The Trinity is an eternal mystery – God who is three-in-one and one-in-three, perfect unity and also perfect community: Father, Son and Spirit. They are all equally God, but they also have different roles or functions as part of the Godhead.
Today’s passage is a case in point. Jesus is the complete and representation of the Father – Yahweh – on earth: (v45) ‘The one who looks at me is seeing the one who sent me.’ But that does not mean he is the Father himself – he remains the Son, which means he has a different role: (vv47-48a) ‘I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world. There is a judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words.’ The Son saves, the Father in heaven ultimately judges.
But, lest we split them too far apart, the Father’s judgement rests on people’s response to the Son’s message: (vv48b-49) ‘the very words I have spoken will condemn them at the last day. For I did not speak on my own, but the Father who sent me commanded me to say all that I have spoken.’
So Jesus is not outsourcing judgment to the Father, and the Father is not outsourcing the gospel message to the Son – they are both fully God, indivisible and fully united on everything.
It’s pretty hard to get your head around, isn’t it? And at one level, that’s the point – we are not God – we are simply invited to trust in this great God and, wonderfully, experience the amazing, eternal, abundant life he offers. This is a hard passage, and it’s not easy to talk about judgment. But, as we close our week, let’s land here, in this last verse. God’s heart is ultimately that we should be saved, that mercy would triumph over judgment (James 2:13). Jesus’ message is ultimately a reflection of the Father’s heart: (v50) ‘I know that his command leads to eternal life.’
God longs that we would know life. He sent Jesus to save us, that we might experience that life. The last few days has been a challenging read, but what a great way to end it! Jesus both brings and is the good news of the Father. May that good news bubble up in our hearts, minds and spirits today – hallelujah!