John 5: 18
“For this reason they tried all the more to kill him; not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God.”
Remember way back at the beginning of chapter 4 where Jesus leaves Judea and goes back to Galilee? John doesn’t say it, but he hints that the reason Jesus left Judea was because of the Pharisees. Now we learn that “Jewish leaders” are trying “all the more” to kill Jesus which suggests that the idea of killing Jesus wasn’t new to them.
It is also important to remember that “breaking the Sabbath” is impossible for God because he made the Sabbath holy. What Jesus was “breaking” were the dozens if not hundreds of laws and rules written by the Jewish leaders after the exile.
Then there was the issue of calling God his “Father.” Technically God is the father of all people, but Jesus used the term a little more specifically and personally. The Jewish leaders were right to conclude that Jesus was making himself “equal” with God. After all, Jesus is God!
So here we have an interesting application of the term “belief.” A few days ago in the post titled, “Second Sign,” we see Jesus illustrate the connection between hope, faith, obedience, and belief. Hope is like a warm fire on a cold night that draws us close. Faith is trusting the promise given by hope. Obedience is the willingness to act on what hope and faith have revealed. Belief is moving beyond doubt to a place where as Robster said, reality has been “defined.”
I don’t know what the Pharisees had going for them in the “hope” and “faith” categories, but they sure stood out in the arena obedience. They called this being righteous, but in fact, it was being legalistic. However, when it came to beliefs, they were relying on a false belief. They understood who Jesus was saying he was (the Son of God), but they rejected Jesus because they preferred to believe in their own man-made laws instead of God’s law.
Q: How do we move from where we are to that place beyond doubt called, “belief?”
Respond to the conviction of the Holy Spirit by repenting, accepting Christ and turning from our sin.
Ron,..took the words right outta my mouth,..just as I was scrolling down to log in my answer I seen his,..that’s exactly how it happened with me,..I responded to the conviction of the Holy Spirit as to how bad of a dad I was,..I repented and have been restored and reconciled,..what an awesome God we have,..all because of what Jesus did for me on a tree,..He lived, bled, died and came back to life for all to believe,..one day every knee will bow,..just as we have,..
Yes they will John. Good night all.