Jesus responded to them, “My Father is still working, and I am working also.” This is why the Jews began trying all the more to kill him: Not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal to God. 5:17-18
It is an amazing thing to consider, but I have never found a non-Christian who had a problem with Jesus. Everyone I meet respects and (at some level) honors Jesus, but it is because they often believe in a Jesus of their own making. Muslims tend to believe in a Jesus who was a respected Prophet but not the Son of God. Even secular atheists often believe there was a historical person named Jesus who was a good man and teacher. Hindus, Buddhists, and even the typical hedonistic lost person in the West either believe Jesus never existed or that He existed in a form that is palatable to their tastes, consistent with their religious perspective and non-confrontational about their sin. The problem with this is the Jesus of their imagination never existed.
The Jesus of the Bible claimed to not only just be the Son of God, but God Himself manifested in human flesh. The Jews in Jesus’ day understood this, and this is why (unlike most today) they hated Him. He broke their Sabbath rules because He was the “Lord of the Sabbath” and He followed His law, not theirs. He claimed that God was His Father, which in their Jewish context automatically meant He was saying that He was equal to God. They wanted to kill Him because He snubbed their self-imposed authority, He challenged their tradition and licentiousness, and most of all He exposed them as hypocrites. Jesus is a God of love and grace, but He is also holy; His holy light exposed their darkened sinful hearts and they hated Him for it.
This is the Jesus of Scripture and this is the one you must receive in order to be saved. Most people want a tame Jesus who fits in with their worldview and never rocks the boat. The Jesus of the Bible, though, is God incarnate, the second person of the Godhead, and the creator of everything. Yes, He is the savior of the world, but He is also the judge before whom all will stand and give an account. In John 6, Jesus tells those who were following Him for selfish reasons, “This is the work of God—that you believe in the one he has sent.” (6:29) He still makes that demand today! If you are going to do what pleases God you have to believe in Jesus; not the Jesus of your wishful imagination, but the actual Jesus of the bible. He is God, He is Holy, He is Judge and He is good; no other Jesus will do.
