Anchor My Faith

The Ability to Raise Himself

Scripture: John 10:18-21

In the previous lesson we considered the Father’s love for Jesus and its connection to his death and resurrection. We will consider that further in this lesson.

^{Jn 10:18} “No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.”

No other human can make the statement that Jesus made: “No one takes [my life] from me, but I lay it down of my own accord.” Can you prevent anyone or anything from taking your life? Do you have that kind of control over things around you? Can you extend life to a date you choose to die? In the case of Jesus, the laying down of his life is absolutely self-determined, and his willingness is the reason of the Father’s love.

Jesus had the right to put himself in the way of danger and of death when a dying world needed such an atoning sacrifice. This willingness to sacrifice himself for us demonstrates his love for us. His death would yield the fruit of love; the salvation of many souls. Jesus had the authority and the ability to choose the time of death and how he would die. To further demonstrate his love for us and as an example for those who live under persecution, he chooses the most painful, lingering, ignominious manner of death then known to man. Up to the very last moments of his life, Jesus had control of when it would occur. His death was completely and perfectly voluntary. We see this in Luke 23:46 ESV: “Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” And having said this he breathed his last.”

When Jesus said, “I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again.” is something that only God can claim. A dead person has no power to raise himself from the grave. To have this power after he was deceased proves that Jesus was more than just human. Only God has the power to raise the dead and Jesus had this power to raise himself and proves that he was divine.

This ability to raise himself from the dead, was a charge he received from the Father. Many say that the New Testament teaches that the Father raised up Jesus. I am not so willing to accept that. Consider Acts 2:32 ESV: “This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses.” Many say that “God” refers to God the Father, but I do not agree. Consider the two terms “Jesus God”, given in the above verse, and consider Jesus as Man/God. When Jesus as flesh died, his God nature was still alive, and it was that nature that raised his body alive from the tomb, not the Father. Jesus received the authority from the Father to raise himself and had the power as the Son of God to do so.

Clearly this was not understood by many of the Jews as ^{Jn 10:19} “There was again a division among the Jews because of these words. ²⁰ Many of them said, “He has a demon, and is insane; why listen to him?” ²¹ Others said, “These are not the words of one who is oppressed by a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?” Those who say Jesus has a demon are wrong because in Psalm 46:8 we read, “The Lord opens the eyes of the blind.”

Conclusion

I have enjoyed working through this section on Jesus as the good shepherd. It was another example of how unique Jesus was. Who else could heal a man born blind, to lay down his life for our salvation, to determine when and how he would die, and to have the power to raise himself from the dead? Clearly, no one else.