◄ What Does John 5:22 Mean? ►

The healing of the paralysed man at the Pool of Bethesda, infuriated Jewish leaders. They objected to Christ's Messianic claims and were furious that He often referred to God as His Father. They were constantly looking for ways to get rid of Jesus and accused Him of breaking the Sabbath day. They regarded the healing of the paralytic man as work. But no biblical Law was violated, just a man-made, Sabbath-day rule.

Jesus responded by saying "My Father is working until now, and I Myself am working." But His statement further inflamed them, for they accused Him of blasphemy. They said He was making Himself equal with God. This latest accusation triggered a detailed discourse concerning Christ's relationship with the Father and provides us with a comprehensive overview of the hypostatic union of Christ's humanity with His deity - for He is both the Son of Man and the Son of God. He had every right to make Himself equal with God, for as Son of God, He is God - the Son.

His discourse explains the reason the eternal Son of God had to become the perfect Son of Man. It provides insight into His divine authority (as God) and the sovereign jurisdiction He was given by His Father (as Man). As a Member of the Godhead, all power was already His. But it was in His humanity that Christ Jesus was given all power and authority by the Father. It was in His human capacity that God gave Jesus all authority to judge.

In His discourse, Jesus detailed the authority He received from the Father, "the Father has given all judgment to the Son." The question may be asked why? Why would the Father commit all the judgement of humanity into the hand of Jesus, when Jesus is already the righteous Judge of the earth, because of His deity? Well, in the beginning, God gave dominion over the world into the hand of the first man Adam, who failed in his duty. God in His grace determined that a second Adam, a second MAN would come and regain all that the first Adam lost. However, no man is good enough to become Redeemer, for all men have sinned and all fall short of God's glory. Only a perfect Man without sin, could redeem fallen humanity.

God the Son was good enough to pay the price of sin, but God is Spirit, and spirit is spirit and flesh is flesh and blood! So God the Son had to come in human form if He were to fulfil the Father's plan of redemption and become the human sacrifice that would pay the price for the sin of the world. And the Father loved the world so much that He gave His only begotten Son, so that all who believe on Him would not perish but have everlasting life.

The first man Adam, was made a living being, but the last Adam, JESUS, was sent from above to become a Life-Giving Spirit -  a Man who gives life. And He became that Life-Giving Spirit when He rose from the dead.  He alone would have eternal life within Himself. The first man sinned and lost his dominion over the earth, and all his offspring were born with a fallen sin nature, dead in trespasses and sin. However, God determined that whatever the first man lost in Eden, would be regained by the second Man - the God-Man.

As the eternal Son of God, Jesus was good enough to pay the price of sin, and so He came into the world as the sinless Son of Man. He became the God-Man, Who walked in spirit and truth and Who alone was good enough to be the sin-sacrifice. He lived a sinless life and died a sacrificial death as payment for man's sin. He obediently carried out His Father's will, and qualified as man's Kinsman-Redeemer, becoming a Life-Giving Spirit.

God had determined that a man must die for mankind's sin. A man's blood must be shed to pay the price for the sin of humanity. So the Father sent the Son to become the sinless Son of Man, and to Him was given the power of everlasting life. Jesus, the God-Man, was given life within Himself, (a Life-Giving Spirit), the authority to judge His kinsfolk, (fallen humanity), and the ability to give life to all who would believe on His name.

As Deity, the Son of God was eternal and had the right to judge His own creation. However, as a Man Who was born into the human race, Jesus had to be given authority, from above - and indeed He was. Jesus was given jurisdiction to judge the world in righteousness. "For not even the Father judges anyone, but He has given ALL judgment to the Son."  By giving all judgement to Jesus, Who is the second Adam, as well as the sin-sacrifice, with life within Himself, God is returning Man into his original position on earth, with dominion over all creation, as determined before man fell.

The Lord Jesus Christ is the second Adam, into Whose hands have been given ALL judgement. Sinners saved by grace through faith in Him know that the judgement we deserve, as payment for our sin, was paid IN FULL at the cross. And Christ has pronounced us redeemed by His own, precious blood. The judgement of those who refuse to believe, together with Satan and rebellious fallen angels, will take place at the Great White Throne. And the judge will be JESUS CHRIST the Righteous.

Heavenly Father, thank You for Your amazing plan of salvation. Thank You for sending the eternal Son of God to become the perfect Son of Man, Who has become the life-giving Spirit to all who would believe on Him. Thank You, that all judgement is in His hand. Lord, without Your amazing plan of redemption, I would still be dead in sins and estranged from You. Thank You, that by faith in Him, my sins are forgiven and I have eternal life as a free gift of grace. Thank You, that I am no longer part of the old creation in Adam, but have become part of the new creation in Christ. I pray that many whose eyes are blinded to this truth would find their hope in Him. In Jesus' name I pray, AMEN.