In last week’s post, we dealt with the way the book of Daniel connects resurrection with honor and shame. While most Christians understandably think of resurrection in physical terms, the passage in Daniel emphasizes social criteria instead.
These verses don’t deny the reality of physical transformation, but they do invite us to consider God’s reason for raising the dead. As I interpret Daniel, the resurrection is a matter of justice. When the Lord raises the dead at the end of the age, He will reward the righteous, many of whom suffered persecution for their loyalty to God. And He will shame the wicked, those who prospered at the expense of God’s people.
The second passage we’ll look at in this series is in the fifth chapter of the gospel of John.
This chapter opens with a healing Jesus performs for a lame man in Jerusalem (John 5:1-9a). Because this took place on a Sabbath day, the scrupulous religious leaders ended up confronting both the healed man and the Lord Jesus (John 5:9b-16). From the perspective of the Pharisees, Jesus broke the Sabbath and therefore disqualified Himself from being aligned with God.
And things intensified from there.
“In His defense Jesus said to them, ‘My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am working.’ 18For 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.” - John 5:17-18
The issue was about Christ’s identity.
The religious leaders could not have been more opposed to Jesus than they were. They wanted Him dead. In no way did they believe He was a prophet, much less the Son of God. They saw Him as a sinner perverting the will of God.
By contrast, Jesus asserted His unity with God the Father.
So the battle lines were drawn.
At this point, the Lord began to speak about the two issues we observed in Daniel: the resurrection, and the honor/shame dynamic.
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. 22Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son, 23that 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. 24Very 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. 25Very 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. 26For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son also to have life in Himself. 27And He has given Him authority to judge because He is the Son of Man. 28Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear His voice 29and 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. 30By 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. - John 5:21-31
Jesus weaves these themes throughout this discourse. At first glance, we might question why He’s introducing the issue of the resurrection. The Pharisees didn’t mention it, the healed man hadn’t thought of it, so why bring it up?
It doesn’t seem to fit the setting until we see how Jesus relates it to the coming judgment. The Pharisees believed in a future resurrection. They looked forward to the Day of the Lord when God would deliver His people from Gentile domination and raise the righteous dead to dwell in an eternally blessed Israel. Evildoers would suffer for their rejection of God’s laws and ways.
Jesus is taking what the Pharisees believe and applying it to Himself. Righteousness and wickedness have more to do with Christ’s identity than with adherence to Mosaic rules and regulations. And this pertains to the present, not just the future. Believers in Jesus have eternal life now, not only in the future. Physical resurrection will serve to confirm the decisions people made about Christ. Those who trust in Him will enjoy the honor of life in His presence. Those who war against Him will live apart from Him forever.
Through the resurrection, God reverses people’s earthly experiences. Disciples of Jesus who faced rejection and suffered for their loyalty will be honored by the Lord. Anyone hostile to Christ and His followers will face the consequences. They will lose the honor they relished in this world and will endure the pain of regret.
Essentially, Jesus is repeating and supplementing what the angel told Daniel. He’s clarifying that the future resurrection will reverse the world’s attitudes about honor and shame. And He’s calling people to embrace God’s will now. The resurrection will confirm the decisions people make here and now. If we believe in Jesus today, we have His assurance that He will raise us to live with Him forever.
As in the book of Daniel, so also in the gospel of John–the promise of resurrection pertains to honor and shame. It’s the ultimate physical confirmation of wise or foolish spiritual choices.
Follow Jesus and you will know eternal life.
That’s the hope of the gospel.
(Bible verses are from the NIV.)
(Image is from https://um-insight.net/downloads/1097/download/jesus-vs-pharisees.jpg?cb=0aa1505cd2e5a0478441880a27d1194d&w=1280.)
