Jesus Is Equal with God

Lesson #83

In this lesson we will look at only John 5:18: “This was why the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him, because not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God” (ESV). Two reasons are given in this verse why the Jews were seeking to kill Jesus; first, according to the Jews Jesus was working when performing miracles and thus he was breaking the Sabbath; second, calling God his Father the Jews believed Jesus was making himself equal with God, which was blasphemy and punishable by death.

In John 5:17. Jesus made it very clear that both he and his Father were working together, as we will see in our next lesson, but doing what. At the end of the work of creation, “God rested from all his work that he had done in creation” (Genesis 2:3 ESV). At this point everything was perfect “And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good” (Genesis 1:31 ESV). Then “The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die”” (Genesis 2:15 – 17 ESV). We know what happened. Eve took some of the forbidden fruit and took a bite and she gave some to Adam and he also ate and then their eyes were opened to what had happened (Genesis 3:1 – 7). Because of sin, creation was corrupted and at that point the Father and Son began the work of restoration and continue to this day. That work of restoration is the work referred to in John 5:17.

The Jews saw Jesus as simply a man with unusual abilities, but they were not willing to accept the fact that he was the Messiah, the Son of God, and the Christ. In John 10:30, Jesus said, “I and the Father are one” (ESV). The Jews picked up stones to stone him and Jesus asked why. The Jews answered, “It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you but for blasphemy, because you, being a man, make yourself God” (John 10:33 ESV). The Jews could not accept this and most people today can’t either. As a believer we know that Jesus is God (John 1:1, 14). In fact we are children of God and call him “Father”. Maybe that is a reason why the world hates us and persecutes us because we refer to God as our Father.

Prayer

Father, it brings me such joy to know you as my Father. Thank you for adopting me into your family by causing me to be born again. Lord, thank you for your sacrifice that made this possible. Thank you for the living hope I have of being fully restored to the image of God.