John 5: 21
“For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so, the Son gives life to whom he is pleased to give it.”
This verse makes my head spin! “For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life…” is quite a statement to make. In Jesus’ day, there were an important group of Jewish leaders called the Sadducees. They did not believe in the resurrection of the dead either because they believed that God could not or would not do such a thing. They had access to all of the same scriptures that the Pharisees and others had, but they chose to believe differently. In this one simple statement, Jesus puts aside any doubt on the matter. The Father raises the dead and gives them life. (Jesus will go on to demonstrate this truth more than once!) Then Jesus equates himself to God again by saying he, too, gives life to whom he is pleased to give it.
This second statement is even more powerful. Jesus offers to give life to the living. Here it helps to look back to Genesis 3 and re-examine the difference between being physically dead and spiritually dead. Adam brought us to a state of spiritual death by eating from the forbidden tree. Jesus offers to give us life again, the life that Adam gave up when he was in the Garden of Eden.
Then there is the way Jesus chooses whom he will be giving life to. He gives it “to whom he is pleased to give it.” Wow! How do I get on his good side? I want him to be pleased to give me some of that life!
Fortunately for me, Jesus sees every man, woman, and child for what they are: created in God’s image. He loves me even though I tend to be unlovable. He cares for me even when I am ungrateful. He came to earth not to redeem only a few choice people, but to “draw all people to [himself].” (John 12:32)
Q: What would please Jesus, so that he would be pleased to give us life?
Q: What would please Jesus, so that he would be pleased to give us life?
All the people in and ever in this world are loved by God. John 3:16. Jesus is God and manifested this love by living among us, showing His love as He ministered for 3 years and eventually gave His life for our sins.
Jesus is pleased with and gives life those who humble themselves before Him and glorify God by accepting this free gift.
Sadly, it seems the majority, reject the universal undeniable conviction of the Holy Spirit, believe they can display their own righteousness, be pleasing to God and reject gift of Christ. In reality cling to their sin nature. In doing so chose eternal separation from our Holy God. Jesus knows the eternal consequences of their choice and I believed He is deeply saddened by their choice ( not pleased ).
Bottom line: We know what pleases Jesus and what displeases and we make the choice to please or displease. God does not play favorites, He simply gives each what they choose.
Wanting to follow the heart of God please Jesus
Short, sweet and pleasing to Jesus Robster.
An honest, humble, broken and contrite heart, sincere confession and repentance. To be at His feet gleaning from His words just as Mary did might please Him,..being still and knowing that He is God may please Him,..when I am writing about Him and capitalize every first letter when I refer to Him may please Jesus,..when I tell others about Him might please Him,..when one of those people I spoke to about Him actually confesses, repents and believes in Him,,,Jesus just might be pleased,..none of this is the reason that He was soo pleased to give me life but I believe that His work at the cross has set me free,..and that is what gives me life,..He gave me His life so that I could live the one He gave me,..I think it may please Jesus if I live this life He gave me for Him
Beautiful thoughts! Thank you!!
Jesus says our “work” is to believe in Him. (John 6:29) To believe in Jesus is to honor Him. To honor Him is to live for Him. To live for Him is to love God above all else, and our neighbors as ourselves.
Reminds me of Ron saying we are eternal beings walking around with the dead of this world.