Gospel of John 5:19-47
Gospel of John - 5:19-47 • Sermon • Submitted
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Jesus gives an answer to an unspoken question, much like the man who picked up his mat in the beginning of the chapter who is only doing what Jesus told him to do, Jesus only does what He sees His Father doing.
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.
In the previous verses we learned that the Jews were seeking to kill Jesus because He considered Himself to be equal with God.
Jesus is giving His response to their unasked question: “Do you consider yourself to be equal to God?”
This is the fifth time in the Gospel of John that Jesus says, “Amen, Amen.”
“the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing”
Adversative use
Repeated again in 5:30; 7:17; 7:28; 8:28; 12:49; 14:10.
Jesus seeks only the glory of the one who sent Him
If anyone’s will is to do God’s will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority. The one who speaks on his own authority seeks his own glory; but the one who seeks the glory of him who sent him is true, and in him there is no falsehood.
joh
This seems to refer to His pre-existence with the Father, but perhaps not.
6:46 and 1:2
This would be like an apprentice learning by seeing what his father does.
He is a son, and not a slave, so the son will remain forever 8:35.
The son can make us free indeed 8:36
But in a sense the son is any son, even though it is referring to Jesus
The son sees what the father does (5:19).
The father shows the son (5:20)
There are no limits to how many “works”
“Whatever the Father does” (19)
“shows … all that he himself is doing” (20).
Ok, but what exactly, is being done?
To start with, the things Jesus did on the Sabbath Day, which is the matter at issue here, in the passage.
For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he will.
joh 5
Jesus and the Pharisees agree that God raises the dead.
What bothers the Pharisees is that Jesus calls God His Father.
Jesus repeats the form of “my Father is working, and I am working”.
Pharisees can’t accept that Jesus can raise the dead.
Readers know differently that the Pharisees because they’ve been reading the Gospel of John:
The Son brings life when he tells the man to get up and take his mat (5:8).
The Son brings life when he tell the ruler that his son lives (4:50, 53).
The Father testified on behalf of the Son (3:16)
John the Baptist testified on behalf of Jesus (3:36).
We know that Jesus is the Son (1:14, 18).
It is no scandal to readers that Jesus is equal to the Father.
The Jews, unlike Jesus, want to take life (5:18).
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.
joh 5
There are two opposites to life: death and judgment.
The Jews think they honor God by rejecting Jesus.
Jesus says that they are rejecting God when they reject Himself. (5:23)
Jesus claims they are dishonoring the God they claim to worship.
J
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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.
“Amen, Amen” (as in 19)
“listen up”
Shifts from “Son” to “I”.
Believe my word and you are believing him who sent me
Won’t be judged - will pass from death to life.
Those who are judged won’t have life.
John 5:25
John 5:25
“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.
J
“Amen, Amen” (19, 24, 25)
Those who hear will live.
Who are the dead?
Here are examples of those who hear the voice of the Son of God at other places in the Gospel of John:
Lazarus
The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”
joh 11:44
Mary
Mary
And when she heard it, she rose quickly and went to him.
The disciples
The disciples
And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.
To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.
My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.
Other sheep
Other sheep
And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.
My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.
Everyone of the truth
The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”
I know that you are offspring of Abraham; yet you seek to kill me because my word finds no place in you.
All of these belong to the ranks of the dead.
Yet, they will live - 5:25 says.
For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself.
The Father and the Son have life in themselves.
Right, but what does that mean?
If we eat of His flesh, we will have life in us, or eternal life.
Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.
And he has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man.
The Father gave the Son authority to exercise judgment because His is the Son of Man.
Following Colwell’s rule this should be translated, “the Son of Man” even though a definite article is not present.
“definite predicate nouns which preceded the verbs usually lack the article”
Other examples of this being used with the same words:
And he said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”
No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man.
And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up,
And he has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man.
Joh 5:27
Danlel 7:13-14 refers to one “like a Son of Man”.
