Sunday, April 29, 2012

Equal AND Submitting


Last week as we took a look at a section of John 5, I told you that because of his love for his Father, the Son submits to the Father who sent him.  As I said then, I find this very interesting because the Father and the Son are equally God. I also told you that I wanted to return to take a closer look at this dynamic of ‘equal yet submissive’. And that's what I intend to do today. So, it's back to John 5. As I read the text, John 5.17-30, listen for this aspect of the Son submitting to the Father.


The first thing to do is to be clear about the equality of the Father and the Son. Each of them, along with the Spirit, is the one God. Now, how three persons - Father, Son and Spirit - can be one God, I have no idea. But that is the teaching of the Scriptures. And one of the sources for that teaching is right here in our text.

This was why the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him, because not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God.

Jesus, the Son, is equal to the Father. He is equally God.

Now, this being equal does not mean that they are the same. They are not identical. The Father is different from the Son as even their names show. They are equal but different. I stress this because in our culture there is the tendency to make 'equal to' in some sense mean 'the same as’. But that’s not true. The Father and the Son are equal in power, equal in glory - they are equally God - and yet they are not the same. They are different.

This is helpful when it comes to understanding the nature of men and women, something that is not well understood in our day. Men and women are equal, that is equally human, equally the image of God. And yet, they are not the same. They are different. But carefully note what this difference is about. The difference is more than a difference in their bodies. Since we are bodies and souls then maleness and femaleness affects who we are in our bodies and our souls. Maleness and femaleness is not about the body alone. Maleness and femaleness is about the person.  So, each, in virtue of being a male person or a female person, has certain strengths and abilities, - qualities rooted in their persons as male or as female - that the other does not. Men and women are different, not the same, and it is a difference that resides in the soul as well as the body. At the same time, they are equal, equally God's image bearers. This is important because it helps to explain the notion of the equality of men and women. And that notion of equal yet different is rooted in the nature of God, the Trinity. The Father and the Son are equal yet different.

That's about the 'equal' part of our topic. Now, let's take a look at submission. First, submission has to do with a relationship within the context of authority. A basketball coach has authority over the members of his team. So, if he tells one of the players to guard his opponent in a certain way, that player is obligated to guard him in that way. There is a relationship of authority between the player and the coach. That player is to submit to the coach. When I say that don't forget what I've said about the 'equal' part of our topic. The player submits to the coach, but that doesn't mean that the coach is a better person than the player is. In terms of who they are, persons, they are equal. But a basketball team is structured in terms of authority. The players submit to the coach. This is just another way of looking at teamwork. The players and the coach form a team with each member of the team fulfilling a particular role. A basketball team works best when the players submit to the coach.

In our text we see Jesus in a relationship with the Father that is within the context of authority. Jesus submits to the Father. You can sense that even in the tone of Jesus' description of his relationship with the Father. But it's also clearly stated when Jesus talks about how the Father sent him. You might say that Jesus is the Father’s apostle. He is someone under authority who is sent on a mission with the authority of the sender. That's what an apostle is. And that, in fact, is one way that the author of Hebrews labels Jesus.

Therefore, holy brothers, you who share in a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession...

Jesus is in a relationship of authority with the Father and he submits to that authority.

Let's consider some different aspects of this submission. This first comes from our text. Jesus submits willingly to the Father. It's as if the Father is the coach and Jesus is the player who does what the coach tells him. 

I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just, because I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me.

Jesus seeks the will the Father. This is an expression of Jesus’ willingness to submit. He seeks to do the will of the Father who sent him. Submission that is not willing is not submission.

There are some other aspects of submissions that lie outside of our text. Submission is motivated by love. Later in John Jesus says,

I do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father.

It's important to remember that it's not just what we do or how we do it. The Father will also evaluate us according to why we do what we do. Submission is to be motivated by love. That will be very challenging in certain situations, but it is a clear application of the command to love God and to love your neighbor if that neighbor is someone who has some authority over you.

Also, this submission is not blind and thoughtless. Remember how Jesus, the submissive Son, prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane.

And going a little farther, he fell on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. And he said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.”

Did you hear what Jesus said? 'Father, are you sure? I'd rather not go to the Cross. Is there any way you can change your mind?' Submission is not simply checking your brains at the door and doing whatever you're told. Jesus had some issues with what the Father wanted him to do. So, he discussed them with him. 'Father, is there another way?' There is nothing wrong with raising questions. In fact, it may be wrong not to raise those questions. But please note how that ends. 'Yet not what I will, but what you will.' Even when he has some issues about the plan, Jesus is still ready to follow the Father's plan. Jesus yields to the Father's authority over him.

Here's another aspect of submission. This is from something that the apostle Paul wrote.

Everyone must submit to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except from God, and those that exist are instituted by God. So then, the one who resists the authority is opposing God’s command, and those who oppose it will bring judgment on themselves.

God has established government with authority, and Christians are to submit to that authority. One thing that I find especially interesting about this is that the government at the time Paul wrote this was not some democratically elected group of representatives. An emperor ruled, and the emperor at the time was Nero. He was an awful person, a tyrant of the worst sort. Sometimes authority is held by those who are not worthy of it and abuse it. Nonetheless, as the Spirit says here, believers are to submit to that authority. And we do this not because the person in authority is such a good person, a better person than we. Clearly, that was not the situation that the Christians faced with Nero in authority. Christians are to submit to their governments because that is how we are to relate to those in authority.

