JOHN 5: 25-32
HOW TO JUDGE CORRECTLY
1 Corinthians 15:42-44 / Ezekiel 37: 1- ]
Jesus has just given our old adage, "like father like son" new meaning. Jesus, like the Father, has the authority to execute judgment and to give life. A life centered on Jesus’ and His Word will judge correctly and do right and will be resurrected to life. A life centered on any thing else will judge wrong and do evil and be resurrected to judgment. Our passage teaches two resurrections, a resurrection to life and a resurrection to judgment.
The passage also teaches us how to judge correctly, how to know the will of God in a certain situation. We are to learn correct judgment by becoming like the One who will judge everyone on the final day of judgement. We judge correctly only when we take our self out of the equation seek the will of God.
I read about a woman who was terminally ill. She only had 3 months to live. So she called her pastor. He came over to discuss her final wishes with her. After they had planned the funeral service, she said, "There is just one more thing. I want to be buried with a fork in my right hand." The pastor looked at the woman speechless. The woman said, "That surprises you, doesn’t it?" The pastor said, "Well, I have to admit that it
sounds a little weird."
The woman explained, "In all my years of attending church socials, banquets, and potlucks, I always remembered that when the main course dishes were being cleared, someone would always lean over and say, "Keep your fork." It was my favorite part of the meal because I knew that something better was coming. Like chocolate cake. Or ice cream. Or deep dish apple pie. Something wonderful. So I just want people to see me there in that casket with the fork in my hand, and I want them to wonder, ’What’s with the fork?’ Then I want you to tell them, "Keep your fork, the best is yet to come."
The pastor’s eyes welled up with tears of joy as he hugged the woman good-bye. He knew this would be one of the last times he would see her before her death. But he also knew that the woman had a good grasp of eternity. She KNEW that something better was coming. The resurrection reminds us that something better is coming.
I. HEAR & LIVE, 25-26.
II. LIFE & DEATH, 27-29.
III. TRUE TESTIMONY, 30-32.
Jesus tells us in verse 25 that a new day has dawned. "Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live.
Jesus proclaims a solemn promise and pledge here. For those who put their trust in the Word which Christ speaks a new day, a day of resurrection life, dawns. Apart from Him who is alone the light and life of men, we are spiritually dead. Those who hear the word of Christ and accept Him now have spiritual and eternal life in Him (Isa. 55:3), but a time is coming when the all the physically dead will be caused to hear the voice of the Son of God and will live (Ezekiel 37:4). Jesus’ life-giving power can call a person out of the grave (11:43), everyone from their tombs (5:28-29), or anyone in spiritual death to eternal life
Jesus continues His claim for equality with the Father in verse 26. "For just as the Father has life in Himself, even so He gave to the Son also to have life in Himself;
God is the source of life. He is the Creator of life and the sustainer of life. Apart from God there is no true life either here or hereafter. Physical life and eternal life are a gift from Him (Job 10:12; 33:4). The OT proclaims that He breathe life into men (Gen. 2:7). All life receives its origins from God, all except God Himself. God is self-existent. God alone has no beginning, is uncreated, possessing inherently life in Himself. All other life is derived from Him. [The Jews would agree.]
Because Jesus is uncreated and eternally co-existent as God, He too is self-existent. This is a startling claim. Jesus claims deity by saying He is not dependent on another for life, not even the Father. Like the Father Jesus possesses inherent life[, the power to create and the power to renew life that has died.] Everything depends on who Jesus really is.
II. LIFE & DEATH, 27-29.
Jesus states the extent of His authority in verse 27. and He gave Him authority to execute judgment, because He is the Son of Man.
Again the starting claim of what is the prerogative of God alone. The Son of Man, Jesus favorite self-designation, (Dan. 7:13f) will execute judgement because He has the experimental understanding of what it means to be human. He shares our nature.
Pronouncing judgment is the flip side of giving life. The present function of the Son of Man is giver of life. His future responsibility is judicial concerning what was done with the opportunity of life. This judgment is discriminatory.
Verse 28 gives explicit declaration that the dead will be raised. "Do not marvel at this; for an hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs will hear His voice,
The fact that the spiritually dead come to life as they hear the voice of the Son of God is the guarantee that He will raise the dead on the last day [Bruce, The Gospel of John, 133]. The Son of Man ushers in the resurrection from the grave. All the dead will rise.
