Fri.8.21.15...Seeing Jesus Rightly...John 5:16-30

What's the following illusion have to do with our passage, John 5:16-30? Absolutely nothing at all :) But I thought you would enjoy it and you can pass it on to your friends and family.

Though it looks like the coils are moving, they are not. Just stare at any one and you will see. 

Let's see our passage now. As we read through John 5:16-30, I would recommend using different colored pens or pencils to underline different key words. It helps you to see things emphasized. I have a four color pen which helps. Speaking of colors, look at each colored word below and speak out the colors, not the word. They are very familiar, so speak out their colors quickly. Easy right? :)

What's this got to do with our passage? Absolutely nothing at all! :)
As you now read John 5:16-30...

Note the many times the words Father and Son are mentioned. 
Underline the times Jesus said he was sent by the Father. This is a huge theme throughout the book.
Note Jesus' testimony regarding his Father Son relationship.
-The Son is working even on the Sabbath as his Father is v.17.
-The Son is dependent on his Father v.19a (Perhaps prophets would also see and hear from God similarly. But Jesus is far more than a sent prophet!)
-The Son imitates his Father v.19b. 
-The Son is loved by the Father v.20a.
-The Son is shown all that the Father does v.20b.
Illustration: The Son raises the dead just as His Father does v.21. (We are being prepared for the raising of Lazarus in John 11.)
-The Son is entrusted by the Father with the right of judgment (of giving eternal life or condemnation, unlike any earthling) v.22.
Application: Thus, the Son should be honored just as the Father is honored v.23. What a claim to deity!
By the time Jesus finishes speaking, it is clear that he is claiming to be equal with God. The Jews got that right in v.18. His Father Son relationship is far greater than ours. He is God the Son!

As I was studying through this passage, it seemed like Jesus started to repeat himself in v.28-30. Hmm. Why? (Remember to ask questions.) I wondered if the passage might be laid out as a chiasm. I didn't see such mentioned in my commentaries, so I did a quick internet search of chiasms in John 5 and sure enough, that explains it. (Use the power of the internet!) For those who are new or by way of review, a chiasm is a style of writing used at times in the Bible where each point has it's mate later on. The outline of the passage below reveals such. The author of the outline includes certain Greek words to help us see they are also used later in the chiasm. If it all seems Greek to you at first, please spend a bit of time comparing one point with it's mate found later on. You'll start to see things you didn't see before- kind of like the picture below. What's the picture got to do with our passage? Absolutely everything!
Old woman, young woman

Do you see a young woman or and old woman? If you see a young woman, and wish to see the old woman, imagine the ear as an eye, the necklace as a mouth and the chin as a nose. The Jews were so focused on seeing Jesus as an impostor, they couldn't see him any other way. So the picture can remind us of how people view Jesus and also how we can view the passage below. 

http://howthebiblefitstogether.org/the-chiasm-of-john-5-19-30.html

1.- Share one thing that impressed you. (You may not have even "seen" it at first, kind of like the picture of the women.) Then write it on your MP3 and look for opportunities to share it with others.

2.- Did you contact your fire team brothers as requested yesterday, and find out about a time they were an invalid- laid up in the hospital or very sick? 

If not, please do so today. We need to strengthen the bonds of friendship and it starts with sharing. "Be devoted to one another in brotherly love."  The invalid had no one to help him, but you do. 

Note: We have turned a corner in the gospel of John. Before, in the first four chapters, we saw the presentation of the Son of God to people. Now in chapters 5-12, we will start to see the opposition to the Son of God. The Jewish leaders already want to kill him in 5:18. Wow! What powerful opposition so early in the book. Here's a helpful outline of what we have already covered regarding the presentation of the Son of God, adapted from the Ryrie Study Bible-
The Presentation of the Son of God in ch.1-4
By John the Baptist 1:19-34 (Behold the lamb of God...)
To his first followers 1:35-51 (We have found Him!)
At a wedding in Cana of Galilee where he turned water into wine 2:1-12
By cleansing the temple in Jerusalem 2:13-25 
To Nicodemus 3:1-21
By John the Baptist again 3:22-36 
To the woman at the well and the other Samaritans 4:1-42
To a royal official, healing his son in Capernaum of Galilee 4:43-45

You will recall that most of these above events were positive responses to Jesus. People believed in Him. But you will see from here on forward, opposition to Christ, especially when he is in Jerusalem, which is where most of the remainder of the book will take place. Even when he returns to the Sea of Galilee (in ch.6), 80 miles to the North of Jerusalem, we will see that many become disillusioned with him. Wanna know why? Stick around :)

George Doherty had a cool outreach opportunity- "Sunday I was on the Blue Line going home after service with the CD of Sunday’s message in my hand. I was looking out the window not really paying attention to the people sitting around me when a young man across the aisle asked what CD I had. When I showed it to him and told him it was from church, he told me he was spiritual and believed in God but wasn’t religious. Then the person in front of me, Jerry, turned around and said he believed in Jesus but knew he needed to make changes in his life. The 3 of us talked for a couple minutes before their stop. When they got up to get off the train, I pulled out a Greatest Minimovies card for Jerry and told him to check out the videos. Then the other man asked for one too. I hope they took the time to watch some of the videos." That's fantastic George! Thank You Lord!

Last Friday, Ismael's daughter was born and this Friday we celebrate Ismael being born 31 years ago. Happy birthday Ismael!

Thanks men for remembering to get all your points on the board as we go into this weekend. You are helping me, yourself and your teams.