As we continue the God’s Image study, I want to consider how we respond to the relationships we have been examining.
We have followed the Father’s place as Source, Jesus’ appointment and anointing, and the work accomplished through him. Now another question comes into view:
What does honoring the Father require of our response to the Son He sent?
Jesus addresses that relationship directly.
The Honor the Father Intends
In John 5, Jesus explains that the Father has entrusted judgment to the Son. He gives the purpose:
“so that all will honor the Son even as they honor the Father.”
— John 5:23, LSB
The verse continues by connecting failure to honor the Son with failure to honor the Father who sent him.
I want to preserve the strength of that statement.
The Father’s place in our study does not give us permission to disregard Jesus. The Father Himself intends the Son to receive honor.
The surrounding words also preserve their relationship: the Father gives, the Son receives, and the Father sends him.
The honor and the sending belong together.
Receiving Reaches Back to the Sender
Jesus develops this relationship further in John 13:20. Receiving someone he sends is described as receiving him; receiving Jesus is described as receiving the One who sent him. John 13:20.
There is a progression:
The Father sends Jesus → Jesus sends others → their reception reaches back to the sender.
The participants remain distinguishable, but the response to one carries significance for the others.
This helps me understand representation. Someone sent can faithfully carry another’s words and authority. Receiving that person involves recognizing the commission.
The verse does not make every messenger the same person as the sender. It explains why our treatment of the messenger matters to the relationship.
Whose Teaching Is It?
Jesus also identifies the source of his teaching:
“My teaching is not Mine, but from Him who sent Me.”
— John 7:16, LSB
That statement gives direction to how I listen.
If I honor Jesus, I need to pay attention when he identifies the Father as the source of what he teaches. I should not detach the message from the One to whom Jesus attributes it.
The following verses connect recognition of the teaching with willingness to do God’s will. They also distinguish seeking personal recognition from seeking the Glory of the One who sent him.
For me, this reaches beyond identifying a speaker. It asks what the speaker is seeking and whose purpose the teaching serves.
The Commandment He Received
John 12 returns to the same relationship. Jesus explains that the Father who sent him gave him a commandment concerning what to say and speak. He describes the Father’s commandment as eternal life and affirms that his speech follows what the Father told him. John 12:49–50.
The Father’s instruction is central to Jesus’ explanation of his own words.
This makes obedience part of the question.
Do I receive what Jesus says about the Father? Do I allow his explanation to shape my understanding of his mission? Or do I honor him in words while setting aside the relationship he repeatedly describes?
I want my acknowledgment of Jesus to include listening to him.
Honoring a Role Faithfully
Throughout this study, we have asked whether sharing a title makes different participants interchangeable.
These passages bring the question into practice.
The Father sends. Jesus faithfully speaks and acts within that commission. Others are sent in turn. Their responsibilities are connected, but each must be understood in its particular place.
For me, honoring a role means recognizing it as Scripture presents it. I do not want to diminish what has been given or assign something the passage has not established.
The greatness of Jesus’ commission deserves full recognition. So does his faithfulness to the Father.
Returning to the First Commandment
As I consider putting no other god before YHWH (יהוה), I must also consider how He directs me to respond to those He appoints.
John 5 makes the relationship especially clear: disregarding the Son does not honor the Father who sent him.
Putting God first therefore includes taking His appointments seriously.
In my understanding, honoring Jesus faithfully preserves the Father’s place and receives the Son according to the relationship he describes. It gives attention to his words, his authority, and his obedience.
This is why the details we have studied matter. They shape how we understand—and how we respond.
What Does My Response Reveal?
I can recognize a title without allowing the teaching to change me.
So I need to ask:
Am I listening to what Jesus actually says about the Father?
Do I distinguish a genuine commission from someone’s claim to possess one?
Am I seeking God’s will, or only agreement with my present understanding?
Does my response become visible in faithful conduct?
Jesus’ instruction in Matthew 22:37–40 remains central: wholehearted love for God and love for our neighbor.
Receiving his teaching should shape both.
I want to honor the Son by listening to him, and honor the Father by receiving the Son He sent.
Threads to Follow
Honor given to the Son: Following the Father’s stated purpose.
Receiving and sending: Preserving the relationship between messenger and sender.
The source of the teaching: Listening to Jesus’ own explanation.
The Father’s commandment: Connecting speech, obedience, and life.
Faithful response: Allowing recognition to become conduct.
The books were opened…
🌿 By Maria Emilia
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