The Authority of Jesus

We find in the New Testament that Jesus had to establish His authority on speaking with the Jews.  They didn't want to believe that He was really the Christ, the Messiah that had been foretold in the old scriptures.  And so the Jews, especially the Jewish leaders, would challenge Jesus and His authority, saying that He had no right to claim to be the Son of God.

In John chapter 5 we find that Jesus healed a lame man, one who had been sick for 38 years and was unable to get into the healing waters. Jesus healed this man on the Sabbath.  The man arises and carries his bed with him, prompting the Jews to criticize Jesus and the man.  By Jewish tradition this could be worthy of death for Jesus, so they sought to kill Him.

To make matters worse, Jesus said, "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."  Jesus was quite outspoken about His authority and position with the Father.

Jesus then followed this event with some very powerful statements that we should note:

"For as the Father raises the dead and gives life to them, even so the Son gives life to whom He will."

"...he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life."

Speaking to the Jews specifically, "Do not think that I shall accuse you to the Father, there is one who accuses you--Moses, in whom you trust.  For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote about Me.  But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?"

In this last statement to the Jews He is referring to the fact that Moses, many generations before, had told them that a Messiah would be coming.  But they were not believing that Jesus is the one.  This hatred for Jesus would carry on through to the death of Jesus, to the insistence by the Jews on Jesus being crucified.

Jesus is truly the Son of God and is the only Way to truth and salvation. 

Thanks for reading.  Have a great week!