John 5:19-29--The Authority of the Son

John 5:19-29
English Standard Version

The Authority of the Son
19 So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise. 20 For the Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself is doing. And greater works than these will he show him, so that you may marvel. 21 For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he will. 22 For the Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son, 23 that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him. 24 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.

25 “Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. 26 For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. 27 And he has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man. 28 Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice 29 and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment.

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This passage is right on the heels of the one we studied yesterday where Jesus clearly claimed equality with God and revealed Himself as God the Son to the Jews.  He said He's always doing the work of His Father, but now He goes further and says that He does nothing on His own accord, but only does what He sees the Father doing.  This is an amazing statement!  So much is wrapped up in this.

First we see that Jesus is submissive, which we don't normally think of as an attribute of God, but the Son submits to the Father, and we will see later in the book of John and in other places in the New Testament that the Spirit submits to the Son.  Next, we see that the Son has full and intimate knowledge of everything the Father has been doing and is doing as He sees it all.  That is something that would require the omniscience of God, and to be able to do the things that God the Father is doing would also require Jesus to be omnipotent like God the Father, and Jesus claims that the Father is going to show the Son even greater works (probably referring to greater signs than they have already seen) so that they will see them and marvel.

Certainly the greatest of these that they will see will be His Resurrection, but I don't think that's what Jesus is talking about here.  It seems Jesus is referring to the miracle of regeneration that will happen in all of those that belong to Him.  He points to the fact that the Father will physically raise the dead and give life to them if He wills, but the Son raises the spiritually dead to walk in newness of life and gives eternal life to all that He wills.

Also, Jesus makes it clear that the Father will not judge anyone, but that the Father will give all judgement to the Son.  This must have shocked the Jews, and I'm sure that it shocks some Christians.  Jesus is the one that will sit on the Bema Seat, but He's also the one that will sit on The Great White Throne.  In this way, God the Father will make everyone honor God the Son and refusal to honor the Son is refusal to honor the Father who sent the Son as the Son is the official envoy of the Father (we see this taught in the parable of The Vineyard and the Tenants in Luke 20:1-20).

Then Jesus makes a really bold statement.  He gives everyone the standard by which He is going to judge by.  Everyone who hears His words and believes Him [the Father] who sent the Son will have eternal life and will not face judgment because such a man has passed from death to life.  That's really good news!  In fact, that is THE "good news"--the gospel.

Jesus is saying that time for decision on whether to believe His words is right here and right now in front of them.  The choice of eternal life or judgment stands before them and is contingent on how they treat the words of Jesus.  If they hear and obey, they will be given eternal life, but if they hear and continue to rebel, then they will stand in judgment and will have no excuse when the Judge is the one they have rebelled against.

Jesus then makes another bold statement--He has the same nature as God the Father (given to Him by the Father) to have life in Himself.  He has the authority to give life and to take it away, and He has been given the power and authority execute the judgments and verdicts that He makes because He is the Son of Man (a phrase these Jewish leaders would recognize from Daniel 7).

Then Jesus says He will not only be the Judge of the living, but of the dead.  So that one day all the souls that are in their tombs will hear His voice and will obey it and will come out--those who have done good (heard His words and obeyed them) to eternal life, and those who have done evil (heard His words and rebelled against them) to eternal judgment.

Jesus couldn't have been more clear here about who He was.  For those who say that Jesus never claimed to be God, they have not read the Gospel of John as it is full of Jesus saying and doing things that only God should be able to say and do, but we will see as Jesus is saying next time that no one should make the decision based on His testimony about Himself, but that there is the testimony of the Father, of the Law and the Prophets, of the Spirit, and today the testimony of the Church that Jesus is who He says He is.  We who have experienced regeneration are the "greater work" that Jesus was referring to and how we live our lives gives evidence to the power that Jesus claimed to have in this passage.  Do we live like those who honor the Father and the Son and therefore no longer fear condemnation or judgment, or do we live like those in open rebellion against both the Son and the Father who sent the Son and fear the Word of God and the voice of the one who will preside as Judge over both the living and the dead?  If we belong to Jesus, we need not fear the voice of our Good Shepherd, because He laid down His life for us so that we might have both eternal and abundant life.