“That all may honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He who does not honour the Son, does not honour the Father who sent him.”

Why then has the Father given this power and privilege to the Son? It was ‘That all may honour the Son as they honour the Father'. God's purpose is that He, Jesus Christ, will have equal honour with the Father. This can mean nothing other than equality of status, and thus oneness of being. Who else could have equal honour with the Father?

They thus need to take care what attitude they take up to Jesus, for ‘He who does not honour the Son, does not honour the Father who sent him'. Because of His relationship with the Father their attitude towards Him will make clear their attitude to and position before God. As He will say elsewhere, He has revealed God's power in such a way that to reject His work is to be in danger of blaspheming against the Holy Spirit (Mark 3:22).

There can be no doubting now the claims of Jesus. His words were very different from those He would use with the crowds. To them He taught simply yet firmly, allowing the truth about Himself to slowly dawn in their hearts, for He wanted no false disciples. But here He was facing the theologians, and put the matter clearly and in theological terms. They have challenged whether He is equal with God, and instead of backing down He has boldly asserted that equality as the Son of the Father. He does the same works as the Father, He has power to give life in accordance with His own will just as the Father has, and He has been appointed judge of all so that all judgment is in His hands, and He has equal honour with the Father. What more could He say?

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