June 27, 2023

Serving the Father Perfectly

“If he called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken), do you say of Him, whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, You are blaspheming, because I said, I am the Son of God? If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; but if I do them, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, so that you may know and understand that the Father is in Me, and I in the Father.”

 John 10:35-38 (NASB)

            While serving on active duty in Fort Stewart Georgia, I served at a Battalion Level Major Assembly Yard. I loved the job. I operated a heavy forklift, transferring tank, and other track vehicle parts to semi-trucks. It lasted only for a short while. After seeing I had a good schedule, a lieutenant decided to undermine me. Within weeks I found myself at working alongside other enlisted members in a warehouse at company level. I was assigned to the midnight shift. Being the senior enlisted person, my sergeant-first-class called me into the office. He asked me to take over the midnight shift. I agreed. This shift was not very popular with most. It was a way to punish those who were not liked. After a few weeks, I started a plan to make it the best shift. I told my subordinates if they finished early, they could go home. Within a week, what took all night processing incoming parts, turned into 6 hours work. Shortly after this time, many came from dayshift to work nights because they had heard about the benefits. A few months later, my sergeant told me he had put me in a for an Army Commendation Medal. Unfortunately, a week later he suffered a heart attack and lost his memory. I was being elevated for doing my job, and it with distinction. I never got that award. I merely did the job better than those who ran it before.

            “If he called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken), do you say of Him, whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, You are blaspheming, because I said, I am the Son of God?” Lenski defines this passage to help us understand the meaning behind this passage: “It is because ‘the Word of God came to them, but not in the sense that God granted them certain revelations to communicate to Israel, or gave them his laws to administer in Israel. The Word of God that came to them is the one that appointed them as judges and placed them in their high and holy office. They were judges in a theocracy, in which Yahweh himself was the supreme ruler and judge. Though they received their office through human mediation, they actually held it by divine appointment as God’s own representatives among his people.”[1] On this premise, Jesus placed Himself far above the human judges and the reason behind why they were called gods. They acted in the power only given to them from what laws God set. Jesus claimed to be the One who was “sanctified and sent into the world…” God sent Jesus into the world to testify of His (God’s) works through Jesus. Through this those who saw the works He did would “know that the Father is in Me, and I in the Father.” Therefore, “the works of the Father” were the miracles of Jesus. His were perfect in every way.

            Jesus continued His mission for the Father with distinction. Why? Because mankind can’t do what God can do. I might have done a good job serving the mission of my company, but I never achieved perfection. In fact, when I arrived at Fort Stewart, I only had eight months left on my service obligation. When I went out, no one missed me. They just moved someone else in…

[1] Lenski, R. C. H. (1961). The interpretation of St. John’s gospel (pp. 766–767). Augsburg Publishing House.