“My Father is always at his work…” John 5:17
- He refers to God as his Father.
“…the Son gives life to whom He is pleased to give it.” John 5:21
- He takes responsibility for granting eternal life.
“Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son.” John 5:22
- He assumes authority for judging the world.
- Who talks like this?
- Often, the imagery of the Christmas season, with its peaceful manger scenes belies a truth that is far more shocking and provocative. A child born in modest conditions to a young peasant girl claims to be God! This is outrageous.
- I am reminded of C.S. Lewis’ words in his book
Mere Christianity:
“I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: “I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept His claim to be God.” That is the one thing we must not say. A man who said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic — on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg — or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.”
- Lord God,
- As I prepare to celebrate your entry into this world in human form, I am filled with awe and gratitude for what you did for me. I fall at your feet, Lord Jesus, and worship you. May I never lose sight of how radical your message was, and is. Truth is clearly stranger than fiction. Amen.
- Greg (gmd40187) from the archives, originally published December 15, 2010.
Sixty-six books in a year 