If anything, John remembers the crazy stuff that Jesus says. Jesus says some deep stuff here. Let’s try to unpack three of these statements in John 5.
Do you want to be healed?
Is Jesus nuts? Is this guy really going to say “no”? But if we pay attention, the dude doesn’t exactly say “yes,” either. Did you notice that? It sounds kinda whiny, right?
“Well, yeah, but…”
And that makes me wonder how often I’m faced with some obstacle or stuck in some sin, and Jesus comes asking, “You want me to take care of that?” And I come back all Luke Skywalker like, “Yeah, but it’s too big for me to do anything about.”
Come to think of it, Jesus didn’t say, “Why haven’t you jumped in the pool already?”
My Father is working until now, and I am working.
John is really big on Jesus and this Father/Son language, more so than the other Gospels. And so when Jesus goes around saying “my Father,” he’s saying something pretty profound.
The text goes on to say that the people are pretty mad because, in saying so, Jesus is claiming something that only heretics, liars, and crazy people did. But it also means that Jesus knew God like a kid knows his dad.
That close. That real.
And that Jesus shows us how to have a relationship with God probably sounds really trite and obvious. But let’s face it, how many people do you see that actually live that out on a daily basis like it’s true? Do I do that?
The Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise.
This makes me think that the Christian life is one big game of “Simon Says,” or maybe “The Father Does.”
That makes me have to pay attention to my life. Real close. It invites me to ruthlessly, with extreme prejudice, cut out everything where God is not.
That just might be painful.
What about you? What do you see?
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