Monday, August 13, 2018
Like Father Like Son
John 5:17
But Jesus answered them, “My Father has been working until now, and I have been working.”
Jesus got into conflict with the Jewish leaders for healing a crippled man on the Sabbath. As they pressed Him Jesus responded with a declaration that they found very controversial. Jesus essentially said that as a Son He is doing like His Daddy. He sees Daddy working and He is doing the same.
There was a time when most children, boys especially, grew up not far from where their father practised his trade and very soon took up that trade themselves. Boys usually imitated their fathers and wanted to be like them.
My son wants to start a business even before he finished school. We discuss his proposed business project from time to time. What I find most interesting is that once we have finished discussing the project he would smile and say something like, “I will be going to meetings with my shirt and tie and be like a mini businessman like you.”
Imitation is a testimony to admiration. Often, people, children especially imitate because they admire. Imitation is also a testimony of aspiration, as we aspire to be like the one we admire and so we imitate. We imitate our best examples, our role models, and those who have had the greatest influence on our lives. Jesus’ position essentially was that He was imitating His father.
Jesus went further though. He was not just imitating His Father, but His father was at work in He Himself. “Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.” John 5:19
There was another man who was healed by Jesus, this time much of the conversation He had was with the disciples. The disciples were concerned about the cause of the man’s blindness, associating blindness with sin as was the default assumption at the time. Jesus got into His work metaphor again, “I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work.” John 9:4.
This second man also got into a contretemps with the Jewish leaders but that is not the real issue before us today. Our focus is on Jesus’ commitment to ministry to those in need regardless of the rules and of the day and the beliefs of the time.
That is easier to say these days than in times past. We live in very litigious societies now and it is not unusual to be sued for helping even when what you responded to was a great and obvious need. Nevertheless, people are still searching for help every day and if Jesus were here in person He would have found a way to minister to their needs and so should we.
A lady walked into our church door a few years ago and walked straight up to me, gave me a greeting and then took a document out of her handbag. It was a medical report. Now, I have no medical training and didn’t know all the terms that were on the report. However, I knew enough to know that things were pretty bad.
We started praying for her and she kept coming to church. She didn’t have much choice; the doctors weren’t too hopeful about her prospects. She would notify me every time she had a doctor’s appointment and we’d pray more specifically for her. One day she came to church and walked straight up to me, gave me a greeting and then took a document out of her handbag. It was a medical report. Now, I have no medical training and didn’t know all the terms that were on the report. However, I knew enough to know that things were pretty good now, she was healed.
Here is what Jesus said about us, “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.” John 14:12.
Now, on the surface, this seems like a very outlandish statement or hyperbole from Jesus, that His followers, Peter, Paul, you, me, would do works that are greater than He did.
The text must be understood in context. Jesus made the point, again, that it is God the Father who is at work. God is at work, so Jesus works the works of God, and we are at work, and Jesus works the works of the Father through us.
Jesus, in response to a question from Philip about seeing the Father said, “Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves.” John 14:11. So the Christian, in whom the spirit of Jesus dwells, must work the works of the Father through Jesus. There is no limit to what the Christian could accomplish through the Spirit of Jesus.
Just as an example from the biblical account; Peter got up and preached one sermon after Pentecost and won more converts to Jesus than Jesus won himself. His promise to Peter was that he would make him a fisher of men. Jesus gave him a big catch of fish and an even bigger catch of men.
If we are not up doing great things it probably means that we don’t have our eyes on Jesus, the way He had His eyes on the Father.
Think on these things:
- Do you believe that as a Christian today you have the capacity to do greater works than Jesus did on earth?
- Do you believe Jesus’ words about doing greater works applied to the church now or just to His disciples then?
- Does your church in its services provide opportunities for the sick and others with difficult circumstances to receive ministry?
Prayer focus:
Let us pray today that we would believe the words of Jesus and with eyes focused on Him set about to minister to those with needs.
In His Grace
Pastor Alex