"If anyone chooses to do God's will, he will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own. He who speaks on his own does so to gain honor for himself, but he who works for the honor of the one who sent him is a man of truth; there is nothing false about him. Has not Moses given you the law? Yet not one of you keeps the law. Why are you trying to kill me?" (John 17-19)
Why don't they know who Jesus is?
The Pharisees and the high priests of the temple didn't realize that Jesus was God's messenger. Why not?By Jesus' definition here, they do not know who Jesus is because they have not been choosing to do God's will. Nor do they know who the Supreme Being is, since they don't know who Jesus is.
They do not know Jesus because their focus has not been upon doing God's will. Their focus has been upon doing their own will. So the Supreme Being has not given them the vision to see who He is, or who Jesus is.
Jesus clarifies here how one can tell who is the representative of God:
"If anyone chooses to do God's will, he will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own."In other words, one must be willing to serve the Supreme Being in order to be able to see who is God's representative.
This also explains the seeming mystery of why there has been so much controversy regarding who Jesus is among many modern sectarian institutions. By Jesus' own definition here, it is because they have not been choosing to do God's will.
What is 'Moses’ law' that Jesus refers to?
It is most certainly the "first and greatest" commandment according to both Jesus and Moses (Deut. 6:5):
“ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment.” (Matt. 22:37-38)This is echoed by Moses' disciple and messenger of God, Joshua:
"But be very careful to keep the commandment and the law that Moses the servant of the LORD gave you: to love the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways, to obey His commands, to hold fast to Him and to serve Him with all your heart and all your soul."(Joshua 22:5)Because the Pharisees and temple officials surrounding Jesus were focused upon the petty rituals regulated by their institution, they had forgotten the primary instructions of Moses to love and cherish God. This was also what Jesus was teaching, and why they were trying to kill Jesus - because they didn't want to come to know and love the Supreme Being.
How applicable is this in today’s world? Perfectly. While so many modern sectarian teachers are focused upon the various rituals of their particular sect or denomination and their own salvation, they have forgotten Jesus’ central instruction on behalf of God: To love God with all our hearts, and do God’s will.
Only this will make us happy. Only this will fulfill us. Because this is our natural identity. We are spiritual, not these physical bodies.
And we were created to be the loving servant of the Supreme Being - as long as we make this choice to do so - because love requires the freedom of choice to love or not. This is why Jesus states, "If anyone chooses to do God's will...."
Why do so many claim that Jesus is God?
How could so many who claim to be followers of Jesus still claim that Jesus is the Supreme Being in the face of clear statements like this? In addition to other statements, such as:“My teaching is not my own. It comes from Him who sent me.” (John 7:16)
Jesus is clearly stating that he isn't God. How could they misinterpret this clear statement?
Jesus defines it here: Those who don't want to do God's will also will not see Jesus for who he really is.
Because they have not and do not see who Jesus really is, they have tried to artificially prop him up by claiming that he is the Supreme Being. Because they do not see the glorious loving relationship between Jesus and the Supreme Being, they simply claim that Jesus is the Supreme Being.
To attribute God to God's messenger is to ignore the Supreme Being Himself. This is offensive against both Jesus and God and is equivalent to idol worship. This is why Jesus also stated:
“Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will come to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles? Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!” (Matt. 7:22)Yet many ecclesiastical sectarian teachers today base their claim that Jesus is the Supreme Being upon one statement he made:
"I and the Father are one." (John 10:30)However, they take this sentence out of context. Here is the full statement by Jesus:
"I did tell you, but you do not believe. The miracles I do in my Father's name speak for me, but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand. I and the Father are one." (John 10:25-30)This statement obviously refers to the Supreme Being as a separate individual from Jesus: "My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all..." In order for something to be given, there must be two individuals: a giver and a receiver. In order for one person to do the will of another, there must be two individuals.
So how can these two separate individuals be one then? Quite simply. Jesus explains this in his statement prior: "My teaching is not my own. It comes from Him Who sent me." They are one because Jesus is doing God's will. They are one in purpose. They are one in what is being taught. They are one in that Jesus is doing what God wants him to do.
Don't we see this every day?
When a wife goes to the bank to withdraw money, she is also withdrawing her husband's money too. When the wife signs an agreement, her husband is also bound to that agreement. This is because husband and wife are considered one in their execution of business matters.The wife has not become the husband. They are still two individuals. But they still have a oneness in business, and (hopefully) a oneness in purpose when it comes to the use of money.
There are many other examples of this type of oneness of purpose. There is a oneness of purpose between an ambassador and the government leader the ambassador represents. There is a oneness of purpose between the baseball player and the baseball coach.
There are many other examples of this type of oneness of purpose. There is a oneness of purpose between an ambassador and the government leader the ambassador represents. There is a oneness of purpose between the baseball player and the baseball coach.
There is a oneness of purpose between the CEO of a company and the company's managers. In all of these instances, the individuals involved do not lose their individuality. They simply have a particular relationship that predicates having an identical purpose.
Jesus' relationship with the Supreme Being is based upon loving service: Jesus is the loving servant and messenger of the Supreme Being, and as a result, the Supreme Being has instructed Jesus to teach others on His behalf. This creates a oneness of purpose as Jesus executed this instruction.
The other point Jesus makes is that even though Moses laid down the law, and those people surrounding Jesus were supposedly following Moses' teachings (as they were Jews), they were trying to kill Jesus – someone who was teaching on behalf of the Supreme Being just as Moses was.
Jesus' relationship with the Supreme Being is based upon loving service: Jesus is the loving servant and messenger of the Supreme Being, and as a result, the Supreme Being has instructed Jesus to teach others on His behalf. This creates a oneness of purpose as Jesus executed this instruction.
The other point Jesus makes is that even though Moses laid down the law, and those people surrounding Jesus were supposedly following Moses' teachings (as they were Jews), they were trying to kill Jesus – someone who was teaching on behalf of the Supreme Being just as Moses was.
