Scripture: John 5:19-29 (ESV)
“So Jesus said to them, Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise. For the Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself is doing. And greater works than these will he show him, so that you may marvel. For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he will. For the Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son, that all may honour the Son, just as they honour the Father. Whoever does not honour the Son does not honour the Father who sent him. Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life. Truly, truly, I say to you, an 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 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 marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment.”
We all know that there are generational traits that keep going from one generation to the next. There is a photo of me, age 6 next to my son at age 6, which is almost identical. The same hair, the same eyes, the same chubby cheeks, even the same head position, cocked slightly to the right. Poor boy… let’s hope he grows out of it… But we do recognise these generational traits, which is why we have sayings like “Like father, like son”.
This is as true of facial features as it is of character and conviction. The influence parents have on kids is extensive, which is partly why it is so difficult to break unhelpful patterns of behaviour from one generation to the next. But family traits can also be wonderful blessings. Parents have the opportunity to instill good habits and behaviours they learnt from their families into their kids. This can cause generational blessings, which last lifetimes.
Interestingly Jesus says the same thing applies to him and God the Father. We see this intimate glimpse of how the Son relates to the Father. Now the context is that Jesus has just healed a man on the Sabbath day. And so now Jesus faces criticism from the Jewish leaders, and in fact they are so enraged by his actions that they start plotting to kill Jesus. Now we might think it is a bit extreme to plan to kill someone because he broke the Sabbath laws, but actually the Jewish leaders wanted Jesus dead because they thought him a blasphemer. He had called God his own father, and in so doing made himself equal with God. So how does Jesus respond? He says in effect, “Like Father, like Son”.
"Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing."
Notice that Jesus here says he acts in perfect harmony with God the Father. When Jesus acts he isn’t acting as some separate entity, but as part of the Trinity, in perfect step with the Father. The works of Jesus are the works of God. To know Jesus is to know the Father. When we see Jesus’s love for people, his compassion on those that are suffering, his desire for justice and the way he treats the downtrodden, we are seeing the very nature of God in action.
Now that is interesting because in this passage Jesus speaks specifically about life and about judgement. When we hear and believe in his word, we have eternal life, but if we reject his word then we will face his judgement. This is a direct call for us to see Jesus as he really is - the perfect embodiment of the character of God.
If we want to know who God is, we need to accept his authority, accept his word and live according to what he showed us. We don’t get to pick and choose which bits of his word we like and listen to.
We accept it as it is, the word of God, or we reject it and face judgement.
Prayer
Dear Father, open my eyes to see Jesus as the true reflection of you. Help me to embrace living as if he truly is the Lord of my life. Amen.
Spiritual Challenge
Today, spend time reading one of Jesus’s teachings or parables. Reflect on how it reveals the character of God, and consider how you can apply it to align your life more closely with His will.
Like Father, Like Son