While Jesus is talking to Nicodemus, Jesus says, 3:13 “No one has ascended into heaven, but He who descended from heaven; the Son of Man, 14 As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life.
3:16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. 18 He who believes in Him is not judged, he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19 This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. 20 For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. 21 But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.”
Light reveals things hidden in darkness, and where there is Light, there can be no darkness. In this next passage His Light reveals the truth about what has been hidden.
Jesus is talking to a Samaritan woman at a well in Sychar, in Samaria. 4:19 The woman said to Him, “Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet. 20 Our fathers worshiped in this mountain, and you people say that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.” 21 Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe Me, an hour is coming when neither in this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. 22 You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. 24 God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” 25 The woman said to Him, “I know that Messiah is coming (He who is called Christ); when that One comes; He will declare all things to us.” 26 Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am He.”
In that message, Jesus establishes the essence of His ministry, to bring seekers to worship the Father in spirit and truth.
4:31 Meanwhile, the disciples were urging Him, saying “Rabbi, eat.” 32 But He said to them, “I have food to eat that you do not know about.” 33 So the disciples were saying to one another, “No one brought Him anything to eat, did he?” 34 Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to accomplish His work.”
Jesus healed a crippled man on the Sabbath and 5:15 The man went away, and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well. 16 For this reason the Jews were persecuting Jesus, because He was doing these things on the Sabbath. 17 But He answered them, “My Father is working until now, and I myself am working.”18 For this reason therefore the Jews were seeking all the more to kill Him, because He not only was breaking the Sabbath, but also was calling God His own Fat her, making Himself equal to God. 19 Therefore Jesus answered and was saying to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees that Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner. 20 For the Father loves the Son, and show Him all things that He Himself if doing; ant the Father will show Him greater works than these, so that you will marvel. 21 For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son also gives life to whom He wishes. 22 For not even the Father judges anyone, but He has given all judgment to the Son, 23 so that all will honor the Son even as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him. 24 “:Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.”
5:30 “I can do nothing of My own initiative. As I hear, I judge, and My judgment is just, because I do not seek My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. 31 “If I alone testify about Myself, My testimony is not true. 32 There is another who testifies of Me, and I know that the testimony which He gives about Me is true.”
Clearly, in these passages, Jesus is NOT making Himself equal to God, but He does have authority delegated to Him by the Father. He who is delegated is NOT equal to the one who delegates!
5:36 “But the testimony which I have is greater than the testimony of John, for the works which the Father has given Me to accomplish – the very works that I do – testify about Me, that the Father has sent Me. 37 And the Father who sent Me, He has testified of Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time nor seen His form. 38 You do not have His word abiding in you, for you do not believe Him whom He sent.
5: 39 “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me; 40 and you are unwilling to come to Me so that you may have life. 41 I do not receive glory from men; 42 but I know you, that you do not have the love of God in yourselves. 43 I have come in My Father’s name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, you will receive him. 44 How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and you do not seek the glory that is from the one and only God? 45 Do not think that I will accuse you before the Father; the one who accuses you is Moses, in whom you have set your hope. 46 For if you believe Moses, you would believe Me, for he wrote about Me. 47 But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?”
Once we recognize that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are separate entities, and Jesus acknowledges that He was sent by the Father (God), then He also acknowledges that He is not God, since there is one and only one God.
John provides much more detail of Jesus’ teachings in that He acknowledges they are the will of the Father, and not of Jesus’ will.
6:38 “For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.”
Jesus acknowledges that He has not come to do His own will, but the will of the One who sent Him.
After some time, Jesus went to the Mount of Olives, at which time He admonished a group of scribes and Pharisees for seeking to a stone woman accused of adultery.
While still amidst the scribes and Pharisees, 8:18 Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, “I am the Light of the World; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.” 13So the Pharisees said to Him, “You are testifying about Yourself; Your testimony is not true.” 14 Jesus answered and said to them, “Even if I testify about Myself, My testimony is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going; but you do not know where I come from or where I am going. 15 You judge according to the flesh; I am not judging anyone. 16 But even if I do judge, My judgement is true; for I am not alone in it, but I and the Father who sent Me. 17Even in your law it has been written that the testimony of two men is true. 18I am He who testifies about Myself, and the Father whosent Me testifies about Me.” 19So they saying to Him, “Where is Your Father?” Jesus answered, “You know neither Me nor My Father; if you knew Me, you would know My Father also.” 20These words He spoke in the treasure, as He taught in the temple; and no one seized Him, because His hour had not yet come.
I Jesus’ encounters throughout the book of John, He continuously acknowledges, 8:42“.., for I have not even come on My own initiative, but He sent Me.”
Sadly, the most misunderstood verse I believe is; 10:30 “I and the Father are one.” To this end, this phrase is twisted to imply that they are the same being. When a man and a woman are married they “become one,” and I’ve been married for 43 years and I guarantee you that we are not the same being. This passage was simply stating that the Father and Son are in synch, and in full agreement. After all of the previous statements from Jesus Himself throughout the Gospel, why would He imply “We just merged!”
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