John 5:27 And he has given him authority to judge because he is the Son of Man.
In today’s passage we have Jesus speaking to a group of Jewish leaders in Jerusalem who were questioning Him for what authority He had to do what He was doing. They were upset with Him for healing a man on the Sabbath, completely ignoring the miracle that had taken place in their religious zeal to persecute Him.
Today’s verse is a response from Jesus to these religious leaders. In it He makes some very important claims, establishing Himself as the Messiah and asserting equality with God the Father (John 5:19-29), the One who has granted Him the authority He has to judge, as well as the power to give life and offer forgiveness.
He speaks of Himself as being the Son of Man, which is a title that connects back to Daniel 7:13-14, a prophecy which speaks of a divine figure Who will receive eternal authority and power. Yet at the same time, He also shares His equality with the Father, stating that the Father granted Him the power to do what He does.
It is interesting that it is through His humanity that He is authorized to judge. He took on a human form as the Son of Man. Through this act, He became qualified to be our Mediator who understands human experience, trials, suffering, and emotions. But because He is also equal with the Father, He remained fully divine. His judgements are all fair because He is both man and God.
With this verse, we see that the same Jesus who offers life (John 5:24-26) also holds the official, judicial right to judge the world, qualified by being both human and divine, and authorized by the Father to be the One Who judges and gives life.
What this means for us today is that we can have complete confidence in Jesus as our Lord and Savior. We see that He is fully man and fully God, authorized to judge and qualified to grant life and forgiveness. We can turn to Him and trust that He loves us and wants what is best for us. And we find life through Him, eternal life and a future of hope and glory.
Prayer: Lord, Thank You for coming here and being both human and divine. Thank You for giving Yourself for my sins and saving my soul. Let me give my life back to You. Amen
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