of Jesus Christ? Where do we have the most difficulty in submitting to the authority of Jesus Christ?
- A large temptation for Christians is to make scripture about us. How does it change our reading of scripture to know they point to Jesus instead of us?
- How does creation speak to the witness of Jesus Christ?
- Where do we need to give up our own personal glory for the Glory of God? How can we posture our lives to give glory of God?
