March 17, 2023

A Life of Honor

“For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son also gives life to whom He wishes. For not even the Father judges anyone, but He has given all judgment to the Son, so that all will honor the Son even as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.” John 5:21-23 (NASB)

When I think about my father’s legacy, I often wonder if I can ever live up to his. How could I handle life compared to my father’s? My father was an honored military officer of three wars: World War II, Korea, and Vietnam. After all the wars he went through in his military service, he still lived a life of honor. Upon my father’s military retirement in 1978, we settled in St. Augustine, FL. We began building his retirement home. Each day, he went out into the Florida heat and worked like a 20-year-old. When our home was complete, he went back to work as a building superintendent. He was honored there by his superiors through his work ethic. I feel I have big shoes to fill. He left this legacy of honor for my brother and me. This is the story of his life. I want to honor it. In 1989, he died after battling stage 4 cancer. He never told anyone he was sick, he just continued to work while quietly suffering.

Note how many times in our verses today the word “honor” appears. “Honor” is the word timaō; to fix the value. Jesus is a fixed value to all. There is no compromise in His being. The Son is worthy of honor. God said this, “He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.” God said it. That settles it for me. Newman and Nida say, “Honor may be expressed in a number of ways. One may speak of an attitude, for example, ‘to show respect to’ or ‘to have valuable thoughts about.’ But honor may also be expressed in terms of verbal activities, for example, ‘to praise’ or ‘to raise up the name of someone. Honor may also be described in terms of body motion or position, for example, ‘to bow down low before’ or ‘to touch the ground before’ or ‘to kneel in front of.’” [1] We all one day will bow before Jesus in honor with our mouths or our body. This is because we recognize the tremendous gift, He gave to us who know Jesus as our Savior. He is worthy of all honor and glory (Revelation 4:11).

When I look back to my father’s life, I see his life as a real man’s man. When I think about his life, I think of a life of honor. When I mention him to others, I honor him. When I live my life trying to fill his shoes, I honor him. Jesus also had some big shoes to fill. While in His earthly body, He did something my dad could never do. He would die for all the sins of the world and resurrect Himself. How much more honor should he receive than a mere man who lived his life like my father? So, when I think of Jesus, I should honor Him. When I mention Him, I honor Him. When try to fill His shoes, I honor Him. Do you see the connection? When we think of those who go before us, we honor them, but remember Jesus died for all, not just leaving a legacy for sons in a family. He died that all may become sons and daughters of God (2 Corinthians 6:18). “Our duty, therefore, is to seek God the Father in Christ, to behold his power in Christ, and to worship him in Christ.” [2]

[1] Barclay Moon Newman and Eugene Albert Nida, A Handbook on the Gospel of John, UBS Handbook Series (New York: United Bible Societies, 1993), 156.

[2] John Calvin and William Pringle, Commentary on the Gospel according to John, vol. 1 (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2010), 201–202.