John 5:19-30 Pastor Nathan P. Kassulke
“Honor the Son”
End Times 2: Last Judgment November 11, 2018
Judgment Day changes everything. That may be obvious in and of itself. As we speak about Judgment Day, we are speaking of the end of the world, the end of all that we know, a very literal change of everything that is around us. But I mean to bring up something maybe not as obvious, but just as profound. When we remember that Judgment Day is coming, that changes our outlook on everything. It changes the perspective that we have concerning our lives, our experiences, our possessions. Judgment Day changes everything. We are speaking about Judgment Day very specifically in our worship service today and for two more weeks as we conclude another Church Year. And after that, in the season of Advent, you will probably still hear a bit more on the topic. And if you listen carefully, even though Judgment Day is not necessarily the main focus of the other Sundays as we meet, you will hear about it at least from time to time. The fact is that the Bible speaks a lot about Judgment Day. You heard about it in the Old Testament in our First Lesson today (Malachi 4:1-3). It comes up in other Old Testament lessons as well. The book of Revelation includes a number of visions of the last day. The Apostles wrote about it frequently in the books of the New Testament. And, as we see in today’s Gospel, Jesus also spoke about it. If we remember that Judgment Day is coming, that helps us prioritize our lives correctly. It teaches us about what is really important, those things that will last beyond Judgment Day, like our spirits, our souls. It reminds us that the other things, things that will not last past that day, and there are many examples of them, are not nearly as important. As we look closer at the words of Jesus from John chapter 5, he tells us about what is most important as we look toward Judgment Day. He invites us to honor the Son. Honor the Son who is one with the Father, and who will judge the earth. Jesus speaks about himself and his relationship with God the Father extensively in this section of Scripture. He begins with the words “Amen, Amen” in Aramaic, which the NIV chooses to translate “Very truly I tell you.” He is drawing attention to his truthful teaching, leading his listeners to mark his wise words. And he goes on to explain that the things that He, the Son, does are the same things the Father does. The Son can’t and won’t do anything other than what the Father does. This is a look into the mysteries of the Trinity. It is beyond the human mind to really comprehend this relationship within the godhead, but on faith we accept what Jesus says, that he and the Father are perfectly aligned in their goals and their actions. Jesus is one with the Father. Why Jesus takes the time to explain this is interesting. Earlier, Jesus had healed a man and commanded him to carry off the mat on which he was previously sitting. The man did exactly as Jesus told him, even though that day was the Sabbath, a day when God’s Old Testament people had been commanded to do no work. The Jewish leaders were not pleased. They were upset that the man was carrying his mat on the Sabbath. They were upset that he was doing work. And they were upset that Jesus was doing work when he healed this man on the Sabbath day. Jesus answered their concerns by explaining that just as his heavenly Father is at work, even on the Sabbath, so Jesus would do good things for people, even on the Sabbath. As you might imagine, this upset the Jewish leaders even more. They realized that Jesus was calling himself God, equal to the Father. They determined that Jesus should die both for breaking the Sabbath law and even more so for calling himself God. Of course, that is exactly what Jesus was saying. And he continued to say it. When they persecuted him, he answered them as our sermon text indicates. Not only would he continue working as the Father was working, Jesus the Son could only do that—exactly what he saw his Father doing. As persons of the Trinity, they are so closely connected that we as people cannot tell any difference in the things that they do. Just as the Father raises the dead and gives life, so does the Son. Just as the Father has the right to
judge, he actually entrusts the judging to the Son. Instead of the opposition that Jesus was receiving, he deserved honor. He deserves honor. He always has and he always will. So it is sinful arrogance that does not acknowledge and honor the Son. It is sinful arrogance to think that people have a right to impose on him what he should or should not be doing. It is the same sinful arrogance that we often find dwelling in our very own hearts. Don’t we often treat Jesus as somehow less than God? Don’t we often think that what we want is at least as important as what he tells us? Just as the Jewish leaders should have listened to Jesus, should have bowed to him, should have honored him in every way, so also we owe Jesus our honor and devotion. The amazing news that Jesus brings is that even though we have not given him the honor that he deserves, he came to forgive our sins. He came to die because of our lack of love and honor for him. He came to credit to us his perfect love and honor. And when he speaks about bringing the dead to life, he is talking about doing so both physically and spiritually. It is a work of God, and therefore a work of Jesus, to bring people who are born spiritually dead to a living faith in him. In this way he rescues them—he rescues us from an eternity of punishment and brings us to salvation. This is why he explained to the Jewish leaders, “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.” To believe his words means to believe that he is the Savior of the world. To believe his words means to believe that he is your Savior. To believe means to trust him and to take his words to heart, which means also sharing those words with others. And what Jesus shares next drives home the urgency of this work. The time is now. The opportunity is at hand. The day is coming when that opportunity will be gone. Jesus, God himself, the Son of God, will come to judge the earth. Just as his words have called people from spiritual death to life, so also his words will call the physically dead to life again. That time is coming. It is certain. There is no avoiding it. Just as Jesus lays it out, the dead will rise and will face the judge. And as the Savior tells it, “those who have done what is good will rise to live, and those who have done what is evil will rise to be condemned.” These words in English translation do require some comment. We might expect that “those who have done what is good” would be essentially the same phrase in the original as “those who have done what is evil” except for one word. That’s certainly how the English looks. The truth is that we have in this passage two different Greek verbs that are translated “have done.” One means just what it sounds like in English. It is something that has happened. People have done good. At the same time, we have to understand that when God talks about the good things that people do, he means some very specific things. He means that people with faith in him, people who have had their sins washed clean in the blood of Jesus, do things that are motivated by his love for them. Those who have done good on earth are those whom Jesus called from death to life, from unbelief to faith. Their faith showed itself in the things that they did. Whoever believes in Jesus will rise to eternal life with him. But the other phrase, “those who have done what is evil,” uses a totally different verb. This word in Greek means to “practice.” It talks about doing something in such a way that it is repetitive and defines the way a person behaves. It is not emphasizing only the fact that someone has done something, but the fact that they have worked at it and relished in it. They have done evil without any intention or hope of being done with that evil or changing that way of doing things. These are unbelievers who have rejected Jesus as the Savior. Their bodies will come out of the graves to face eternal torment in hell. The reality of Judgment Day means very different things for people in these very different categories. It means fear and terror for unbelievers, but life and joy for believers. And Judgment Day is very real. It is going to happen. And that fact changes everything. It puts our lives in perspective. It teaches us how precious our Savior is as he makes us ready to face that day. That’s what Last Judgment Sunday is all about. Be ready for that day. Honor the Son as True God, as Lord, as your Savior. And rejoice that he will return to take you to be with him forever.
The Text: John 5:19–30 (NIV) 19 Jesus
gave them this answer: “Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. 20 For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does. Yes, and he will show him even greater works than these, so that you will be amazed. 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. 22 Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son, 23 that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, who sent him. 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. 28 “Do
not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice come out—those who have done what is good will rise to live, and those who have done what is evil will rise to be condemned. 30 By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me. 29 and