Jesus’ Equality with God

September 23, 2025

In John chapter five, Jesus healed a lame man who was lying by the pool of Bethesda.  This man had been ill for 38 years and Jesus healed him by simply telling him to get up, pick up his pallet and walk. (John 5:8) While one might expect that this great miracle and blessing bestowed on this man would induce great rejoicing in those who heard of it, quite the opposite occurred. Jesus healed the man on the Sabbath day, and because of that, the Jewish leaders persecuted Him.  They even sought to kill Him.  Why?  Because Jesus said these words: “… ‘My Father is working until now, and I Myself am working.’” (John 5:17 NASB95)

Why did this statement so enrage the Jews?  The next verse explains: “…because He not only was breaking the Sabbath, but also was calling God His own Father, making Himself equal with God.” (John 5:18 NASB95) They were not wrong.  Jesus was indeed claiming equality with God, and in His teaching in the following verses, He reinforced this claim very clearly in multiple ways.  But how is Jesus’ claim to be working on the Sabbath a claim of equality with God?

The creation account in Genesis tells us that on the seventh day (the Sabbath) God rested from His work which He had done (Genesis 2:2-3).  God made the Sabbath for man as a day of rest, but does God work on the Sabbath?  He certainly does.  People are born and people die on the Sabbath.  The sun shines, the rain falls, and the crops grow on the Sabbath day.  People can be healed from disease on the Sabbath.  We could multiply examples.  Aren’t all of these things the work of God?  In fact, if God stopped working on the Sabbath day, the entire universe and everything in it would cease to exist!

So, when Jesus said that He works on the Sabbath just as God does, He was clearly claiming to be more than a mere human.  Man was to rest on the Sabbath, as commanded.  But just as God has the divine prerogative to continue His work on the Sabbath, Jesus, too has that divine prerogative!  Thus, He made Himself equal to God!

What is the takeaway for us?  If Jesus is God (and He is!) we had better listen very carefully to His word!  Because Jesus is God, He also has the right and the ability to judge, to raise the dead and to give eternal life to whomever He wishes (see John 5:19-29).  Jesus said to the Jews of that day, and His words remain true today, “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.” (John 5:24 NASB95).  Are you listening to the words of Jesus and believing in Him?  Jesus is God the Son!  Let us listen to His almighty voice!

—Scott Colvin

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Posted by Scott Colvin

“Not…to the Right or to the Left.”

August 13, 2021

When God gave Joshua his orders for conquering the Promised Land, He also gave encouragement about scripture:

Only be strong and very courageous; be careful to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may have success wherever you go. This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success (Joshua 1:7-8, NASB emphasis added).

One of the themes within the book of Joshua is Joshua’s faithfulness to do all that was commanded.

The metaphor of not turning to the right or to the left expresses the concern to follow God’s word carefully.  In fact, this phrase, “not … to the right or to the left,” occurs 10 times: Deuteronomy 5:32, 17:11, 17:20, 28:14, Joshua 1:7, 23:6, 2 Kings 22:2, 2 Chronicles 34:2, Proverbs 4:27, and Isaiah 30:21. The passage in Isaiah is likely messianic. It is the Teacher who calls, “This is the way, walk in it,” when the people are turning to the right or to the left.

So, it is not surprising that Jesus, the Messiah, said, “Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide, and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and many are those who enter by it. For the gate is small, and the way is narrow that leads to life, and few are those who find it”
(Matthew 7:14, NASB). His graphic word pictures seem to expand on the figure of speech, “not…to the right or to the left,” that we have already seen in the Old Testament. We must seriously listen to God’s will to find the blessings of eternal life.

Two problems seem to confront our culture. One is ignorance of God’s word. Many simply do not know when they have turned to the right or to the left and gone beyond God’s will. The second problem is unbelief. Many do not take God’s word seriously enough to allow it to be a constraint on their behavior even when they know what it says. God’s way appears to them to be too narrow.

Yet despite all of this, we are still faced with two paths–one is narrow, and one is broad. One leads to life. One leads to destruction.

May we not turn to the right or to the left!

                                    –Russ Holden

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Posted by Russell Holden