Lenten Reflection - April 9th

Written by: Pastor Ron Lee

Reading: John 5:19-29

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 29 and 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.

If you are a parent, this teaching of Jesus, makes all of the sense in the world. Even when our children are misbehaving, one of the two parents will look at the other and say: "Well, Johnny is acting just like you!" Or, the real powder keg comment: "Sarah is acting just like your mother!" It is usually said with tongue in cheek, but there is, also, always, a lot of reality behind the remark. In their strengths, and in their weaknesses, our children very often act like us.

That is no surprise. They are a combination of the DNA we pass on to them. When they excel, we want to take credit and put a bumper sticker on our cars that proclaim we have an honor student or a soccer star in our families. When they act out, like it or not, if we are honest, we can see something of what we did in our own childhood rebellion in their behavior, except, often, truth be told, we did worse.

The scandalous thing that Jesus is saying here, for any religious person listening to him, is that he has his Father's DNA. He is proclaiming that he is his Father's son, even in life and death, and, as a result, you can count on him. God is the creator. God gives life. God loves his people, and even brings life out of death. Everyone listening knew and believed that.

It is still true. If you believe in the Father, and what he can do, then, believe in the Son, and what he can do. Life. Real. Abundant. Eternal. Now. Life. A gift from the Father and the Son, to all of us.

Lord, help us to recognize this gift from our Father in the form of His Son, Jesus. Amen.