No chronological distinction is made here between the resurrection of the righteous and that of the wicked. It does not exclude it but the emphasis is on Christ’s authority to raise the dead. Other passages show that the resurrection to life, "the first resurrection," will occur in stages (the church at the Rapture, and Tribulation saints at the Lord’s second coming at the end of the Tribulation -some say it refers to the resurrection of the soul), and that the resurrection of those who will be condemned will occur at the end of the Millennium (Rev. 20:11-15). What ever your understanding, the spiritual resurrection from being dead in your trespasses and sin must precede physical resurrection if you are to be raised to life.
The Bible answers age old questions about the afterlife in verse 29. "and will come forth; those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment."
The double resurrection indicates that both the righteous and the wicked will receive bodies and each body will express the character of the person who is resurrected. Judgment, as always in Scripture, is based on works (Morris, John, 321). This does not mean that salvation is based on good works. We are not saved by our good deeds but those who are truly born again do live a different kind of life. They obey Jesus (14:15), they abide in Him (15:5-7), and they walk in the light (8:12; 1 John 1:7).
The evil (ta phaula, "worthless things"; 3:20) or those who do worthless things rise to the judgment or condemnation (3:17f). There is no altering the fact that the life we live truthfully testifies to the faith we profess. Every dead person will be resurrected someday (Ezekiel 37). Whether good or bad.
A few years ago, a TV AD FOR LIFE INSURANCE showed a businessman walking across a busy city street. He leaped for the curb as a car veered toward him. Somewhat ruffled, he said, ’That was close! I didn’t think I was going to make it." Suddenly two men in white suits joined him on the busy street, and one of them said, "You didn’t!"
As the three men began walking together, the businessman remarked that at least he had peace of mind because his family was covered by insurance. But the real punchline came at the end of the ad. While the man and his two escorts were riding an escalator up into the clouds, he said with relief, "I’m sure glad we’re going up!"
That last line was meant to provide some comic relief, but for the thoughtful person it raises the serious issue of heaven and hell. It reminds us of Jesus’ words here that not all people are "going up." He said that some would experience "the resurrection of life" and others "the resurrection of condemnation." Jesus is the only One who can give eternal life to all who trust in Him.
Have you considered God’s offer of salvation? Why not put your trust in Christ today? You will then be able to say with confidence, "I’m sure glad I’m going up!" -MRD II [Christ’s resurrection assures what Christ’s death secures.]
[Why we are here is important; where we are going is even most important. I read a story about the famous Chemist Faraday. One of his workmen carelessly dropped a highly prized silver goblet into a vat of acid. The acid ate the goblet atom by atom until it disappeared. The workman was very upset. But Faraday said, "Don’t worry. All will end well." So he poured the right chemicals into the acid. And the silver came to the top. He gathered it together and sent it to a silversmith with the proper designs. In a few days, he got his goblet back again. In even better condition than it was in
before.
If that great chemist could gather together the atoms of that melted silver goblet. Then how much easier it will be for Almighty God to gather together the scattered atoms of your body.]
There is no such thing as reincarnation. You’re not coming back as a cow, or a goat, or even as another person. You’re going to come back as yourself. To stand before Almighty God. And answer to Him for the way you lived your life. Hebrews 9:27 says that "Man is destined to die ONCE! Just once! And after that to face judgment." You’re not going to get recycled over and over again like the Hindu religion teaches. Like
the name of the famous soap opera, you’ve got One life to Live.
When the day of final separation occurs people will be judged according to the decisions and actions of this life. Those who come to the light will have life and those who loved the darkness more than light (3:19-21) will have eternal separation from God.
III. TRUE TESTIMONY, 30-32.
Jesus gives testimony as to why His judgement is true in verse 30. "I can do nothing on My own initiative. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is just, because I do not seek My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.
Here Jesus sums up His entire argument. The Son can do nothing apart from the Father (19). His judgment, meaning every thing He thinks and does, is the expressed will of the Father. He is the perfect Spokesman for the Father and His effective Executive. Jesus’ will is to do the Father’s will (4:34; 8:29), which shows that He has the same nature. Listening to Jesus is listening to God Himself.
Because of who He is, Jesus can do what God does. God’s through the words of Jesus shines His light into our darkness and shows us what we really are and things as they truly are. He conveys a direct message from an unprejudiced mind. [Note how in verse 30 Jesus no longer speaks of this abstractly but rather speaks in the first person, using the personal "I" numerous times. This is emphatic speech. Jesus does not want His claim obscured.]
Why is Jesus judgement just or right or correct? His judgment is just because He does not seek His own will but God’s will. Jesus establishes a new ethic for people to follow in their reasoning. We must ask our self, "Is this from me or God?" "Is this my will, is this what I think or want or is this God’s will?" In most judgments we make about people we view them from our perspective instead of from God’s. We judge them according to our way of thinking instead of from God’s.
