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“This was why the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him, because not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God.” (John 5:18)

In this verse, John gives two reasons that the Jews wanted to kill Jesus.

First, their interpretation of keeping the Sabbath meant he was breaking the Sabbath. This is not an isolated event, where Jesus said, “Oops. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to break the sabbath.” He was intentionally challenging their interpretation by doing good on the Sabbath.

Two verses earlier, John wrote, “And this was why the Jews were persecuting Jesus, because he was doing these things on the Sabbath. (5‬:‭16)

Second, he called God his own Father, thereby making himself equal with God. My attention is focused on John’s explanatory note. Let’s break this down.

1. Action: Jesus is calling God his own Father. What is the big deal? The Jews referred to God as “Father.”

“For you are our Father, though Abraham does not know us, and Israel does not acknowledge us; you, O Lord, are our Father, our Redeemer from of old is your name.” (‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭63‬:‭16‬ ESV, emphasis added)

“But now, O Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand.” (‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭64‬:‭8‬ ‭ESV‬‬, emphasis added)

“Do you thus repay the Lord, you foolish and senseless people? Is not he your father, who created you, who made you and established you?” (Deuteronomy‬ ‭32‬:‭6‬ ‭ESV‬‬, emphasis added)

“Have we not all one Father? Has not one God created us? Why then are we faithless to one another, profaning the covenant of our fathers?” (Malachi‬ ‭2‬:‭10‬ ‭ESV‬‬, emphasis added)

“Have you not just now called to me, ‘My father’, you are the friend of my youth—” (Jeremiah‬ ‭3‬:‭4‬ ‭ESV‬‬, emphasis added)

“I said, ‘How I would set you among my sons, and give you a pleasant land, a heritage most beautiful of all nations.’ And I thought you would call me, ‘My Father’, and would not turn from following me.” (Jeremiah‬ ‭3‬:‭19‬ ‭ESV‬‬, emphasis added)

If the Jewish Scriptures have several references to God being called Father, why would the Jews want to kill him for using the words “my Father” exactly as Jeremiah did? (Note: “my father” is a single word in Hebrew – אָבִי). Something else is going on.

2. Meaning: John helpfully explains why the Jews were so offended. Jesus was “making himself equal with God.” The Jews understood that by referring to God as his Father (at least in the way or circumstances he was), Jesus was declaring that he is equal to the Father.

This catches my attention because a standard Muslim argument against the deity of Jesus is that Jesus never says he is God. The challenge is frequently offered: “Where does Jesus say, ‘I am God’?” The answer to that question is, “Nowhere does Jesus use the words ‘I am God.’” However, as we see in today’s verse, Jesus’ audience understood him to be saying he is God. In fact, they wanted to kill him for it.

I notice that Jesus didn’t try to get out of that jam by saying, literally or figuratively, “I didn’t mean it that way!” Wouldn’t that be the natural human response? If you were facing death over a misunderstanding of what you were saying, wouldn’t you try to explain? I can hear myself:  “That’s not what I was saying! Honestly!”

I think we should let the author speak for himself. We can choose to reject what he says, but we shouldn’t change what he means to fit our tastes or agenda. John is clear that the Jews wanted to kill Jesus because 1) he broke the Sabbath, and 2) he called God his own Father, making himself equal with God.

Father, give me integrity, courage, and faith to receive your word as it is. Help me not attempt to bend it to my own desires. Amen.