Mutual Honor

Read: John 5:16-30

Anyone who does not honor the Son is certainly not honoring the Father who sent him. John 5:23

IN WORD

The Father and Son are so united that to honor one is to honor the other, and to dishonor one is to dishonor the other. But there’s a corollary to this truth: Believers in the Son are so united with Him that to honor them is to honor the Son, and to dishonor them is to dishonor the Son. That means that even those believers who rub us the wrong way, even those who offend us and perhaps sin against us, are still heirs of glory and must be honored as children of God. If we are like our Master, the way others treat us may be an indication of their attitude toward Jesus. Likewise, the way we treat others among His followers may be an indication of ours.

Jesus said as much in saying that whoever hates us or persecutes us is really demonstrating their beliefs about the Son. Because a servant is not greater than his master, those who hate the Master will hate His followers, too. That should encourage us when we face persecution, but it should be a profoundly sobering warning about our attitudes toward others. Kingdom citizens are, in one way or another, a reflection of the King—and sometimes a reflection we don’t particularly approve of. Perhaps their familiarity with Him offends our sense of awe, or vice versa. Or maybe we look down on their high standards as legalism, while they look on our freedom as license—or vice versa. Whatever the case, some people reflect some aspects of God that are foreign to us, and we reflect some aspects that are foreign to others. And Jesus would urge us to honor anyone who bears His name.

IN DEED

Does that mean dispensing with all discernment and accepting everything? Of course not. It does, however, mean remembering that discernment can’t be a cover for a spirit of criticism and judgment. And it means that if Jesus treasures someone, so must we. Why? Because just as He and the Father are one, so are He and His people. And all of them are worthy of honor.

ADDITIONAL READING: Romans 12:10

The union of men with God is the union of men with one another.

THOMAS AQUINAS