Matthew 11:25-30
The Father Revealed through Jesus
25 At that time Jesus said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. 26 Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do.
27 “All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.
28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
John 5:16-47
The Authority of the Son of God
16 So, because Jesus was doing these things on the Sabbath, the Jewish leaders began to persecute him. 17 In his defense Jesus said to them, “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am working.” 18 For this reason they tried all the more to kill him; not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God.
19 Jesus gave them this answer: “Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. 20 For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does. Yes, and he will show him even greater works than these, so that you will be amazed. 21 For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom he is pleased to give it.22 Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son, 23 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 “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life.25 Very truly I tell you, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live. 26 For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself.27 And he has given him authority to judge because he is the Son of Man.
28 “Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice 29 and come out—those who have done what is good will rise to live, and those who have done what is evil will rise to be condemned. 30 By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me.
31 “If I testify about myself, my testimony is not true. 32 There is another who testifies in my favor, and I know that his testimony about me is true.
33 “You have sent to John and he has testified to the truth. 34 Not that I accept human testimony; but I mention it that you may be saved. 35 John was a lamp that burned and gave light, and you chose for a time to enjoy his light.
36 “I have testimony weightier than that of John. For the works that the Father has given me to finish—the very works that I am doing—testify that the Father has sent me. 37 And the Father who sent me has himself testified concerning me. You have never heard his voice nor seen his form, 38 nor does his word dwell in you, for you do not believe the one he sent. 39 You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, 40 yet you refuse to come to me to have life.
41 “I do not accept glory from human beings, 42 but I know you. I know that you do not have the love of God in your hearts. 43 I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not accept me; but if someone else comes in his own name, you will accept him. 44 How can you believe since you accept glory from one another but do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?
45 “But do not think I will accuse you before the Father. Your accuser is Moses, on whom your hopes are set. 46 If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me. 47 But since you do not believe what he wrote, how are you going to believe what I say?”
John 10:25-33
Jesus and God are One
25 Jesus answered, “I did tell you, but you do not believe. The works I do in my Father’s name testify about me, 26 but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. 27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all ;no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. 30 I and the Father are one.”
31 Again his Jewish opponents picked up stones to stone him, 32 but Jesus said to them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?”
33 “We are not stoning you for any good work,” they replied, “but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God.”
John 14:1-31
Jesus Comforts His Disciples Before His Arrest
1 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. 2 My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. 4 You know the way to the place where I am going.”
5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”
6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”
8 Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.”
9 Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. 11 Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves. 12 Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. 13 And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.
15 “If you love me, keep my commands. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. 18 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19 Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. 20 On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. 21 Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.”
22 Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, “But, Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?”
23 Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. 24 Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.
25 “All this I have spoken while still with you. 26 But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
28 “You heard me say, ‘I am going away and I am coming back to you.’ If you loved me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. 29 I have told you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe. 30 I will not say much more to you, for the prince of this world is coming. He has no hold over me, 31 but he comes so that the world may learn that I love the Father and do exactly what my Father has commanded me.
“Come now; let us leave.
I would like to believe in something, but I do not like everything the Bible teaches me...Wouldn't it be nice if you could just pick out of the Old Testament the stories and teachings you like?...The stories and teachings that make you feel comfortable and feel good are the ones I would choose...And wouldn't it be nice to do the same thing in the New Testament teachings?...It would be like having my own hand chosen personal religion...A religion just for me...A God and His Son, just for me and me alone...It would be like an ala carte religion made just for me and me alone...
God and Jesus...Jesus and God...Can they be separated?...Can the Holy Spirit be separated from Them?...Can some of their teachings in the Bible be separated?...
There are people who say they believe in God, but do not believe in Jesus...There are people who believe in Jesus, but not in God...There are some who like Jesus' teachings, yet do not believe in God...There are some who like Jesus' teachings and believe in His teachings, and to a lesser degree, believe in Him...They do not believe that Jesus is Divine...Jesus makes His point that He is Divine with many of the statements that He made...And as you read these verses from above and many of His other Words, how can one not get at least the hint that He and God are One?...Is it possible to read these things and not believe that God and Jesus have the most unique and important relationship in the universe?...Is it possible to have faith in God, without having faith in Jesus?...The Father and Son are together -together as One...
So Jesus did personally make some very interesting claims about Himself...He constantly compared Himself to God...He said that God is His personal Father...Jesus said that all things have been committed to Him by His Father God...No one knows the Son except the Father, who is God, and no one knows the Father except the Son of God and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him...As Jesus went around to the villages and towns He said the teachings and the miracles He did were being done in His Father’s name...The miracles testify about who He is...But there will be people who see miracles and still will not believe...But those who follow Him will know Him, and He will know God and Him, and they would be the ones to follow Him...Jesus says He will give His followers eternal life, and they shall never perish; and no one will snatch His followers out of His hand, or keep them from following Him...His Father who is in heaven, has given His followers to Him...God, Jesus' Father, is greater than all; no one can snatch any of His followers out of His Father’s hand...Jesus declared that He and the Father are One...
One day, Jesus indirectly or maybe directly made Himself equal to that of God...Jesus did a healing on the Sabbath...And in his Own defense, Jesus said to those who questioned Him on this, “My Father is always at His work to this very day, and I too am working.”...For this reason they tried all the more to kill Him; not only was He breaking the Sabbath, but He was even calling God His Own Father, making Himself equal with God...And on this Sabbath, He told His opposition that He had came in His Father’s name, and because of this they would not accept Him...But if He had came in someone else's name, they would have accepted Him...For some, because He said He came from God, it is harder to believe in Him...How can a non-believer believe since they accept glory from one another and from men, but do not seek the glory that comes from the Only God?..
Jesus added to His great spoken words on the night of His arrest...He was comforting His Disciples upon His upcoming arrest and death on the cross...He was comforting them, not them comforting Him...Jesus said that I AM the way and the truth and the life...No one comes to the Father except through Him...When we really know Jesus, then we will know His Father as well...So from now on, you do know God and have seen God, because His Disciples and we know about Jesus...
Divinity is a hard thing to accept and understand...His Disciple Philip of three years, still needed more tangible proof about Him...Philip said, "LORD, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.”...Jesus answered Philip: “Don’t you know Me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time?...Anyone who has seen Me has seen the Father...How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?...Don’t you believe that I AM in the Father, and that the Father is in Me?...The words I say to you I do not speak on My own authority...Rather, it is the Father, living in Me, who is doing His work...Believe Me when I say that I AM in the Father and the Father is in Me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves...Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in Me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I AM going to the Father...And I will do whatever you ask in My name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son...You may ask Me for anything in My name, and I will do it."...
Jesus truly believed He came from God, and is God's Son...He believes that Him are God are One...To me that is saying He is equal to God...No one knows the Father except the Son...And when He says that the only way to God is through Him, I think the pretty well says that to get to God, we need to know Him...That makes Him the Way, and the Life, and the Truth, if you believe Him...