The
Passage
16
For this reason the Jews persecuted Jesus, and sought to kill Him, because He
had done these things on the Sabbath. 17 But Jesus answered them, “My Father
has been working until now, and I have been working.”
18
Therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill Him, because He not only broke
the Sabbath, but also said that God was His Father, making Himself equal with
God. 19 Then Jesus answered and said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you,
the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever
He does, the Son also does in like manner. 20 For the Father loves the Son, and
shows Him all things that He Himself does; and He will show Him greater works
than these, that you may marvel. 21 For
as the Father raises the dead and gives life to them, even so the Son gives
life to whom He will. 22 For the Father judges no one, but has committed all
judgment to the Son, 23 that all should honor the Son just as they honor the
Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.
24 “Most assuredly, I say to
you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life,
and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life. 25 Most
assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, 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 to have life in Himself,
27 and has given Him authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son
of Man. 28 Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are
in the graves will hear His voice 29 and come forth—those who have done good,
to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection
of condemnation. 30 I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My
judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the
Father who sent Me.
31
“If I bear witness of Myself, My witness is not true. 32 There is another who
bears witness of Me, and I know that the witness which He witnesses of Me is
true. 33 You have sent to John, and he has borne witness to the truth. 34 Yet I
do not receive testimony from man, but I say these things that you may be
saved. 35 He was the burning and shining lamp, and you were willing for a time
to rejoice in his light. 36 But I have a greater witness than John’s; for the
works which the Father has given Me to finish—the very works that I do—bear
witness of Me, that the Father has sent Me. 37 And the Father Himself, who sent
Me, has testified of Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen
His form. 38 But you do not have His word abiding in you, because whom He sent,
Him you do not believe. 39 You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you
have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. 40 But you are not
willing to come to Me that you may have life.
41
“I do not receive honor from men. 42 But I know you, that you do not have the
love of God in you. 43 I have come in My Father’s name, and you do not receive
Me; if another comes in his own name, him you will receive. 44 How can you
believe, who receive honor from one another, and do not seek the honor that
comes from the only God? 45 Do not think that I shall accuse you to the Father;
there is one who accuses you—Moses, in whom you trust. 46 For if you believed
Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote about Me. 47 But if you do not
believe his writings, how will you believe My words?”
Explanation,
Observations and Insights
After
healing the invalid man on the Sabbath, Jesus was confronted by the Pharisees
for breaking the Sabbath. His defense was to declare His deity. Just as God the
Father continues to work on the Sabbath, so Jesus works (v. 17). The two works
that the Jews recognized that God continued to do on the Sabbath was to give
life in birth and judgment in death, for babies continued to be born and people
died on the Sabbath. Jesus declared that the Father has now given Him authority
over life and death.
When
Jesus met with Nicodemus in John 3, He said, “He who believes in Him is not
condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not
believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” Does John 3:18
contradict John 5? Not at all! Mankind is already condemned; we are born separated
from God, spiritually dead in our trespasses and sins according to Romans 5:12
and Ephesians 5:21. While our physical bodies live here on earth, Jesus stands
between us and separation from God for eternity. In fact, in John 1:18, Jesus
declares that He is the one who holds the keys of death and Hell. We have this
time on earth to turn to Jesus for life. At the moment of our death, the
judgment will be finalized. If believe Jesus, His words, His cross-work...we
are passed from death to life and will never experience judgment.
Compare
these similar passages,
John 3:36, “He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not
believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”
John 5:24 “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears
My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not
come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.”
1 John 5:11-13, “And this is the testimony: that God has
given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has
life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. These things I
have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may
know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the
name of the Son of God.”
Colossians 1:13, 14, “He [God] has delivered us from the power
of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we
have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.”
When
we put all the Scriptures together and compare them, we can come to the truth
about who grants eternal life. Pulling Scriptures together in such a way is
called Systematic Theology. In this case we conclude that it is both the Father
and the Son who grant everlasting life. The Scriptures support one another to prove
Jesus’ Godhood. He is God the Son.
And
what a glorious truth this is! “Most
assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will
hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live.” (vs. 25) I was once dead in my trespasses and sins. I
heard the voice of the Word of God and believed; now I live! I can know
beyond any shadow of doubt because I have the sure testimony of the Father and
the Son. Hallelujah!
“For as the Father has life in Himself, so He
has granted the Son to have life in Himself, and has given Him authority to
execute judgment also, because He is the Son of Man...” Commentator David
Guzik explains,
“None of us has life inherent
in ourselves. Our life is derived from our parents, and the fragile environment
around us. Jesus claimed that His life was derived from no one; it is inherent
and uncreated. Theologians call this quality of self-existence aseity and recognize that God alone
possesses it.”
[1]
Jesus
declaration incited them to plot His murder. What was so clear and condemnatory
to the Jews often elicits little more than a yawn to many of us today. As a
believer, the truth of Jesus’ statements should so enrapture me, that I should
not be able to contain it. My lack of sharing the Gospel of salvation is proof
that I do not understand the reality of judgment.
The
same Jesus, who we declare loves the world, is the same Jesus who will judge
it. He showed His love by receiving the judgment of death in our place to atone
for sin. (Romans 5:8) He alone is worthy of granting life to those who believe,
and executing judgment on those who reject Him. He alone is worthy of my
praise!
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