ODJ: i am He

March 20, 2014 

READ: John 5:16-30 

So the Jewish leaders tried all the harder to find a way to kill [Jesus]. For he not only broke the Sabbath, he called God his Father, thereby making himself equal with God (v.18).

Friends, it is time I revealed to you who I really am. I—Sheridan Voysey—am He. I am the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of the living God.

I tell you the truth, I—Sheridan Voysey—can do nothing by myself. I do only what I see the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, I also do. For the Father loves me and shows me everything He is doing. Just as the Father gives life to those He raises from the dead, so I give life to anyone I want. In addition, the Father judges no one. Instead, He has given me absolute authority to judge, so that everyone will honour me—Sheridan Voysey—just as they honour the Father.

Are you ready to stone me yet?!

Because I am certainly not the Messiah! I simply paraphrased John 5:19-23 to make a point: we can lose sight of how audacious Jesus’ words about Himself were. To His contemporaries, particularly the religious leaders of the day, Jesus was just a man from a small northern village. But this villager claimed to have the authority to break religious rules (John 5:8-10), follow God’s will perfectly (v.19), have intimate divine knowledge (v.20), be the source of life (v.21), be the ultimate judge (v.22) and be worthy of the same honour as God (v.23). As the Jewish authorities understood, Jesus was making Himself equal to the Father (v.18). They thought, How dare He?!

There are some religious sects today that claim the Bible as their authority but deny Jesus’ divinity. Let’s be clear: a Jewish man would utter the words Jesus uttered only if he were insane, or if he were right. These are the words of divinity.

Unlike me, Jesus’ sinless, miracle-working life and His resurrection from death vindicate His audacity. He was and is God in the flesh. —Sheridan Voysey

365-day plan› 1 Samuel 3:1-21