the Father ordained the plan He designed for His world. Jesus, God’s only begotten Son, humbled Himself to become one of us and willingly and lovingly submitted Himself to that plan. Everything he did in His life on earth and in his death on the cross was in perfect harmony with His Father’s plan (v. 19). Jesus was busy doing the work of God.
Jesus tried to assure His critics that God the Father loved Him and was very well pleased with what He was doing and would do. Always, Jesus was doing what His heavenly Father wanted Him to do and to say. Jesus the Son of God was all-powerful just as God the Father was. Both could do anything they chose to do which was in harmony with their nature.
As Jesus answered His critics, He told them that He, God’s Son, could give life to the dead; He could raise the dead just as surely as His Father could (v. 21). That claim must have stunned those accusing Him. They, of course, would have known about Elijah and Elisha to whom God gave power to raise the dead. In both of these Old Testament cases, however, the power came only after the answer to specific prayer (1 Kings 17:17–24; 2 Kings 4:32–37). Jesus, by contrast, claimed to raise the dead when He chose to do so. He did this in fact three times during His sojourn here (Mark 6:41–42; Luke 7:14–15; John 11:43–44).
In addition to claiming all power as an affirmation of His being equal with God, Jesus also affirmed it by claiming to possess divine authority. The Father “has given all judgment to the Son,” Jesus said (v. 22 cf. v. 27). The reason this awesome authority was given to Jesus is so that all would honor Him with the same honor they give to God. And then reminding His critics who were not giving Him any honor but were in fact trying to kill Him, Jesus told them of the awful consequences of not honoring Him. He said, “He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him” (v. 23). Furthermore, those who believe in Him have eternal life. Those who do not believe remain in a state of spiritual death and will face the judgment of God (v. 24). Here again He was claiming to be equal with God. Would those who pursued Him to kill Him ever believe Jesus was who He claimed to be? Did they ever have second thoughts about their evil intent?
Activities of Equality with God, vv. 25–29
The first activity Jesus referred to as He continued to answer His critics was that in the future the dead would hear His voice and live. Jesus gave spiritual life, eternal life, to all who received Him as their Savior. Also, He promised to raise the dead in the future. In both the physical and spiritual sense He claimed to be the Life-giver. They knew full well what Jesus was claiming by his assertions—He was equal with God. After all, they too believed only God could give life and raise the dead. The key verse to help us remember this portrait is verse 26.
Second, Jesus said He had been given authority to execute judgment upon mankind in the future. He had this right because He is equal with God in His divine nature.
The third, activity demonstrating Jesus’ equality with God was His ability to raise the dead. Some, He said, would be raised to a resurrection of life and others to a resurrection of judgment. Jesus was not teaching that both of these resurrections would occur at the same time. Rather, His point was that both believers and unbelievers would be raised and He would be involved in both of these resurrections. Both are, of course, still future certainties.
Acclamations of Equality with God, vv. 30–47
Can you imagine how these critics of Jesus might have responded to His affirmations and activities of equality with God? Surely, they would not have been silent as they heard all these things. They must have been grumbling and complaining to each other, perhaps even trying to interrupt Jesus, to show their total rejection of what He was saying. Based on what we know from the rest of Scripture, they went away the same as they came to Him—in unbelief.
Jesus expressed His complete reliance upon the One who had sent Him to this world. His own will was always in perfect accord with God the Father’s will. It was Jesus’ goal to always do the will of His heavenly Father.
In John 5:30–47 there are four testimonies, or we might call them acclamations, of Jesus’ equality with God. Before giving these four Jesus made what might be misunderstood as a strange and perplexing statement. He said, “If I alone bear witness Myself, My testimony is not true? (v. 31). He did not mean by this that His witness of Himself, His claims, were false. No, they were all perfectly valid.
Rather, what he did mean was, as He stood there in front of His critics, that contrary to a court of law where one’s personal testimony would be biased, His was totally unbiased. This was true because of all He had already told them. And, the four witnesses he was about to give verified and fully agreed with His claims.
John the Baptist gave clear testimony to Jesus’ equality with God (vv. 33–35). These very same Jews before Jesus had heard the Baptist’s call of the Jews to repentance and His declaration, “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (1:29). Also, there can be no doubt they heard him say he was not the Messiah but was His forerunner. “He must increase but I must decrease “ must have come to their minds many times. There was no mistaking what John meant when he said that Jesus was “the Son of God” (1:34).
These bent on getting rid of Jesus also knew how much the Jewish people at large respected John the Baptist. They had also to contend with these people if they should succeed in killing Jesus. John had a large following, many gathered to hear him and many responded to his message, “Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
Apparently, Jesus’ critics on this occasion went to consult with John and he told them the truth about Jesus. It would be hard for the Jews to receive only part of what he preached. After all, these people had responded positively to John’s message. They even rejoiced for a time in the light John had brought them
The next acclaim or witness which Jesus made in defense of His being equal with God was the witness of His own works (v. 36). The “works” Jesus said He did were works given to Him by God the Father. These many works, He said, send forth loud proclamation that He was indeed sent by the Father. Thus “works” show the character of the one who performs them.
These “works” seem to be a reference to the miracles Jesus performed. The Jews to whom He was speaking had already been made aware of His miracle-working power. There was the water-into-wine miracle (chap. 2). Then the healing of the nobleman’s son (chap. 4). The miracle of healing at the pool of Bethesda (5:1–18) was another mighty miracle. These and the miracles Jesus would perform later were a great testimony than even John gave. These works of His were given to Him by the Father according to His own testimony (5:36).
Then came the acclaim of God the Father of His Son Jesus (vv. 37–38). The evidence was mounting and His critics must have been squirming. Jesus’ heavenly Father was the God of the Old Testament Scriptures. They knew very well whom Jesus was referring to as His Father, the One who had sent Him. At Jesus’ baptism at the hands of John, God the Father’s voice was heard: “This is my beloved Son in whom I am well please” (Matthew 4:17). Also as Jesus told the Jews a number of times their Old Testament gave testimony that He was equal with God.
A sharp piercing word was uttered by Jesus to His accusers. That word was that they did not have God’s Word abiding in them because they did not believe His Father—God—who had sent Him into the world. Unbelief, in other words, was the reason they did not have eternal life. That always has been the reason why people will be eternally separated from God.
Fourthly, Jesus said the Scriptures gave acclaim, gave witness, that He was equal with God (vv. 39–47). What this really means is that Jesus—the Living Word of God—and the Bible—the Written Word of God—both testify to the full deity of Jesus Christ.
What would the Jews do with this acclaim from Jesus? What could they say about it since
