Who Is Jesus To Us Today?
Good Morning Friends,
The Gospels spend a lot of time on the topic of who Jesus is and the reality that he will judge everyone. He does not set out to embarrass those questioning him, but he does desire for people to know the truth. Some call him the Messiah, the Son of David… others compare him to a parentage much less flattering. Those around him are seeking status, while Jesus seeks to serve. After digesting the evidence, our belief in Jesus’ deity demands a response. Now we must choose allegiance or rejection. Oh, for sure there are barriers to believing, but we have nature itself as a witness and the reality of the Church as well as Christ’s own word. So today we look at the prophet Isaiah writing about the restoration of Israel and the Gospel story about a healing on the Sabbath and wonder, about the benefit of believing in something and someone who will make a difference in our lives. And then we contemplate the price Christ paid to give this man his health back and to restore us, even as we ask: Who Is Jesus To Us Today?
Scripture: Thus says the Lord: In a time of favor I have answered you, on a day of salvation I have helped you; I have kept you and given you as a covenant to the people, to establish the land, to apportion the desolate heritages; saying to the prisoners, “Come out,” to those who are in darkness, “Show yourselves.” They shall feed along the ways, on all the bare heights shall be their pasture; they shall not hunger or thirst, neither scorching wind nor sun shall strike them down, for he who has pity on them will lead them, and by springs of water will guide them. And I will turn all my mountains into a road, and my highways shall be raised up. Lo, these shall come from far away, and lo, these from the north and from the west, and these from the land of Syene. Sing for joy, O heavens, and exult, O earth; break forth, O mountains, into singing! For the Lord has comforted his people, and will have compassion on his suffering ones. But Zion said, “The Lord has forsaken me, my Lord has forgotten me.” Can a woman forget her nursing child, or show no compassion for the child of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you.
Isaiah 49:8-15 (NRSV)
But Jesus answered them, “My Father is still working, and I also am working.” For this reason the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him, because he was not only breaking the sabbath, but was also calling God his own Father, thereby making himself equal to God. Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, the Son can do nothing on his own, but only what he sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, the Son does likewise. The Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself is doing; and he will show him greater works than these, so that you will be astonished. Indeed, just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whomever he wishes. The Father judges no one but has given all judgment to the Son, so that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Anyone who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him. Very truly, I tell you, anyone who hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life, and does not come under judgment, but has passed from death to life. “Very truly, I tell you, the hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. For just as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself; and he has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man. Do not be astonished at this; for the hour is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and will come out—those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation. “I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge; and my judgment is just, because I seek to do not my own will but the will of him who sent me.
John 5:17-30 (NRSV)
The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. The Lord is good to all, and his compassion is over all that he has made. All your works shall give thanks to you, O Lord, and all your faithful shall bless you. They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom, and tell of your power, to make known to all people your mighty deeds, and the glorious splendor of your kingdom. Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures throughout all generations. The Lord is faithful in all his words, and gracious in all his deeds. The Lord upholds all who are falling, and raises up all who are bowed down. The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food in due season. You open your hand, satisfying the desire of every living thing. The Lord is just in all his ways, and kind in all his doings. The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.
Psalm 145: 8-18 (NRSV)
Message: Today’s scripture can be read different ways, but I like to focus on its relevance concerning the identity of Jesus and his relationship with the Father as a model for our relationship with the Holy Spirit. I cannot help wondering how we can explain away the greatest miracle recorded in history. No one I know denies there was such a man, that he lived and that he was put to death by crucifixion. But the miracle is not in someone suffering a terrible death. And the greatest miracle is not the healing in today’s Gospel reading but perhaps there is a miracle worthy of our study about the man and Spirit of what he communicates about Jesus. President Ronald Reagan when asked whom he thought Jesus was, suggested that we let our imagination translate the Jesus story into our own time — possibly to our own hometown. A young man whose father is a carpenter grows up working in his father’s shop. One day he puts down his tools and walks out of his father’s shop. He starts preaching on street corners and in the nearby countryside, walking from place to place, preaching all the while, even though he is not an ordained minister. He does this for three years. Then he is arrested, judged, and convicted. There is no court of appeal, so he is executed at age 33 along with two common thieves. Those in charge of his execution roll dice to see who gets his clothing — the only possessions he has. His family cannot afford a burial place for him, so he is interred in a borrowed tomb. End of story? No. This uneducated young man with no earthly property who left no written word, has, for 2000 years, had a greater impact on the world than all the rulers, kings, emperors, conquerors, generals, admirals, scholars, scientists, and philosophers who have ever lived — all of them put together. How do we explain that – unless he really was who he said he was? How can we explain the gift of the Holy Spirit as a means of us walking in a chain of events that in some small way glorify a relationship of love?
And So, Jesus is the Covenant. Jesus is the Sabbath rest. Jesus is the Judge. Still, many people refuse to accept Jesus for who He really is, not just in history, but this very moment. The Pharisees in today’s scripture deny the Deity of Christ to defend their own lifestyle and choosing their own will over the will of God. Others throughout history believe he was simply a good man; some, a teacher; some, a philosopher; and others a spiritual leader. But many do not accept Him for who He really is: The Son of God, Messiah, and Savior of the world. The thing is that Christ got nothing out of dying except for us being saved and that is and of itself is an act of God that by example is rolled out in the resurrection and gifting of the Holy Spirit to come.
Pray we realize that Christ is Good as God is good and is still working for us in His sovereign nature this very moment from heaven. Pray we experience God not just through scripture but more palpably through the Holy Spirit, though our senses and consciousness cannot fully explain it so much in the moment, as in the stream of Holy History in which we share an existence. Pray therefore in the power of the Holy Spirit we never forget believing in the gift of Jesus and Jesus never forgets us before the Father. Pray we acknowledge Jesus Christ as the Son of God sent to us to be our Savior and Lord. Pray we accept him as our Savior and change how we think, live and yield to God’s will. Pray we realize that Jesus is worthy of honor. Pray we understand that he does what the Father does as a divine heritage. Pray we believe that Jesus is the giver of life. Pray we engage the Holy Spirit and worship God as a means of ministry and mission in our life as a way of honoring Jesus. Pray we embrace the promise of the resurrection as a child of God humbled so we too might be raised up.
Blessings,
John Lawson
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