"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. “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. (John 5:19-30)
This passage of the inspired Scriptures is one of the clearest testimonies to the deity of our Lord Jesus. In this article, I will go verse-by-verse through this text an provide an exegesis and analysis of it.
Basic Context: The Lord Jesus heals a man by the pool, and then the Jews (in particular the unbelieving Pharisees) begin to accuse Him of breaking the Sabbath and making Himself equal with God (v. 18).
"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." (John 5:19)
Ἀπεκρίνατο οὖν ὁ Ἰησοῦς καὶ ἔλεγεν αὐτοῖς· ἀμὴν ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν, οὐ δύναται ὁ υἱὸς ποιεῖν ἀφ’ ἑαυτοῦ οὐδὲν ἐὰν μή τι βλέπῃ τὸν πατέρα ποιοῦντα· ἃ γὰρ ἂν ἐκεῖνος ποιῇ, ταῦτα καὶ ὁ υἱὸς ὁμοίως ποιεῖ
Here Jesus is responding to the accusations of the Jews from verse 18. What Jesus is saying here is that "making Himself equal with God" didn't mean He was completely independent from His father.
Quite a few interpreters and scholars have claimed that Jesus employs a brief "parable" here in v. 19 over a filial relationship (father-son relationship). However, this is unlikely. NT scholar Herman Ridderbos says the following concerning this interpretation:
"In the first place one has to assume that the absolute reference to "the" father and "the" son first occurs parabolically and then, without no indication, passes directly to God as "the Father" and Christ as "the Son" in vs. 20b, and that the father and the son occur first as subjects in the parable (vs. 20a) and then (vs. 20b) in divine reality - a rhetorical form that is hard to place" (Herman Ridderbos, The Gospel of John: A Theological Commentary, pg. 192)
This verse has been used to support the idea that the Son is subordinate to the Father in an ontological sense. However, this is not what our Lord Jesus is teaching here. When Jesus says he can do nothing of His own accord, he means apart from the Father. As we will see in the rest of the passage, "That the Son can do nothing of his own accord but only what he sees the Father doing" is explained not by subordination to the Father but by Sonship" (Ridderbos, pg. 192)
"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." (John 5:20)
ὁ γὰρ πατὴρ φιλεῖ τὸν υἱὸν καὶ πάντα δείκνυσιν αὐτῷ ἃ αὐτὸς ποιεῖ, καὶ μείζονα τούτων δείξει αὐτῷ ἔργα, ἵνα ὑμεῖς θαυμάζητε.
NT scholar D.A. Carson says in his commentary that vv. 19-23 are structured around four gar (Gk. "for; because") statements. This verse is one of them. Here Jesus is unfolding what it means that the Son does what the Father does. How and why does Jesus do it? This verse gives us a clear answer: the Father loves the Son shows Him the things that He is doing.
For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he will. (John 5:21)
ὥσπερ γὰρ ὁ πατὴρ ἐγείρει τοὺς νεκροὺς καὶ ζῳοποιεῖ, οὕτως καὶ ὁ υἱὸς οὓς θέλει ζῳοποιεῖ
The action of "raising the dead" and "giving them life" is, according to the OT, a prerogative of Yahweh:
"The LORD kills and brings to life; he brings down to Sheol and raises up." (1 Samuel 2:6)
"And when the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes and said, “Am I God, to kill and to make alive, that this man sends word to me to cure a man of his leprosy? Only consider, and see how he is seeking a quarrel with me.” (2 Kings 5:7)
"Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I will open your graves and raise you from your graves, O my people. And I will bring you into the land of Israel. And you shall know that I am the LORD, when I open your graves, and raise you from your graves, O my people. And I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I am the LORD; I have spoken, and I will do it, declares the LORD.” (Ezekiel 37:12-14)
Not only in the OT do we have this idea. We also have this in extrabiblical Jewish literature, such as the Talmud. Here is an interesting example of this:
"Rabbi Yohanan said: There are three keys maintained in the hand of the Holy One, Blessed be He, which were not transmitted to an intermediary, i.e., God tends to these matters Himself. And they are: The key of rain, the key of birthing, and the key of the resurrection of the dead." (Talmud, Taanit 2a:12)
Some might object that the prophet Elijah also raised the widow's dead son in 1 Kings 17, and yet Elijah obviously wasn't God. However, notice what Jesus says here: "the Son gives life to whom he will [οὕτως καὶ ὁ υἱὸς οὓς θέλει ζῳοποιεῖ]". Jesus raises whoever He wills from the dead.
"Unlike Elijah, Jesus is no mere instrument of divine power. (The point is further enlarged in v. 22.) Just as he chose one man out of the crowd of ill people by Bethesda (v. 6), so he chooses those to whom he gives life (cf. 15:16)." (D.A. Carson, The Pillar New Testament Commentary - The Gospel According to John, pg. 253)
If we combine all of this information together, we can clearly see that our Lord Jesus is claiming to be Yahweh!
For the Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son, (John 5:22)
οὐδὲ γὰρ ὁ πατὴρ κρίνει οὐδένα, ἀλλὰ τὴν κρίσιν πᾶσαν δέδωκεν τῷ υἱῷ
We have here another intimation of the deity of Christ. How so? Look at what the OT says about the act of God judging (the world):
“For behold, in those days and at that time, when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem, I will gather all the nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. And I will enter into judgment with them there, on behalf of my people and my heritage Israel, because they have scattered them among the nations and have divided up my land, and have cast lots for my people, and have traded a boy for a prostitute, and have sold a girl for wine and have drunk it." (Joel 3:1-3)
" 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. " (John 5:23)
ἵνα πάντες τιμῶσιν τὸν υἱὸν καθὼς τιμῶσιν τὸν πατέρα. ὁ μὴ τιμῶν τὸν υἱὸν οὐ τιμᾷ τὸν πατέρα τὸν πέμψαντα αὐτόν
Here Jesus explains why the Father has entrusted judgment to the Son (v. 22): in order that (hina) "all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father." The words "just as" are significant. Jesus is saying that the Son will be worshipped in the same way the Father is worshipped. This is a clear-cut claim to deity made by Jesus. Look at what the prophet Isaiah says about the honor that is given to God:
"I am the LORD; that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to carved idols." (Isaiah 42:8)
In our next article, we will continue the exegesis of this passage in defense of the truth that Jesus Christ is indeed God in human flesh.
No comments:
Post a Comment