Friends, it is time I revealed to you who I really am. I—Sheridan Voysey—am He. I am the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of the living God.
I tell you the truth, I—Sheridan Voysey—can do nothing by myself. I do only what I see the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, I also do. For the Father loves me and shows me everything He is doing. Just as the Father gives life to those He raises from the dead, so I give life to anyone I want. In addition, the Father judges no one. Instead, He has given me absolute authority to judge, so that everyone will honor me—Sheridan Voysey—just as they honor the Father.
Are you ready to stone me yet?!
Because I am certainly not the Messiah! I simply paraphrased John 5:19-23 to make a point: We can lose sight of how audacious Jesus’ words about Himself were. To His contemporaries, particularly the religious leaders of the day, Jesus was just a man from a small northern village. But this villager claimed to have the authority to break religious rules (John 5:8-10), follow God’s will perfectly (John 5:19), have intimate divine knowledge (John 5:20), be the source of life (John 5:21), be the ultimate judge (John 5:22), and be worthy of the same honor as God (John 5:23). As the Jewish authorities understood, Jesus was making Himself equal to the Father (John 5:18). They thought, How dare He?! There are some religious sects today that claim the Bible as their authority but deny Jesus’ divinity. Let’s be clear: A Jewish man would utter the words Jesus uttered only if he were insane, or if he were right. These are the words of divinity.
Unlike me, Jesus’ sinless, miracle-working life and His resurrection from death vindicate His audacity. Here was and is God in the flesh.
NLT 365-day reading plan passage for today: 1 Samuel 3:1-21
More:
Read John 8:53-59, Colossians 1:15-20, and Hebrews 1:3 for some other references to Jesus’ divinity.
Next:
How important is it for you to believe that Jesus is truly God? How could He be both human and divine?
russell fralick on March 20, 2014 at 4:55 am
Great post Sheridan! When I read these words of Jesus, it reminds me that He was not “a really nice guy”. Jesus was shocking to His culture, abrasive to the establishment, and confrontational with the norms of society. He simply cannot be dealt with as another good man. C. S. Lewis dealt with this most succinctly didn’t he? I love serving the real Jesus, Who wasn’t afraid, indeed He came with the purpose of not merely rocking the boat, but turning the world upside down!
Sheridan Voysey on March 20, 2014 at 5:35 am
Exactly, Russell. The Jesus we see in those paintings – gently carrying the lamb on his shoulders – is only one image of the real Person. He was audacious to his contemporaries, claiming things no mere man could or should claim.
And He’s still audacious.
tracey5tgbtg on March 20, 2014 at 7:25 am
Your comment does bring into sharper focus how Jesus must have sounded to the religious leaders. I bet you felt a little uncomfortable just typing the words. Jesus is God – may we never forget that.
Sheridan Voysey on March 20, 2014 at 8:16 am
I did feel uncomfortable. In fact, it’s quite a shocking experience replacing your own name for Jesus in this passage. It really brings home how unique Jesus. No one else could say such things.
tgustafs on March 20, 2014 at 8:59 am
That really provides some perspective as to just how offensive Jesus would have sounded to the religious leaders!