“Our knowledge of God is based on his own self-revelation.”
Thoughts from daily Bible reading for today – May 30, 2024
But Jesus answered them, “My Father has been working until now, and I have been working.” Therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill Him, because He not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God. John 5:17-18, NKJV
We live in a time and place where there seems to be a growing fascination with and interest in Jesus Christ. It is increasingly common to hear well-known public personalities speak of the inspiration they have gained from Jesus or of the ways his teachings inspire or animate their lives. And in truth, this isn’t a new phenomenon. The life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ turned the world upside down, and some two thousand years on, we’ve still not “recovered” from it!
True as this may be, we must learn to listen attentively to Jesus’s words, especially when he speaks about himself: his own identity and relationship to God the Father. In this way, we will learn to see him as he truly is, not as we simply may imagine (or want) him to be.
Our knowledge of God is based on his own self-revelation. Yes, we seek after him and resolve to pursue him with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength. Yet this is only possible because of his prior movement toward us. And if we miss this foundational truth, we will run after a version of Jesus that is rooted in our own ideas of God rather than in the truth he has revealed to us.
Take, for example, the radical claim found in John 5. Here, we find the Jews so deeply enraged against Jesus that they seek to kill him. Why? “Because He not only broke the Sabbath but also said that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God” (John 5:18). Apart from the revelation of God, no one in their right mind would look at a human being and say “he is equal with God.” The lunacy of such a statement is plain for all to see, and yet this is the foundation upon which the entire Christian faith is built!
Jesus is the Son of God, the Word Made Flesh, revealing the Father to us so that we can participate in the love that they have known for all eternity. He isn’t a mere teacher or inspirational leader, nor is he a mythical hero or an archetype, showing us the best version of what mankind can be. Though all of these may contain elements of truth, they fall short of the radical claim that lies at the heart of our faith and, most importantly, that enables the genuine transformation of all who call upon his name: Jesus is equal to God.
Prayer
Father, we thank you today for Jesus and the way he reveals your love to the world, inviting us deeper and deeper into your perfect love and abiding peace. Amen.
Application
Reflect upon this truth throughout your day today: “Jesus is equal to God.”
Related Reading
Matthew 14:33; John 8:58; John 10:25-33
Worship Resource
Shane & Shane: Hearts of Servants
Donate
If you are blessed by these daily devotionals please prayerfully consider a donation to support Wisdom Hunters Resources. We are trusting the Lord for His provision.
Download our app!
