Even in the face of strong opposition, Jesus does not soften His claim to divine equality. He boldly asserts He is in fact equal to the Father. The Lord claims from His own divine and inherent authority that He, as God the Son, fully mirrors God the Father so that men might in Him see and know the invisible God.
Matthew 1:18-25 The Birth of the Savior We All Desperately Need
John 5:16-18 The Clash of Worldviews [Part 4]
Jesus made His divinity known in an unmistakable way. He is God as evidenced in His deeds. He does what God does because He has divine prerogatives as God the Son. However, the Pharisees are blind to this reality. Steeped in their own man-made religion, they pay no attention to the promises of God that His Messiah, the Son of God and the Son of Man, the Savior would come into this world. Their godless response is the intent to kill.
John 5:9-15 The Clash of Worldviews [Part 3]
People can be overzealous about things God could care less about. The Pharisees were such people. They vigorously promoted and guarded their own man-made religion. With the healing of the invalid, the Son of God contradicted and disrespected their religious rules. How would the Pharisees respond? Would they submit to His divine authority? Or, would they contend for their own rules and requirements? Listen to find out.
John 5:14 The Clash of Worldviews [Part 2]
Jesus makes a connection between the healed man’s sin and his sickness. Even though the modern world would like to reject this notion, the Scriptures reveal that the sovereign God who rules over all things also orchestrates human sickness and even uses it at times to chastise people of their sin. Listen to learn more.
John 5:1-9, 14 The Clash of Worldviews
Unlike the many superstitious people in the first century, Jesus does not entertain false beliefs but truly heals a disabled man as only the Son of God can. Moreover, Jesus heals with a purpose - the Lord's compassion is not limited to this person's physical condition only, but ultimately the everlasting condition of his soul, calling on the man to repent, turn away from his sin, and follow Christ.