LENT ONE2026 - The Sent One | March 1, 2026

The passage from John 5:16–28 confronts settled images of God and of the Son by depicting Jesus as the one sent by the Father who acts with the Father’s authority. Religious outrage at Sabbath healing sets the scene: the Son insists that his works mirror the Father’s works, claiming the same power to give life and to exercise judgment. That claim collapses any neat division between a distant, wrathful deity and a cuddly, nonjudgmental friend; the compassion and holiness displayed in Christ both reveal and demand a reverent view of God. Jesus frames belief not as mere intellectual assent but as a whole-life trust that crosses people from death into life. The text emphasizes a present and coming reality when the dead will hear the Son’s voice and live, underscoring that the Father has granted the Son life in himself and full authority to judge.

The passage also exposes common blind spots: reading the Old Testament exclusively through modern lenses of order or justice can hide God’s movement of mercy and mission, while reducing Jesus to an indulgent companion erases the radical call to holiness that his authority implies. Faith that clings to ritual or legalism misses freedom; faith that trivializes righteousness misses the gravity of salvation. The proper response centers on aligning vision and devotion—worshiping the Son with the same reverence given the Father so that access to God comes through the sent one. Lent becomes a season to test assumptions, uncover biases, and invite the Spirit to shape conviction beyond mere information. Prayer and communal study serve as practical means to press these truths into heart and life, preparing for the cross and the empty tomb with a renewed, unified picture of God’s character.

Key Takeaways

• 1. Jesus shares the Father’s authority Belief in Christ calls for acknowledging that the Son operates with the same divine mandate as the Father. This claim reframes every act of healing, mercy, and judgment as an expression of one unified divine will. Responding to this requires reverence and a reorientation of trust away from divided images of deity toward a coherent theology that holds compassion and holiness together. [54:47]
• 2. True belief is whole-life trust The kind of believing Jesus demands involves the whole person—heart, will, and life—not merely intellectual agreement. Such trust moves from mere knowledge to lived reliance, producing a crossing over from spiritual death into present-life union with God. This trust bears consequences for behavior, mission, and worship because it binds everyday choices to allegiance to the Son. [60:37]
• 3. Guard against divided pictures Splitting God into an angry judge and Jesus into a gentle friend produces theological blind spots that distort faith and practice. That division can blind people to God’s enduring mercy in the Old Testament or to Jesus’ insistence on righteousness in the New. Reclaiming a single, coherent view of Father and Son clarifies vocation, ethics, and worship. [67:19]
• 4. The Son grants life and judges Authority over life and judgment resides in the Son because the Father has entrusted it to him, making resurrection and verdicts dependent on his voice. This truth forces a sober appraisal of eternity and accountability while offering hope that life springs from the same source that carries judgment. How one responds to the Son shapes both present direction and ultimate destiny. [60:19]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [49:04] - Lent series and John reading plan
• [49:48] - Invitation to community groups
• [50:18] - Opening prayer and present needs
• [53:02] - Context: Jewish leaders confront works
• [54:22] - Jesus’ defense about the Father’s work
• [56:06] - Claims about raising the dead and judgment
• [60:19] - The nature of belief explained
• [64:03] - Blind spots and divided images of God
• [71:43] - Goal: unified worship of Father and Son
• [74:25] - Closing prayer and benediction
• [78:20] - Psalm 23 benediction

1. In John 5:16-18, what specific actions of Jesus caused the Jewish leaders to persecute him and seek to kill him?
2. According to Jesus in verses 19-20, what is the nature of the relationship between the Son and the Father that dictates the Son's actions?
3. What two ultimate authorities does Jesus claim the Father has given him in verses 21-22?
4. What does Jesus say is the present and future result for those who "hear my word and believe him who sent me" in verse 24? [59:55]

1. Jesus states that the Son can do "only what he sees the Father doing" (v. 19). How does this claim challenge the accusation that Jesus was breaking God's law by working on the Sabbath?
2. In verse 23, Jesus says that honoring the Son is necessary to honor the Father. What does this imply about the consequences of holding a divided view of God, where the Father is respected but the Son is not given equal reverence? [01:06:09]
3. Jesus describes a belief that causes someone to "cross over from death to life" (v. 24). How does this ancient, holistic view of belief differ from a modern, purely intellectual agreement with facts? [01:00:51]
4. The passage presents Jesus with the authority to both give life and execute judgment. How can these two seemingly different roles—giving life and judging—coexist in the same person without contradiction?

1. It's easy to develop a divided picture of God, seeing the Father as primarily angry or distant and the Son as merely a gentle friend. [01:04:53] Which of these distorted images do you find yourself more prone to believing, and what practical step could you take this week to better see the Father's compassion in the Old Testament or the Son's holiness in the New?
2. Belief is described as a whole-life trust that moves a person from death to life. [01:00:37] In what area of your life is God inviting you to move beyond mere intellectual agreement into a posture of full reliance and active trust?
3. Jesus claims that the Father shows him all he does, and that the Son does likewise. [54:47] If following Jesus means imitating what we see him doing, what specific action or attitude of Christ—such as compassion for the outcast or courage to confront hypocrisy—is he calling you to mirror in your own context?
4. The religious leaders were blinded by their own rituals and legalism, causing them to miss God's work right in front of them. [01:10:26] Are there any religious habits or routines in your life that have become an end in themselves, potentially causing you to miss the new thing God might be doing?
5. This passage emphasizes that the Son judges so that all may honor the Father. [56:49] How does the reality that Jesus is the appointed judge shape your daily choices, your sharing of faith, and your perspective on ultimate accountability?
6. A key blind spot is viewing God through modern lenses of order and justice instead of through His mission of mercy. [01:07:30] When you look at a complex current event or a personal struggle, what is one way you can intentionally shift your perspective to look for God's merciful and missional movement rather than just seeking order or fairness?