February 03, 2026 | Be Connected
Life’s Most Important Question
Scripture: John 5:16-23(NIV)
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.
Devotional
Who is Jesus? Have you ever thought about it? As a child I knew Jesus loved me because of the song that we sang. As an adult He is my redeemer, friend, Savior, protector, and I could go on and on.
This is one of most frequently asked questions in human history. According to Tobin Perry (Word by Word) it is likely more books have been written on this topic than any other. It is more than just a popular topic. You literally cannot ask a more important question.
In our Scripture today, John is wanting to clarify the nature of who Jesus is and to clearly explain what he saw so that we can make our own decisions about Jesus. People commonly misunderstand Jesus. It happened back then and is still happening today because people either:
1. Underemphasize Jesus’ divine nature assuming Jesus is just a mere human.
2. Overemphasize Jesus’ divine nature, as the Jews are doing in this Scripture, proposing that Jesus is claiming that he is the replacement for God.
Jesus and God are in perfect harmony. The Son can do nothing that is inconsistent with the attributes of God the Father because he is ONE with God the Father. Jesus is given the authority to “Give Life”. The Jewish leaders believed only God could do this. Jesus was also given the authority “to Judge”.
Jesus clarifies his divinity. These are very important as they define the relationship between God the Father and Jesus the Son.
1. The Son serves the Father.
2. The Father reveals things like knowledge.
3. The Son has the power to give life.
4. The Son is given the right to judge.
Once we understand the joint relationship between the Father and the Son then we can appreciate their joint purpose. They came to communicate with humanity to bring us back into a divine relationship.
Jesus the Son and God the Father are One and those who believe His word have eternal life, while those who don’t stand condemned. You can have all the right books, sing songs all day long, pray all day, say all the right things and attend all the meetings, but ultimately if you don’t know Jesus you will be missing out on Heaven and eternal life. Do you know Jesus?