In verse 31 Jesus begins to build support for what He has testified concerning Himself. "If I alone testify about Myself, My testimony is not true.
Though Jesus witness is suspect by His critics He still implies it is valid because of His triune nature. Jesus essential truthfulness is correct, but in the legal process it would not be enough. Jesus will need more that His testimony alone.
John 5:31 is crucial in Jesus’ trial. In Old Testament law, more than one witness was needed in order to condemn someone (Deut. 17:6). This idea was expanded in judicial settings to say that more than one person was needed to confirm someone’s testimony (Mishnah, Ketuboth 2:9).
Jesus is not saying that any self-testimony He gives is false, but rather that its validity is inadmissible unless it is confirmed by other witnesses. Jesus’ claims are extraordinary. But if He is the only one making them, they will carry little weight with His audience. But if the claims are corroborated, they stand.
Because Jesus’ authority is brought into question by His critics He refers to other witnesses. Jesus therefore identifies at least five witnesses whose words and deeds buttress His claims. The first and only one we will look at tonight is the witness of God in verse 32. "There is another who testifies of Me, and I know that the testimony which He gives about Me is true.
Jesus has the inward presence of God that gives Him confidence about His mission (17:1 – 6) and knows that God is verifying the reality of Jesus in the hearts and minds of those who listen to Jesus. God’s word and power are within Jesus, He has been sent by the Father. The convicting touch of the Holy Spirit also bears witness to Jesus and the truth of His testimony. The witness of these point to the truth of who Jesus is, not only to Himself but to others.
CONCLUSION / TIME OF RESPONSE
Outside my study window a beautiful monarch butterfly rested. It fanned its wings slowly with exquisite grace,. That stately monarch was once a repulsive green worm feeding on milkweed leaves. Then it built a coffin for itself and hung from a twig. In time it emerged, transformed into a beautiful creature. That butterfly outside my study window would bear witness of God’s resurrection power .
The life cycle of the butterfly occurs in four stages: the egg, the larva, the chrysalis and the adult. It begins with an egg--the seed of the butterfly, which hatches into an ugly worm. But that is not its destiny. The worm must die to give birth to the butterfly. I see in the caterpillar a picture of sinful human beings who need the transformation of a spiritual new birth (John 3:3). The butterfly released from its tomb in the chrysalis illustrates the transformation that will occur when Jesus returns and changes our earthly bodies into glorious bodies fit for life in heaven (1 Corinthians 15:42-44).
So, the next time you see a butterfly, remember the change that Christ made in you when you put your faith in Him-then look forward with joy to the day of your transformation will be complete! -M.R. De Haan, M.D.
When through the portals of Glory I’ve passed,
I shall be changed to His image at last;
I shall be like Him in beauty to shine,
Ever to live in His presence divine. -Brooks
[In a cemetery in Hanover, Germany, is a grave on which were placed huge slabs of granite and marble cemented together and fastened with heavy steel clasps. It belongs to a woman who did not believe in the resurrection of the dead. Yet strangely, she directed in her will that her grave be made so secure that just in case there were a resurrection, it could not reach her. On the marker were inscribed these words: "This burial place must never be opened."
In time, a seed, covered over by the stones, began to grow. Slowly it pushed its way through the soil and out from beneath them. As the trunk enlarged, the great slabs were gradually shifted so that the steel clasps were wrenched from their sockets. A tiny seed had become a tree that had pushed aside the stones. Those massive pieces of granite could not with stand the life force within that small seed.
Man cannot thwart the power of God. The dynamic life force contained in that little seed is a faint reflection of the tremendous power of God’s creative word that someday will call to life the bodies of all who are in their graves. There will be no exceptions. He will bring back every person even those drowned at sea, cremated, or destroyed in some other way. The recreation of human bodies poses no problem to the One who made something out of nothing when He spoke the universe into existence.
Unbelief cannot deter the resurrection. But faith in the risen Christ opens the door to blessings that His resurrection guarantees - a glorious new spiritual body and a home in heaven. In new bodies we will be reunited with saved loved ones to live with Jesus throughout all eternity.]
The question we each ask our self is: Will my resurrection be one of joy or one of judgment? Today, right now, receive Jesus as your Savior and Lord. Christ’s resurrection is the guarantee of our own.
How To BE SURE OF THE RESURRECTION OF LIFE
Admit you are a sinner (Romans 3:23).
Believe that Christ died for you (Act 16:31).
Ask Jesus to save you (John 1:12; Romans 10:9,13).
If God is calling you today.
Then trust in Christ without delay;
Tomorrow it may be too late.
For death’s grim hand could seal your fate. -Sper
