Like Father Like Son

 “For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son: That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him.” (Joh 5:22-23 AV)

We realize the idea of this verse is all men will honor the Son as the authority as they do the Father.  But I wonder if it should be taken a little deeper than this.  There is a small book I have in my library on the trinity.  The title escapes me.  The writer did not spend a great deal in expounding on the various attributes of the Godhead individually.  Rather, he expounded the fact all three were co-equal in essence, yet in function, there was a hierarchy.  The Father is the declarer of the will of the Godhead.  The Son is the arbiter of the will of the Godhead.  The Spirit is the intercessor of the will of the Godhead.  According to the verses above, the authority that belongs to the Father is given to the Son.  This clearly shows the relationship of roles without compromising equality of essence between the persons of the Godhead.  What I need to muse upon this morning is something a bit more basic.  If we are entangled with the perception of seeing Jesus Christ as somehow less than the Father because the Father’s will the will of the Godhead, we might be tempted to see Jesus Christ as somehow less of essence than the Father.  This is not so.  The Son and the Father are equal in all attributes and essence.  The Son is just as great and infinite as the Father.  Yet because Jesus came as a human being, we are too tempted to see Him in slightly less light than the Father.

One of the applications which the author made regarding how the trinity works together without compromising the essence of the individual persons of the trinity is the marriage relationship of husband and wife.  Each is a person regardless of the role they play in the structure of the marriage contract.  The current Supreme Court Justice examination is going to try to make hay out of this biblical teaching.  What they will not understand is a structure of hierarchy which also recognized the equality of value.  That is, just because accountability for the home stops with the father does not mean Mother is any less of a person.  Nor does it mean Mom is any less qualified to lead.  In my own situation, in many ways, my wife would be a far better leader of the home than I.  She is far more intelligent.  She is far more decisive.  She is a natural leader.  Her value is not diminished simply because the LORD will hold me accountable first and foremost for the home.  Yet, this is how the flawed human mind often thinks.  Our newest Justice of the Supreme court will effectively exhibit what should be the biblical standard of marriage.  Even though her husband is the one tasked to be responsible before God, Justice Barrett is nonetheless immensely gifted, accomplished, and valuable!  The same is true of the LORD Jesus Christ.  He is no less God than the Father simply because the Father exercises authority which the Son does not have.  The roles of the trinity are necessary for the sake of structure and order.  Not for the sake of placing value on one over the other.

Now, we can take this doctrine and apply it in a more practical manner.  Here is where I believe the LORD might be dealing with me.  Because of my religious background, I tend to subjugate the divinity of Christ to a level that makes Him slightly less than the Father.  Because He came as a human being, our tendency is to somehow see Him as a bit less than the Father.  Not is a purely doctrinal way, but more in a practical way.  We are instructed to pray to the Father.  Not the Son.  The Son intercedes for us.  We are to pray to the Father.  That fact also may hinder us from seeing the Son as co-equal with the Father.  We limit our understanding of the Son to His earthly ministry.  We see Him through the eyes of humanity.  This was only a very brief moment in time.  He came from glory.  He ascended to glory.  Our Savior is just as much God and the Father.  The point of abdicating authority to judge to the Son is so that all of mankind will see Jesus as He truly is.  As God!  This we must meditate upon.  This we must ask the Spirit to illumine more and more into the mind and heart.  This truth must make an astounding impact on how we read the word of God and how we see the interactions of God in the flesh with those whom He created.  Personally, I must ask the LORD to give me a fresh pair of spiritual eyes to see the depths of this truth to a degree which I have never seen it before.  Jesus Christ is God as much as the Father is God.  Praise be to His name!