John 5:19 So Jesus explained, “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself. He does only what he sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son also does. 20 For the Father loves the Son and shows him everything he is doing. In fact, the Father will show him how to do even greater works than healing this man. Then you will truly be astonished. 21 For just as the Father gives life to those he raises from the dead, so the Son gives life to anyone he wants. 22 In addition, the Father judges no one. Instead, he has given the Son absolute authority to judge, 23 so that everyone will honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Anyone who does not honor the Son is certainly not honoring the Father who sent him.
31 “If I were to testify on my own behalf, my testimony would not be valid. 32 But someone else is also testifying about me, and I assure you that everything he says about me is true. 33 In fact, you sent investigators to listen to John the Baptist, and his testimony about me was true. 34 Of course, I have no need of human witnesses, but I say these things so you might be saved. 35 John was like a burning and shining lamp, and you were excited for a while about his message. 36 But I have a greater witness than John—my teachings and my miracles. The Father gave me these works to accomplish, and they prove that he sent me. 37 And the Father who sent me has testified about me himself. You have never heard his voice or seen him face to face, 38 and you do not have his message in your hearts, because you do not believe me—the one he sent to you.
39 “You search the Scriptures because you think they give you eternal life. But the Scriptures point to me! 40 Yet you refuse to come to me to receive this life.
41 “Your approval means nothing to me, 42 because I know you don’t have God’s love within you. 43 For I have come to you in my Father’s name, and you have rejected me. Yet if others come in their own name, you gladly welcome them. 44 No wonder you can’t believe! For you gladly honor each other, but you don’t care about the honor that comes from the one who alone is God.
observation
Working together in perfect harmony (John 5:19-30)
The best picture of what our relationships should look like can be seen in how God the Father and Jesus relate to one another and how they both seek to bring glory to the other. You don’t see either one of them trying to get ahead or praising themselves, they don’t keep secrets or deceive, you don’t see any competition but what you do see is complete cooperation.
Avoiding judgment (John 5:22-30)
Jesus said that those that listen to his message and believe will have eternal life and better yet they will not be condemned for their sins. All of the things that I have done wrong are covered by Jesus sacrifice and I have been spared from the judgment that I deserve, what an awesome love that overlooks the penalty that I deserve and it even chooses to overlook the fact that we deserve to be judged, God has shown an amazing love that we need to mimic in our relationships. Why are we so eager to judge others when we have escaped judgment? Why should we be overly concerned about another man’s judgment when God, the one that matters, said that he isn’t judging us?
John 3:16 “For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. 17 God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him. 18 There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him.”
Who is Jesus? (John 5:31-47)
The issue came up earlier in this chapter after Jesus healed a man by telling him to pick up his mat and go home, Jesus claimed to be God’s Son and that he has the authority to heal on the Sabbath, is there enough evidence to help them decide?
John the Baptist gave his testimony:
John 1:29-30 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! He is the one I was talking about.”
Jesus teachings and miracles were provided to give us proof.
God the Father testified that Jesus is his son.
Jesus said that all of the scriptures pointed to himself and gave a witness of who he is.
All this proof, all of these testimonies and still there were plenty of people that were blind to the truth.
application
I will be slow to jump to judgment and to put somebody down. When I am being judged I will need to consider the source just like Jesus did:
John 5:41-42 “Your approval means nothing to me, because I know you don’t have God’s love within you."
Is this somebody that seeks his own glory or has his own agenda? Or is he seeking a peaceful, harmonious relationship.
The most important relationship is my relationship with Jesus, we all need to consider the evidence for it clearly tells us who Jesus is.
prayer
Give me grace to be slow to judge and give me wisdom to accept constructive criticism.
