Liar, Lunatic, Lord
30 Days in John - Day 6
John chapter five opens with Jesus healing a man who had been paralyzed for thirty-eight years at the Pool of Bethesda. The healing took place on the Sabbath, and instead of rejoicing, the religious authorities confronted the man and demanded to know who had healed him.
John explains, “This is why the Jews were persecuting Jesus, because he was doing these things on the Sabbath” (v.16)—that is, the religious authorities who opposed Him.
This then leads to the rest of the chapter being almost entirely the words of Jesus. If you have a red-letter Bible, you can see it immediately. What follows is not a defense, but a series of staggering claims. Claims John prepares us for by explaining again that, “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.” (verse 18)
In this exchange, Jesus claims that He does only what He sees the Father doing, that He gives life as the Father does, that all judgment belongs to Him, that the dead will hear His voice and rise, that He has life in Himself, that He was sent by the Father, that the Scriptures testify about Him, and that eternal life comes through faith in Him.
Any of one of those claims by itself would be astounding, but these are stacked one on the other in rapid succession.
This kind of thing is what led C. S. Lewis to his well-known conclusion. In writing about these kinds of claims Jesus made, Lewis said that we had to make a decision about Him. Anyone who would say these things is either a liar, a lunatic, or He is Lord. There are no other options.
John’s Gospel leaves no room for the idea that Jesus was merely misunderstood or exaggerated. These claims are deliberate, public, and repeated.
If what he said wasn’t true, and Jesus knew that, He was a liar.
If what he said wasn’t true, and Jesus still believed it was, He was a lunatic.
Or...what Jesus said was true. That makes Him Lord.
We cannot treat Jesus with respect while denying His divinity. Neutrality is not an option John allows. We are forced to choose.
So, which is it?
Liar?
Lunatic?
Lord?
Praise be to God, he is my Lord!
He is Lord!!!