The Passage
This week we are going to study John 5:19-29. So let’s read the passage, “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. And greater works than these will he show him, so that you may marvel. For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he will. For 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. 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. “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 the 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.”
Truly, Truly
In John 5:19-29, Jesus is talking to the Pharisees and Jews after being confronted about healing the man at the pool of Bethesda on the Sabbath. We see that Jesus says, “Truly, truly I say to you,” when Jesus says this, He is about to say something that is absolutely true, so we should all pay attention to what comes next. Truly, truly means amen and when Jesus says this, He often meant that what was being said is true and is attested to by first-hand knowledge. Jesus is recorded saying, truly, truly twenty-six times in the Gospel of John. Each time He shares a precious truth with us about who He is and oftentimes about how to have everlasting life with Him, in this particular instance, He does both.
Only Doing what the Father is Doing
Jesus reveals the truth that He does nothing on His own, but only what He sees His Father doing. Imagine being so close with God that you could say you only do what you see Him doing. I think that we can have a relationship with God, where He shows us what He is doing and what He would have us do. But because of our broken state of sin, I do not think we can say that we only do what we see the Father doing. Jesus then goes on to say that 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”. The reason God reveals what He is doing to the Son is because He loves Him. This means the Father can and will reveal what He is doing through us, if we are listening. One way we still know He is doing this today is through the prompting of the Holy Spirit and through His Word (the Bible). He says that greater things He will reveal to the Son and that they would marvel because of them. Jesus then goes on to foretell what those things will be. Because God is the only one who can perfectly foreshadow what is going to happen in life. He says that as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also will the Son give life to whom He wills. I think Jesus was referring to three things by saying this, first He was foreshadowing His own resurrection, the second is those He raised from the dead like Lazarus, the little girl, and the many others who rose at His resurrection (John 11, Mark 5:35-43, Matthew 27:52-53), and the third thing I think He was foreshadowing, was the resurrection of everyone, some to the resurrection of life and others to judgment.
Judgment and Honor were Given to the Son
Jesus then goes on to say, “For 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.” All judgment has been given to Him, so they should honor Him, just as they honor the Father. This definitely made the Pharisees mad, because Jesus just said that He was to be honored like they honored the Father. He then said, that if you honor the Son, then you honor the Father who sent Him. After this, Jesus said, another Truly, truly statement, this time He is telling us how to live forever with Him. He said, “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.” If you would like to pass from death to life, all you have to do is to admit that you are a sinner, repent of your sins (repent means turn away), believe that Jesus died on the cross for your sins and God raised Him from the dead, then confess Him as Lord and Savior of your life (Romans 10:9).
Everyone will be Resurrected
Jesus then dives deeper into the resurrection that will happen at His second coming, telling us that the good will be resurrected to life and the evil will be resurrected to judgment. What determines which one you are, is not your actions, but your trust in Jesus. I pray that today, you will put your trust in Jesus, so that your resurrection will be to the resurrection of life. Because whether you believe or not, you will rise again and your decision about Jesus, during your life, will determine where you spend eternity. You need to make sure you are right with God, because we all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God and the punishment for sin is death (Romans 3:23, 6:23). So this week, make sure you are right with God! As Christians, we should seek to draw so close to God, that we feel Him moving and follow His lead. The best way to grow your relationship with God, is through prayer and reading the Bible.
Check out the other blogs in this series A Study through the Gospel of John