May 16, 2010

John 5:1-23
When I was in seventh grade my parents bought a split level house on a hill. It had a partial basement with a fallout shelter. Dad decided that he wanted a full basement. Over the next couple of years I watched him work. Little by little he dug out the basement with a shovel, a pick and a wheelbarrow. It was impressive work. Much of what he dug was sandstone. I frequently marveled at how he could consistently remain at the task, especially when it was nothing but sandstone and there was little progress.
As a young teen, I was allergic to work. But as I watched him, I couldn’t help but wonder if I had the muscular power to take the pick and break the rock. On a few occasions I took the pick and shovel and pry bar and tried my hand at it. Little by little Dad whittled it all out and I helped with a couple of shovels full. All totaled he probably moved 3600-4800 cubic feet of dirt and sandstone by hand.
Jesus as the God-Man only did what He was the Father doing. Indeed, He says that He could only do what He saw the Father doing. How did Jesus the man see what the Father was doing?
The few times that I did try my hand at the sandstone were after I had observed dad a while. I watched how he would try to find natural weaknesses in the sandstone and would hit the weaknesses to try to get it to crack along faults. I watched how he would try to carve out holds for the pry bar and then place the pry bar in the hold and see if He could pry loose large hunks of the sandstone. Then, on occasion, I tried the same.
The Father/Creator is working on His ruined creation. He watches and works in similar manner. He sees the Father healing. He healed the man lame for 38 years, lying by the pool of Bethesda. The Father is healing and Jesus heals too.
Here is a twist—Jesus worked on the Sabbath and commanded the lame man to work on the Sabbath. When challenged by the religious about working on the Sabbath Jesus’ defense was, “Well, Dad works on the Sabbath and so do I.” (Chaffin paraphrase) This made them angrier. Why? It made them angry because He made Himself equal with God.
For once they got something right. He is equal to the Father. But He also submits to the Father’s authority. And unless they miss the point, Jesus enumerates both His equality and His submission. He submits by doing only what He sees the Father doing. He is equal in that the Father raises the dead and gives life. . . so does the Son. He is equal in that the Father has given the responsibility of judgment to the Son. Jesus is Equal to the Father. He gives life. How can we watch the Father? Watch Jesus. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john