February 01, 2023 – Wednesday
John 5:24-27 NIV
24 “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life.
25 Very truly I tell you, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live.
26 For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself.
27 And he has given him authority to judge because he is the Son of Man.
Comments
If you ever run across anyone who questions or does not understand John 3:16, 16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life, don’t try to explain it to them. Let Jesus explain His own words in His own way via the verses above and especially John 5:24 above, 24 Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life. And when He says, Very truly, He is telling us to “Listen up!”
Verses 25-27 add even more clarity, but I included them for another reason. There is often confusion about the meanings of Son of God and Son of Man. All too often when we see Son of Man we think it is referring to Jesus’ humanity, but more correctly it is referring to Him as the Messiah from the book of Daniel 7:13-14, 13 “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. 14 He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed. When Jesus referred to Himself as the Son of Man, it was no statement of His humanity. Instead, it was a statement of His authority as the Messiah and to His divinity which we can see in His reply to the high priest in Mark 14:61-62, 61 But He kept silent and did not offer any answer. Again the high priest was questioning Him, and said to Him, “Are You the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?” 62 And Jesus said, “I am; and you shall see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.” And that resulted in a charge of blasphemy from the high priest. Stephen, before he was stoned to death, witnessed what Jesus had prophesied in Acts 7:55-56, 55 But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, looked intently into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God; 56 and he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”
The Son of God in the Old Testament always referred to the kings that followed David and was a title for them and eventually for the Messiah, the prophesied descendant of David. See Psalm 89:3-4, 26-29, Psalm 2:7, and Psalm 110:1-2 for clear examples. However, is that it? Jesus is undoubtedly the promised heir to the throne of David, but there is more. Look at what Isaiah prophesied in 9:6-7, 6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this. Then in the New Testament there are so many references to Jesus as the Son of God, I will only present what I consider the two most powerful. The first, upon Jesus baptism by John the Baptist in Matthew 3:17 when a voice from heaven said, 17 This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. And again, in Matthew 17 after Jesus’ transfiguration in verse 5 after a bright cloud covered them, 5 a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!
Bottom Line: Jesus meant what He said in John 3:16 and explained in 5:24. We should listen with great attention because it is the One who is both the Son of Man and the Son of God speaking.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, Help us always to listen to what Jesus says, especially about our salvation through Him because of what He did on the cross. – In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
RileyD, nwJ
Riley D. Driver – Pastor
Calvary Chapel of Dayton
in Beavercreek