Narkissos
Thanks that is what I wanted to know!
John 5:23
by kerj2leev 13 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
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Narkissos
As an afterthought: sometimes we miss the sentence for the words (like the forest for the trees). In John 5:23 the Johannine "high Christology" is not implied by the verb choice but by the very structure of the sentence: "so that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Anyone who does nothonor the Son does nothonor the Father who sent him."
Substitute any other non-exclusively religious verb to honor (love, serve, obey, praise, whatever) and the basic equation will remain the same: what is due to the Father is due to the Son. This equation is borne by the sentence structure rather than the specific verb choice.
lovelylil:
What do you think about the Acts verse and Stephen praying to Jesus? Would this not put Jesus on equal footing (at least in nature) as God?
I often wonder why Stephen would feel it appropriate to address Jesus rather than God (the father). and ask him rather than God to recieve his spirit. Even going by the premise that Jesus is not God as the WT teaches, This verse does seem to give credibility to those that say the early disciples viewed Jesus in a position higher than the WT teaches he was in.
I agree with you, and again it's not the specific word choice that matters. Epikaleô (calling upon) is not exclusively nor primarily a verb of prayer (later in the same book the same verb is used about Paul appealing to Caesar); moreover, prayer to Jesus is at best a minority practice in the NT and the history of church liturgy at large. But the endless discussion whether this is to be reckoned as "prayer" or not makes us miss the essential point which rests, not on this particular word but on the whole narrative construction (pointing back to the Lukan Passion story, Luke 23:46). From this intertextual perspective the author clearly suggests: what the Father was to Jesus, the Lord Jesus is to Stephen.
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lovelylil
Excellent point Narkissos, thank you.
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Steam
About Acts 7:59 and Stephen asking Lord Jesus receive my spirit.
Jesus had told them that all judgment had been turned over to him. Also they were in the gospel of the Law Age. The King had come and the Jews had him killed. Paul had not yet brought out the Gospel of the High Calling. Stephan saw Jesus next to God and thought it proper to speak unto Jesus.
Jesus is to be the God of earth during his kingdom. (Rev. 21:7) The resurrected billions will pray to Jesus, NOT to Jehovah.
Stephen knew that all spirits return unto God but Jesus had the power of judgment. And that was what concerned Stephen, his being judged. (Ecclesiastes 12:6,7) (John 5:22)(Matt. 11:27)(Acts 17:31)(1 Peter 4:5)(John 3:35, 17:2)