23 that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.
Verse 23 gives the reason the Father entrusted all judgment to the Son.
23 that
The purpose of the Father working through the Son is so that the Son will be equally honored with Him.
all should honor the Son
Since the Son is the judge, He deserves honor. The “all” here is not honor from everyone without exception. The reference here is to those who have honored the Father. The Jews by rejecting the Son rejected also the Father. Both the Father and Son are one in essence.
just as they honor the Father.
Those of equal nature (vv. 17-18) should be conferred equal honor. They should receive equal honor because they have equal essence. This statement is clear evidence of the deity of Christ. All Scripture teaches that only God is to be worshipped.
He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.
The argument for the unity of the Father and Son continues here. Jesus was more than a messenger of the Father. He was the Father’s representative on earth. To ignore the Son is fatal to one’s soul.
The Son is worthy of the same worship as the Father because they are one in essence. The Father vindicates the Son by giving Him the right to judge. He was far more than an ambassador of God.
PRINCIPLE:
To dishonor the Son is to dishonor the Father.
APPLICATION:
Jesus claimed equality to the Father. Those who honor the Son must do so by acknowledging who He is. We acknowledge His authority over us; we accept His teaching as true.
Any praise to God that ignores revelation through the Son does not honor the Father. To reject the Son is to dishonor the Father. Jesus truly claims equality with God in His statements.
Php 2: 9 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Since the Father does nothing apart from the Son and the Son nothing apart from the Father, they deserve equal honor (Php 2:11).
