John 5:19-29 - Jesus Claims Equality With God - The Mysteries of God's Word

They tried to kill Jesus for healing on the Sabbath, but the real flashpoint was what He said next: God is His Father, and His work is the Father’s work. We open John 5:18–29 and follow Jesus into His first public debate with the rabbinical Jews, where He doesn’t soften the claim, He explains it. When Jesus says the Son does only what He sees the Father doing, we talk about what that reveals about the Trinity: unity in purpose, distinction in role, and a relationship so close the Father holds nothing back from the Son. 

From there, the passage turns startlingly direct. Jesus claims authority to give life and to raise the dead, and He adds something even more weighty: the Father gives all judgment to the Son so that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. We unpack why that means you can’t separate “belief in God” from what you do with Jesus, and why rejecting the Son is, by Jesus’ own words, rejecting the Father’s mission and message. 

Finally, we sit with Jesus’ promise that eternal life starts now for the one who hears and believes, and we trace His timeline of an hour that “is now here” and an hour that is still coming. We connect His “Son of Man” language to Daniel 7, and we look at the two outcomes Jesus puts side by side: the resurrection of life and the resurrection of judgment. If you’ve ever wondered how the Gospel of John ties faith, assurance, resurrection, and final accountability together, this is one of the clearest places to start. 

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Transcript

Setting The Scene In John 5

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Grace and peace to you from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Today again we are in John chapter 5, and we had just read about how Jesus healed the lame man at the pool of Bethesda, and he had done it on the Sabbath. Today we pick up in verse 18, which reads This is why the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him, because not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own father, making himself equal with God. In verse 18, it really gives us an introduction for these next two podcasts. Jesus is about to go into his first open debate with the rabbinical Jews. Not only had Jesus begun to impose on the Jewish leaders because he was becoming more popular, and his teachings were done outside of the traditional rabbinical order and oral laws of the day, but now Jesus is openly defying the laws of the Sabbath right there in Jerusalem in front of the Jewish leaders. Furthermore, he's claiming to be equal with God the Father. In the eyes of these Jewish leaders, this is blasphemy of the highest order. It deserved the death penalty. And so we pick up in verse 19, where Jesus begins his first open debate. 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. For the Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself is doing,

Father And Son Work As One

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and greater works than these he will show him, so that you may marvel. In our first two verses, verses nineteen and twenty today, Jesus begins with a truly, truly statement. He says the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. Jesus begins to describe his relationship with Father God. And in this we learn two things about the relationship of the Holy Trinity. While the Father and the Son are both God, they have different roles inside the Trinity. First, the Son's relationship is so intimate with the Father that he does nothing of his own accord. He is always working with the Father perfectly. He subjects himself to the will of the Father, and the two of them are working together perfectly. Second, the Son does whatever the Father does, and in the same way the Father does it. Jesus says that he is able to do the same things the Father does, essentially mimicking the Father. And by saying this, Jesus makes himself equal with the Father. Then Jesus says, For the Father loves the Son, and he shows him all that he's doing. Jesus continues to describe this relationship between the Father and the Son, and how the Father doesn't withhold anything from the Son, but shows him everything that he's doing. And then Jesus says a statement he's going to expound on in the next few verses. He says Greater works than these he will show you, so that you may marvel. Well, we know both that Jesus had many more miracles to come while here on earth, but Jesus is also alluding to his power to raise the dead. So let's read verses twenty one through twenty three. For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he will. For

Authority To Give Life And Judge

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the Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son, 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. In verses twenty one through twenty three, Jesus begins with an incredibly shocking statement to everyone who heard it. Jesus claims he has the authority to raise people from the dead, which is exclusively an activity and power of God. Then Jesus says, The Father judges no one but has given judgment to the Son. This again is a shocking statement to everyone around him. Judgment of the living and the dead is exclusively the authority and domain of God. Jesus says here that the Father has given him the authority to judge. Jesus' statement teaches us that he now has all authority to judge both the living and the dead. Jesus will be the judge and is the judge of every person. And Jesus says, whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father. Our Lord Jesus makes it very clear that the mission of Father God is through the Son of God. The work of Father God is done through the Son of God. If someone does not honor the work of the Son of God, Jesus the Christ, they do not honor the mission nor the message of the Father. Picking up in verse twenty four, Jesus continues. Truly, truly I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal

Eternal Life Now And Resurrection Later

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life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life. 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. For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself, and he has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man. Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in their tombs will hear his voice, and come out those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment. In verse twenty four we read another truly truly statement from Jesus. He says, Whoever hears my word and believes who sent me has eternal life. It's very clear from what Jesus says that eternal life begins the moment that a person repents of their sin and places their faith in the Messiah. Eternal life is both a now and coming event. Eternal life begins with our spirit being made new, but one day will be an eternal glorified body that will be raised from the dead and live with God in a new heavens and a new earth. Jesus says the hour is coming, but is now here. Jesus is teaching that through his voice, that through the Son of God, people have eternal life, both spiritually and physically. It is the message about Jesus the Messiah that has the power of God unto salvation. Furthermore, Jesus is saying that it is he that has the power to raise the dead. Jesus showed this physically while he was here on earth. Jesus raised four people from the dead while he was here in his ministry. He raised the widow's son in the village of Nain. He raised the twelve year old daughter of Jarius. He raised Lazarus, the brother of Martha and Mary, and he was raised from the dead himself. But Jesus also says there's an hour that is coming. Jesus refers to the resurrection of the dead at the end time when he will literally and physically bring to life all men and women, both believer and unbeliever. While the hour is here now, to be born again, to receive eternal life through the message about Jesus Christ, an hour is coming when Jesus will join our born again spirits to born new physical bodies resurrected and glorified at his second coming. Jesus says that the Father has given him authority to execute judgment because he's the Son of Man. As Jesus is making this declaration to the rabbinical Jews, he is declaring himself to be the Son of Man from Daniel chapter seven, verses thirteen and fourteen. And Jesus says there is an hour coming when everyone in their grave will hear his voice, and they will come out. Jesus says those who have done good to the resurrection of life. Doing good here is speaking of faith in Jesus. We know that under the law no one is good. There's not one, no one is righteous. But as Jesus so clearly pointed out to these Jewish leaders, it's not through a knowledge of our scripture and the law that we have eternal life, but it is through faith in him. Faith in the Messiah Jesus. Jesus tells us this is the resurrection of life. The resurrection of life is the first resurrection. And for most believers this will happen at the second coming of Jesus Christ when he comes in the clouds. As the apostle Paul says, we will be taken up in the twinkling of an eye to meet him. But those who have done evil will be resurrected to judgment. The resurrection of judgment is known as the second resurrection, or the great white throne judgment. Unbelievers will be resurrected and judged according to their works, and all men who are judged according to what they have done will be found wanting and evil in the eyes of a holy and good God, and they will be cast into the lake of fire. What a beautiful contrast Jesus gives between the two resurrections right here. Those who believe in Jesus as the Messiah will be resurrected to life. There will be no judgment upon them. But those who refuse the Son, who reject the Messiah, will be resurrected unto judgment. I pray that today, as you listen to this, your faith is in Jesus the Christ. Thank you for joining me for this first half of Jesus'

Two Resurrections And A Closing Prayer

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Declaration to the Rabbinical Jews. And join me next week as Jesus concludes this first and great declaration to the rabbis and Jewish people. God bless you this week.