“I saw in the night visions,
and behold, with the clouds of heaven
there came one like a son of man,
and he came to the Ancient of Days
and was presented before him.
And to him was given dominion
and glory and a kingdom,
that all peoples, nations, and languages
should serve him;
his dominion is an everlasting dominion,
which shall not pass away,
and his kingdom one
that shall not be destroyed.
dan
And Jesus begins to exercise His judgment.
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.
Don’t be amazed.
At what? The Son is involved in every aspect of the Father’s judgment.
But what bothers the Jewish authorities is that Jesus
“I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just, because I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me.
We are back where this all started: “I can do nothing on my own.”
Shift from “Son” (vs. 19) to “I”, here in verse 30.
What follows is His judgment, which is the same as the Father’s judgment.
If I alone bear witness about myself, my testimony is not true.
Instead of offering judgment Jesus offers testimony, in preparation of this judgment.
He testifies for himself.
Jewish law required two or more witnesses. This is only one, and it is not enough.
There is another who bears witness about me, and I know that the testimony that he bears about me is true.
The one who sent Jesus also offers testimony.
Implicity
But Jesus answered them, “My Father is working until now, and I am working.”
This was 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.
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.
Explicitly
And the Father who sent me has himself borne witness about me. His voice you have never heard, his form you have never seen,
joh 5
You sent to John, and he has borne witness to the truth. Not that the testimony that I receive is from man, but I say these things so that you may be saved. He was a burning and shining lamp, and you were willing to rejoice for a while in his light.
You sent to John, and he has borne witness to the truth.
Witness #3 - John the Baptist
Witness #3 — John the Baptist
But Jesus doesn’t accept human testimony.
He mentions it so that those He speaks to might become persuaded, and be saved.
He was not “the light” but he was a “burning and shining lamp”.
There was a time when these Jewish leaders rejoiced over John the Baptist.
Maybe they thought He was the Messiah.
But, that was only temporary.
At this point John the Baptist is either dead or in prison.
But the testimony that I have is greater than that of John. For the works that the Father has given me to accomplish, the very works that I am doing, bear witness about me that the Father has sent me. And the Father who sent me has himself borne witness about me. His voice you have never heard, his form you have never seen, and you do not have his word abiding in you, for you do not believe the one whom he has sent. You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life.
The very works the Pharisees hate, because they were performed on the Sabbath, give testimony to Jesus’ identity.
The Pharisees think they love God, but they have never loved God.
They think they have believed God’s word from Sinai.
But God is still speaking, and they refuse to listen.
You think you have eternal life because you hunt and search the scriptures.
Just like you loved John the Baptist, you love the scriptures.
But your searching has not led you to the truth.
You are right about the scriptures and John the Baptist.
But Jesus is what you need to be right about any of it.
Without Jesus you are not right about John the Baptist.
Without believing in Jesus you are not right about the law.
Without Jesus you are not right about God.
I do not receive glory from people. But I know that you do not have the love of God within you. I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not receive me. If another comes in his own name, you will receive him. How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God? Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father. There is one who accuses you: Moses, on whom you have set your hope.
In contrast with those who accuse Him, Jesus does not accept glory from humans.
Jesus knows they don’t have the love of God within themselves.
Makes me think of Paul’s words in 1Corithians 13, if you have not love, you are nothing.
Because they don’t love the Father, they don’t love the Son.
Perhaps their lack of love for God, the Father, is subconscious.
But their lack of love for the Son, is out in the open.
Perhaps it all comes down to the fact that approval of others is more important to them than anything else.
They don’t seek glory from God.
Jesus doesn’t need to accuse them, Moses will do the accusing of these people.
Ironically: They accuse Jesus of disbelief, but Jesus claims they are the ones who truly lack faith in God.
For if you believed Moses, you would believe me; for he wrote of me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words?”
They set their hope in Moses. (45)
But they don’t really believe in Moses.
If you did, you would believe in me
He wrote about me.
If you believed what he wrote you would see it.
Trust in Jesus and Moses rise and fall together.
You can’t believe in one without believing in both.