What is the meaning of John 5:43? I have come in My Father’s name “I have come in My Father’s name” (John 5:43) shows Jesus speaking as the perfect Representative of God. • His words, works, and very presence carry the Father’s full authority (John 5:19; 8:28). • By coming “in My Father’s name,” He fulfills the prophetic promise of Deuteronomy 18:18 that God would raise up a prophet who speaks His words. • He is sent, not self-appointed, echoing John 6:38 — “I have come down from heaven not to do My own will but the will of Him who sent Me.” • Because Father and Son are one (John 10:30), to honor the Son is to honor the Father (John 5:23). Rejecting Jesus therefore rejects God Himself. and you have not received Me “you have not received Me” highlights the tragic unbelief of Jesus’ hearers, especially the religious leaders. • John 1:11 notes the same pattern: “He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.” • Their refusal was not due to lack of evidence; Jesus had just healed a man at Bethesda (John 5:1-15) and appealed to multiple witnesses—John the Baptist, Scripture, and the Father (John 5:31-40). • The issue was spiritual blindness and hardened hearts (Matthew 13:14-15). • This rejection fulfills Isaiah 53:3 — “He was despised and rejected by men.” but if someone else comes in his own name, you will receive him “but if someone else comes in his own name, you will receive him” exposes a sobering irony. • History confirms how readily people accept self-made messiahs: Gamaliel mentions Theudas and Judas the Galilean rallying followers (Acts 5:36-37). • Jesus calls such leaders “strangers” whose voice the sheep do not truly know (John 10:5). • The tendency climaxes in the future “man of lawlessness” who “exalts himself” (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4). • The root problem is misplaced desire for human applause and worldly glory (John 12:43), making hearts susceptible to charismatic impostors. • By contrast, Jesus seeks only the Father’s glory (John 7:18), yet is overlooked. summary John 5:43 contrasts the humble, Father-sent Messiah with the self-promoting figures people too often prefer. Rejecting Jesus is rejecting the very God whose name He bears, while embracing self-styled saviors exposes hearts drawn to human pride rather than divine truth. The verse urges wholehearted reception of Christ alone, the One who comes in the Father’s name and authority, offering life to all who believe. |
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