John 5:23 “That all men should honor the Son, even as they honor the Father. He that honors not the Son honors not the Father which hath sent him.
The Greek word which we render ‘honor’ means ‘to fix a value on’. Jesus is, therefore, saying, “Whatever value you place on God-- place the same value on me.” This again is an obvious claim to being God. Think about it—-how highly do you value God? Then value Jesus in just the same way! That’s what Christ teaches! But that’s preposterous and blasphemous unless, however, Christ is actually God.
To understand the power of what the Lord is teaching in this verse, we should remember that the God of the Bible declares that He will not share His Glory with anyone else. We read,
“I am the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another,” (Isaiah. 42:8).
Yet here in John 5:23 Jesus is deliberately claiming equality with God by demanding the honor which should go to God alone. So you see how it is an impossibility to say that Jesus was the Son of God but not God.
Jesus teaches that when we honor the Son, we are to give him the same honor that we give the Father. The cults and Christ rejecters are judged guilty by this verse——--cults such as the JW’s think in terms of “Here’s God and here’s man and Jesus is somewhere in between them. He is higher than man but, lower than God!” But Jesus teaches no such thing. What these cults do not realize is that since Christ is God, to refuse to honor Him as such is to entirely fail to honor the God they erroneously claim to love.
Listen to Christ’s words again, “That all men should honor the Son, even as they honor the Father. He that honors not the Son honors not the Father which hath sent him.”
Some scholars tell us that this word ‘honor’ can also mean ‘worship’. According to Robertson, ‘Jesus claims here the same right to worship from men that the Father has. Dishonoring Jesus is dishonoring the Father who sent him. There is small comfort here for those who praise Jesus as teacher and yet deny his claims to worship.’
Robertson’s Word Pictures of the New Testament.
Any way we look at it, this statement of Christ’s is totally scandalous if He is not God. If He is not God He ought to be condemned as a malignant evildoer. Here He is demanding that we honor and worship Him the same way we would the Father. If He is not God in human flesh appearing then He is telling us all to commit idolatry! So away, once and for all, with these patronizing notions that He was a good teacher, but not God. If He’s not God, He’s a fraud!————-If He is God, worship Him, trust Him and follow Him.
So, Jesus was a great teacher but not God? How can he be a great teacher and say things like this? If He’s not God he’s talking drivel and no great teacher talks drivel! Yet people still foolishly insist that Jesus made no claim to Deity. They, as one old time preacher said, “Rejoice in their power to rectify the mistakes and errors in the words of Jesus.” But, let’s say it again, if He’s not God, He’s a fraud!
The Lord Jesus Christ, who was God manifest in the flesh, requires us to honor Him as we honor the Father. So, when a person says Jesus Christ is not God, he’s not only dishonoring the Son, but also dishonoring the Father.
And That’s the Gospel Truth!