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Divinity of Our Lord Jesus Christ

Faith Q&A › Metropolitan Youssef › Our Lord and the Faith › Divinity of Our Lord Jesus Christ

The question

Holy Gospel of St. John 5:17 "But Jesus answered them, "My Father has been working until now, and I have been working. Therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill Him, because He not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God." Can you explain this to me?

The answer

The Jews sought to kill Him because He said that God was His Father, making himself equal with God. This shows that, in the view of the Jews, the name "Son of God", or "calling God His Father" implied equality with God. The Jews were the best interpreters of their own language, and as Jesus did not deny the correctness of their interpretations, it follows that He meant to be so understood (John 10:29-38). The interpretation of the Jews was a very natural and just one. He not only said that God was His Father, but He said that He had the same right to work on the Sabbath that God had.

Answered by His Eminence Metropolitan Youssef (opens in a new tab)

Related questions

Questions answered by His Eminence Metropolitan Youssef (opens in a new tab) of the Coptic Orthodox Diocese of the Southern United States. Question 844 on the Diocese’s Q&A site. Questions and answers © Coptic Orthodox Diocese of the Southern United States. All rights reserved.