The Divinity Of Jesus!

.....Today we will discuss the passage of scripture from John 5: 16-47, concerning the Divinity of Jesus, especially in the statement Jesus made in John 5: 17, where He stated, "My Father is always at His work to this very day, and I, too, am working."

.....According to the Jewish wisdom of Jesus' day, although God's work of creating ceased on the 7th day, (Genesis 2: 2-3), His providential, care taking work did not. The Rabbis taught that two ongoing works of God were giving life and judging, and He performed these duties even on the Sabbath day. Because there was only one true God, (Exodus 15:11), the work of life-giving and judgment were prerogatives belonging to God alone.

Let's look at the Jewish reaction back then, which was from the words that Jesus spoke from the passage of scripture above.

.....When Jewish leaders accused Jesus of healing, and therefore, working on the Sabbath, (verse 16), Jesus responded that like God who works on the Sabbath, He works too, (verse 17). Jesus asserted His right to perform a divine activity, establishing an identity between Himself, and the Father. The Jewish leaders understood the implicit claim, charging Him with blasphemy, and then tried to kill Him, (verse 18).

.....Jesus' response was significant. He did not correct the accidental misunderstanding, or back away from His profound claims, but emphatically reasserted the point. In this passage, Jesus claimed an equality with the Father in activity, (verses 17-19), in honor, (verses 22-23), in authority, (verses 22, 27, 30), and in perspective, (verses 36-37). Most important, was the two main assertions Jesus made about Himself to grant life to the dead, (verses 21, 25-26, 28), and His right to judgment, (verses 22, 27, 30). - The very two works listed in the Old Testament that were attributed to God alone, (2 Kings 5:7, Ezekiel 37:13, Deuteronomy 1:17, 32:36).

.....The key here in the passage of scripture provides us with one of the most exalted statements of Jesus and His RELATIONSHIP with Father. All that belongs to God from the Old Testament, - Sabbath work, honor, power to give life, and authority to judge, - belong equally to Jesus, and us who are in Him today. His claims are unlike any other, for they are nothing less than claims of Deity shared with the Father. Without this important understanding, says Jesus, even the most diligent study of scripture will produce only lifeless results, (verses 39-40).

.....I would only hope that today's study would help to elevate you to contemplate the full Divinity of Jesus, the Son of God, and our identity, to us who are in Him. Your understanding of this can make all the difference in the world today. For those who understand and believe in the equality of the Father and the Son, have Eternal Life, and the love of God dwells in their hearts, (verses 24, 39-44). This is the power, from His Deity, confirmed through the Death, Burial, and Resurrection, that He brings to us for consideration, our identity through the resurrection life, which is to be celebrated on this upcoming Easter Sunday. May God Richly Bless You, through the Revelation of this.
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