“Delegation”

By Rev. Michael Stonhouse

Meditation – Wednesday, January 24, 2024

John 5:19-29 (Forward, p. 87) CEV p. 1106

While it will not come as a surprise to us, that in many realms of human enterprise delegation is the ‘name of the game’, it may surprise us that God operates in the same way. However, in one sense, it only makes sense: God the Father could not Himself be visible and tangibly working in people’s lives here on earth, and so He delegated this responsibility to someone else. He sent His delegate, namely Jesus.

But there was more to His delegating than just that, and Jesus spells this out in today’s passage. Here He mentions a couple of things:

a) Firstly, there is His ability to raise the dead, to bring new life to people:

“Just as the Father raises the dead and gives life, so the Son gives life to anyone he wants to” (verse 21).

“I tell you for certain that everyone who hears my message and has faith in the one who sent me has entered eternal life and will never be condemned. They have already gone from death to life” (verse 24).

b) And secondly, there is His God-mandated authority to judge humankind:

“The Father doesn’t judge anyone, but he has made his Son the judge of all” (verse 22).

“He has given his Son the right to judge everyone, because he is the Son of Man” (verse 27).

“I cannot do anything on my own. The Father who sent me, and he is the one who told me how to judge. I judge with fairness because I obey him, and I don’t just try to please myself” (verse 30).

And there we find the secret: Jesus acknowledges that ‘he cannot do anything on his own’, but merely follows and imitates what He sees the

Father doing. Furthermore, as indicated here, He is careful to listen to what God the Father says and follow His lead and His directions.

And herein I think that there are two lessons for us, two lessons that we can take from Jesus’ own example. Firstly, we need to observe, to become aware of what God is doing in our world—and then join in on that. And what may come as something of a surprise is that God has bestowed upon each of us certain gifts, abilities and experiences that make us worthy and needed participants in this enterprise. And secondly, and equally as important, is that we need to wait upon God’s prodding and direction and do exactly what He says, and when and how that is to be done. And, surprisingly, that ‘something’ might be right in front of us. That ‘something’ may be an activity, a duty perhaps, that seems quite ordinary and routine to us. Nevertheless, it may be something that God chooses to work with. Thanks be to God.

Forward notes: “Jesus said to them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, the Son can do nothing on his own, but only what he sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, the Son does likewise” (verse 19).

“When I was growing up in Jamaica, a man who was homeless and had some physical deformities frequented the parking lot of the town’s grocery store. He asked for money or food from the passersby. Many a time, people completely dismissed him, looked right past him as if he did not even exist, or sometimes shouted hurtful and unkind words. I was astonished. My mother, however, always greeted him by name, and with a hug or a handshake. And so did we, my siblings and me. Without question. Without hesitation.

“In word and deed, my mother showed by example her belief that everyone has a story, and everyone has dignity. No matter what. Thanks be to God.”

Moving Forward: “Did you know Forward Movement donates thousands of copies of Forward Day by Day and other resources to hospitals, prisons, & nursing homes? Support this ministry at forwardmovement.org/donate.”