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An Introduction and a Promise
March 18, 2026
Isaiah 49:8-15 | John 5:19-29 | Psalm 145:8-19
There are times, when asked to write these blogs, that I must go pick up my Bible and expand the reading a little. In today’s reading from John, Jesus gives us the first insight into His identity. He was responding to accusations from Jewish leaders. We learn that not only is He the Son of God, from whom he has derived equal authority, but what His plans are for humanity.
Jesus begins with a striking statement: “The Son can do nothing on his own; but only what He sees His Father doing.” This is not a confession of weakness but a declaration of unity. Jesus is not acting on his own — He is acting in harmony with the Father.
Three truths struck me:
- Jesus reveals God’s Goodness. Everything He does—healing, teaching, forgiving—flows from God.
- Jesus is the perfect expression of God.
- You can know God through Jesus. There is no distance between them.
In a world where many imagine God as distant or unknowable, Jesus’ words remind us that God has made Himself visible, tangible, and near.
Jesus then makes an even more astonishing claim: “Just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whomever he wishes.”
Jesus is declaring that He is the source of spiritual life, the giver of eternal life and that he holds power that only God possesses. That must have shook the Jewish leaders.
This is why, to me, faith in Christ is not merely a moral choice but a life‑and‑death decision. To believe and follow Him is to receive life itself, to receive Hope. I can’t imagine living a life without Hope.
Jesus continues: “He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.”
He drew a line in the sand with that statement.
We cannot dismiss Jesus and still honor God. The measure of our relationship with God is in our response to Christ. This is not about religious performance—it is about recognizing who Jesus truly is.
One of the most beautiful promises in this passage is found in verse 24:
“Whoever hears my word and believes Him who sent me has eternal life and does not come under judgment but has passed over from death to life.”
Notice the tense used: has eternal life. Not “will have.” Not “might have.” Not “after we die.”
Eternal life begins the moment we believe.
The passage summarizes the basis of our Christian Faith – it gives us not just insight into who Jesus is but clarity, and the confidence that, if we believe and trust Him, we have already crossed from death to life.
Michael Sullivan
