22 Furthermore, the Father judges no one, but has assigned all judgment to the Son, 23 so 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. 24 Truly, truly, I tell you, whoever hears My word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life and will not come under judgment. Indeed, he has crossed over from death to life. REFLECTIONSWritten by Stephen SheadHave you ever had the experience of thinking you’re in deep, deep trouble, you can see no possible way out – and suddenly you get handed a seemingly-miraculous lifeline? That’s how today’s short passage made me feel.It starts, in verses 22-23, with one of the most shocking and direct statements in Jesus’ whole ministry. The Jewish religious leaders already suspected that Jesus was claiming to be equal with God (v 18). Jesus pours petrol on the flames by directly confirming it. The Old Testament declared that the Lord God is the one who will judge the world (Psalm 96:13), and that he will not share or give his glory to any other (Isaiah 42:8). Then Jesus goes and says, “the Father judges no one, but has assigned all judgment to the Son, so that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father.”Jesus claimed that he is fully and completely God, because he is the Son of the Father. That’s either breathtaking or blasphemous.But if you get stuck on how shocking Jesus’ words are (as the Jewish leaders did), you’ll miss the breathtakingly good news that follows. Remember, Jesus the Son is the glorious, holy judge of all – the one whom the apostle John would later see, in a vision, riding a war horse, a terrifying king with eyes like blazing fire and a sharp sword coming from his mouth, treading the winepress of God’s wrath (Revelation 19:11-16). His judgment brings death to all sinners.So when I read verse 24, I felt a wave of relief and thankfulness: “Truly, truly, I tell you, whoever hears My word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life and will not come under judgment. Indeed, he has crossed over from death to life.”What a word of amazing comfort and assurance! No judge in a human courtroom has any power to declare a person “guilty” but then miraculously wipe away their charge and acquit them, or sentence them to life in jail and then instantly release them with no criminal record. That’s what Jesus did – because he is not only the glorious judge, he is also the servant of the Lord who came to suffer our death sentence for us. And he offers us that death-to-life gift if we listen to his word and believe in him.That is, quite literally, the most miraculous lifeline that ever existed, offered by the one who is himself “the radiance of God’s glory” (Hebrews 1:3). Praise and worship Jesus the Son, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, for his amazing kindness!





























ABOUT THE AUTHORStephen is our senior minister.

Ver todos los episodios