Now, there are limits to authority. And those limits also explain what submission is to look like. So, consider something from the book of Acts when the apostles stood before the local authorities.

And when they had brought them, they set them before the council. And the high priest questioned them, saying, “We strictly charged you not to teach in this name, yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and you intend to bring this man's blood upon us.” But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men."

Now, this is a favorite text of so many who want to refuse to submit. But one needs to be careful. Refusing to submit to some authority over you is proper only when there is a clear conflict between what God has commanded and what this other authority is commanding. God commanded the apostles to preach about Jesus. The council commanded them not to preach about Jesus. It's command versus command. And that's when we say, 'We must obey God rather than men.' Bear in mind that many Christians still submitted to Nero, as they should have, even as he was torturing and murdering their brothers and sisters in the faith. The exception here is much more limited than what too many think. This passage in Acts is a favorite of rebellious, insubordinate people. But, though it is abused, it is still has something to teach us about the limits of submission.

One more aspect of submission. This comes from Hebrews.

Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.

This is a clear command to submit to the leaders of the church. This is at the heart of church membership. And you'll note that this command is referred to in the five questions we ask new members when they join. But that's not the part that I want to focus on. Rather, here I want to stress the part about leaders giving an account. On the Last Day, those in authority, not just church leaders but all in authority, including tyrannical Caesars, will be evaluated in terms of how well they exercised the authority that was given them. And once again we are reminded of the practical importance of the Scripture teaching about the last things. Knowing that there will be an accounting provides hope for those who submit to evil leaders. These leaders will be evaluated. There will be justice. And those believers who, in faith, submitted to them and suffered under them will be rewarded for their faithful obedience to Jesus. On the other hand, this is also a reminder to us as we function in roles of authority, and almost all of us do exercise some measure of authority somewhere. We also will be evaluated on the Last Day.

Now, I have covered a lot of territory very briefly. There are many questions and issues that crop up when you talk about submission. They will have to wait for another time. I want you to know why I have pursued this topic. The first reason is that it was in our text. Jesus - God, the Son - submitted to the Father. But behind that there is this. The doctrine of the Trinity, this incomprehensible bit of deep theology, helps us to understand how to live. It explains something of what our relationships are to be like. I wanted to pursue this to show you the practicality of understanding some of the deeper things of the Bible.

But there is another reason I pursued this topic. It is one that is badly understood in our day. And that is significant because a right understand of 'equal and submitting' makes life work better. So, I'm going to apply this teaching on 'equal and submitting' to two familiar areas of common life. The first has to do with something from our culture, from the part of our culture that has to do with work and business and industry. I'm thinking here particularly of the expectations that many businesses have of their employees. When someone works a job he is placed within a structure. He has relationships with other workers and those relationships are in the context of authority. As such, an employee needs to give due submission to those in authority over him. But, I fear that this sometimes leads to a problem. Sometimes, the authority of the workplace is being abused. There are times when employees are expected to put aside other responsibilities, responsibilities mandated by God, for the sake of the job. One specific responsibility I’m thinking about has to do with the family. And I suspect that some of you have faced this kind of situation where the expectation is that the job trumps the family. This is by no means a simple area to work through - by no means. However, I would urge all of you to consider some questions. What are the limits of proper submission to those in authority at the job? At what point are the expectations of the job causing a disciple to disobey the commands that he has from Jesus, commands that relate to the family? This is not an easy question to answer and to be sure, there is no 'one size fits all'. But it is necessary to ask the question. Where's the line? When do you begin to raise some questions with those in authority?

The other area I want to apply this teaching to is more directly about the family. The family is a collection of people who, among other things, relate to each other in terms of authority. So, parents have authority over their children. And that means that the children are to submit to that authority. But go through the qualities of ‘equal and submitting’ that I've just finished talking about. Children are also image bearers of God and so they are, in that sense, equal to their parents. But at the same time they are to submit to their parents. They are to do that willingly and because of love. If there is an issue about some command of a parent, they can and should discuss it. However, this needs to be done in an age-appropriate manner. So, for example, when our kids were quite young the rule was 'obey first and then ask questions'. That was to train them to obey quickly, but to also understand that discussion was fine. Also, any questions about obedience need to be raised in the spirit of submission. So, parents, how are your kids doing at being submissive to your authority? 

And this says much about the relationship of husband and wife. Men and women are equal, but different, with different abilities. So, husbands, do you know your wife's strengths? Do you depend on them, especially as you recognize your own weaknesses? Do you encourage her to develop those strengths? Likewise, wives, do you know your husband's strengths? Do you depend on them? Do you encourage him in them? Fathers, you are in authority in your family. Are you being diligent in exercising that authority, taking responsibility for what is going on, developing teamwork in your family? Busyness distracts and offers excuses. 

One final word. Here I want to say just a little about why all of this is important. We are living in a time when our world is getting increasingly antagonistic to Jesus and his Gospel. And that means that our world is getting increasingly antagonistic to Christians. Unless the Spirit does something dramatic, life is going to get hard. The need of the day is for Christians to work diligently at following Jesus faithfully. As we do that, we will be able to weather the storm that is coming our way until the Spirit once again spreads the Gospel through our culture. Following Jesus faithfully depends on understanding the teachings of the Scriptures, teachings about things like relationships. This topic of 'equal and submitting' is one area about relationships that the Church of our day needs to work on.