John 5:23
That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him. That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him.
All people are required to give the Son the same honor they give the Father, so that to withhold honor from the Son is to withhold honor from the Father who sent Him. This demand was made after the healing of the paralytic at the pool of Bethesda on the Sabbath, when the Jews charged Him with Sabbath-breaking and He answered to free the Sabbath from its added burdens and to defend His work of mercy. Equal honor belongs to Him because He is equal with God and Creator of the world, doing only what He sees the Father do, giving life to whom He will as the Father raises the dead, and receiving all judgment from the Father as Redeemer and Judge of all. He is fitted to judge as the Son of man, having shared human suffering and temptation, overcome Satan, and given His blood for those He judges, so His judgment is understanding, just, gracious and final. To honor Him is to come to Him directly in faith for pardon and everlasting life and to pass from death to life, since claiming to honor God while rejecting Jesus as Messiah and Saviour does not honor the Father, just as professing devotion to Christ while rejecting the Father and His law fails to honor Him.
Setting and Central Demand
The words were spoken after the healing of the paralytic, impotent man at the pool of Bethesda, when the Jews accused Him of breaking the Sabbath. Jesus had purposely chosen the Sabbath for the miracle to free the day from the encumbrances heaped upon it, which produced a great uproar and sharp controversy in the court of the temple over the claims of the Sabbath law. The discourse that followed is a great and precious subject.
All men must honor the Son just as they honor the Father, and he who honors not the Son honors not the Father who sent Him. This equal honor was Christ's own testimony about Himself, claiming equal rights with God in doing a work equally sacred and of the same character as that which engages His Father in heaven, and declaring Himself equal with God. The Father has committed all judgment to the Son, so all men are responsible to Him as Judge.
The Son is so closely united with the Father that how people treat Christ is how they treat the Father, and the two cannot be separated in worship. His presence represents the Father's presence, and His word is to be obeyed as readily as the Father's, for His authority is the Father's authority entrusted to Him. He is the one through whom God communicates with the world. The more light and evidence received about God's character and will, the greater the guilt if they do not love and obey Him, and professing devotion to Christ while rejecting the Father and His law fails, for Christ came and died because the Father's law could not be altered to excuse human sin.
Reasons Christ Deserves Honor
Equal honor belongs to the Son because He is equal with God and one with the Father in divine identity and status, made equal with the Father as the Creator of the universe and the only begotten Son who was one with the Father before the world was. He is the Son of God honored of angels, risen above humanity and free from sin and shame, yet He lived in the world He Himself had made unrecognized and unhonored. This equal honor with the Father is His own testimony about Himself, so that to dishonor the Son is to dishonor the Father who sent Him.
The Son does nothing of Himself but only what He sees the Father do, doing likewise whatever the Father does. The Father loves the Son and shows Him all things and greater works, and this relationship forbids the Son from working independent of the Father or against His will. This unity in action declares equal rights with God in doing a work equally sacred and of the same character as that which engages the Father in heaven, and it is this unity that shows His equality with God.
As the Father raises the dead and gives life, so the Son quickens whom He will and gives life to whom He will, sharing the Father's divine authority to give life and holding power to give eternal life. These divine works of giving life and exercising judgment show why He is worthy of equal honor. His authority as author of the resurrection is shown in holding the keys of death as conqueror of the grave, and His raising of Lazarus represents the coming resurrection of the righteous.
The Father judges no one but has committed all judgment to the Son, so all people are responsible to Him as Judge of the Jewish rulers and of all the world. This office was placed in His hands when He came to earth as Redeemer and took the burden of humanity to save men from sin and its consequences. His claim throws back the rulers' accusations and denies their right to prescribe His work, question Him, or judge His acts of mercy. Since the Father sent the Son, refusing to honor the Son is also refusing to honor the Father.
He is qualified to judge as the Son of man and as both Advocate and Judge because He has experienced human suffering, affliction, frailty and temptation, victoriously resisted and overcome Satan on behalf of man, and gave His blood to save those whose cases He judges. Therefore He understands human frailty and sin and judges with understanding, fairness, wisdom, justice and grace, giving light and life to all. Each person is judged according to the light received, and His decision as Judge is final with no appeal, for by personal experience He knows the warfare between good and evil since Adam's fall and has overcome the enemy and secured salvation for all who will accept Him.
Honoring Christ in Practice
To honor the Son as the Father is honored is to come to Him directly in faith as the Burden-bearer, the Advocate, and the sure hiding place for every tried and tempted soul, instead of placing burdens on others. Whoever hears His word and believes the Father who sent Him has everlasting life, escapes condemnation, and passes from death to life. That coming brings pardon, repentance and conversion, and through the merits of the crucified and risen Saviour gives power, peace and joy, with strength and courage to the helpless soul cast upon Him. It rests on trusting His ability and willingness to meet the circumstances of each case, and His all power to save. The one who has so received Him then tells others how precious Christ is.
Claiming to honor God while rejecting Jesus as Messiah, Son of God and Saviour of the world does not honor the Father, as was seen when the Jews professed to honor God yet rejected Him while He offered the waters of life that all might be converted and honor the Son as they professed to honor the Father. The Father and the Son cannot be separated in worship, so rejecting the Son dishonors the Father who sent Him. The opposite error also fails, for professing devotion to Christ while rejecting the Father and His law dishonors both, since Christ came and died because the Father's law could not be altered to excuse human sin.
The demand for equal honor teaches each person to consider himself inseparably bound to his heavenly Parent, appointed and endowed to do God's work, responsible to God who holds all destinies in His hands, and warranted in claiming His blessings and promises while faithful. If exalted in his own wisdom and power and separated from God, he will be called to account for working unauthorized acts not in unison with his Commander. The more light and evidence received about God's character and will, the greater the guilt if he does not love and obey Him, and each person is judged according to the light received. He who gave His life for humanity, who as Son of man experienced human suffering and temptation, victoriously resisted Satan and gave His blood to save those whose cases He judges, is worthy of the heart's best and holiest service, judging with understanding, fairness, and life-giving light.