16 So, because Jesus was doing these things on the Sabbath, the Jewish leaders began to persecute him. 17 In his defense Jesus said to them, “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am working.” 18 For this reason they tried all the more to kill him; not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God.
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. 30 By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me.
Personal Reflection and Discussion
- What mannerisms of your parents have you picked up?
- What happened to the man healed in the first part of this chapter according to these verses?
- How are Jesus and the Father equal?
- Does Jesus ever talk to the Father, and would that be considered talking to himself?
- How are you amazed by Jesus?
- According to these verses, where does Jesus place reputation?
- What questions, if any, do these verses raise for you? What do they answer?
- What thoughts do you have in reading verse 24?
- What characteristics of God does he want to share with you/us?
Prayer
Jesus, I find this passage frustrating, not because I don’t understand what it is saying, but because of the truth it contains. Sadly, there are those who hear Your Word, and even study it, who are not touched by it as I have been and who never come to faith. This I find extremely sad and frustrating. I want to be a messenger of Your Word. I want to be able to share Your Word effectively, and that in and through hearing it, people receive the gospel message it contains and come to an ever-growing faith in You. Help me, dear Jesus. Use me. Amen.
Greek Word of the Day
English Word: one’s own | Transliterated Word: idios
The Greek adjective idios means “one’s own” or “private.”
FUN FACT: The derivative noun idiōtēs means “private person.” A Greek idiōtēs was a person who was not in the public eye, who held no public office. From this came the sense “common man,” and later “ignorant person”—a natural extension, for the common people of ancient Greece were not, in general, particularly learned. The English idiot originally meant “ignorant person,” but the more usual reference now is to a person who lacks basic intelligence or common sense rather than education.
Family Engagement Activity
Time to see how much you know about your family. Write down seven personal questions. These can be likes, dislikes, and other opinions or fact based questions. For instance “What is this person’s favorite thing to do on a nice day?” or “What is this person’s least favorite chore?” or “Why does this person love Jesus?”. Have them come up with some easy, but also some challenging questions. Take the day to answer these questions. Then, during dinner or in the evening, play a game in which each person asks the other family members the questions and individually writes down what they think the answers are. See who can get the most right!
OR
Play SCATTERGORIES if you have it, but this time, try to get as many answers to match other people’s answers.
You can then talk about how alike the Father is to the Son, and how he desires that for you. What characteristics of God does he want to share with you?
Going Activities To Consider
Take the time today to write down a list of 5 similarities you have with God. Use one of those attributes to “do good to the resurrection”, living a life that proclaims God defeated death, whether that means forgiving someone, serving someone, giving to someone, or going to someone.