John 19 Equality With God
#19
EQUALITY WITH GOD (John 5:16-47)
“16 And therefore did the Jews persecute Jesus, and sought to slay him, because he had done these things on the sabbath day. 17 But Jesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work. 18 Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God.
19 Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise. 20 For the Father loveth the Son, and sheweth him all things that himself doeth: and he will shew him greater works than these, that ye may marvel. 21 For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them; even so the Son quickeneth whom he will. 22 For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son: 23 that all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him.
24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. 25 Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live. 26 For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself; 27 and hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man.
28 Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, 29 and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation. 30 I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.
31 If I bear witness of myself, my witness is not true. 32 There is another that beareth witness of me; and I know that the witness which he witnesseth of me is true. 33 Ye sent unto John, and he bare witness unto the truth. 34 But I receive not testimony from man: but these things I say, that ye might be saved. 35 He was a burning and a shining light: and ye were willing for a season to rejoice in his light.
36 But I have greater witness than that of John: for the works which the Father hath given me to finish, the same works that I do, bear witness of me, that the Father hath sent me. 37 And the Father himself, which hath sent me, hath borne witness of me. Ye have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his shape. 38 And ye have not his word abiding in you: for whom he hath sent, him ye believe not. 39 Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. 40 And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life.
41 I receive not honour from men. 42 But I know you, that ye have not the love of God in you. 43 I am come in my Father’s name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive. 44 How can ye believe, which receive honour one of another, and seek not the honour that cometh from God only? 45 Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father: there is one that accuseth you, even Moses, in whom ye trust. 46 For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me. 47 But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my words?” (John 5:16-47).
God And The Sabbath
When Jesus healed the man at the pool of Bethesda (John 5:1-15), it created quite a stir, not because of His miracle and not because of His sign, but because of the day of the week. Jesus did this work on the Sabbath. How dare He show compassion on God's day of rest! "For this reason the Jews were persecuting Jesus, because He was doing these things on the Sabbath" (John 5:16).
Why did God give the Sabbath? The Sabbath is rooted in the imitation of God in creation. “8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: 10 but the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: 11 for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it” (Exodus 20:8-11).
God created the world and rested on the 7th day. The Sabbath is a reminder that rest is of God. Do not spend every day working, making money, fixing up your house, etc. Instead, slow down, remember God, and rest. It is a healthy and life-giving exercise. The Sabbath is also rooted in the memory and imitation of God through the Exodus. The Egyptians forced the Jews to work constantly, with no rest, all day, every day. Their lives were miserable.
When God became their king and overthrew the Egyptians, He promised rest. He also wanted them to give rest to others:
“12 Keep the sabbath day to sanctify it, as the Lord thy God hath commanded thee. 13 Six days thou shalt labour, and do all thy work: 14 but the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, nor thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thine ox, nor thine ass, nor any of thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates; that thy manservant and thy maidservant may rest as well as thou. 15 And remember that thou wast a servant in the land of Egypt, and that the Lord thy God brought thee out thence through a mighty hand and by a stretched out arm: therefore the Lord thy God commanded thee to keep the sabbath day” (Deuteronomy 5:12-15).
Your family, your servants, and even the animals get rest when God is king.
When Jesus frees the man at Bethesda from his physical bondage and suffering on the Sabbath, He is not violating Moses' command. He is honoring and imitating God.
Jesus does what God does, even on the Sabbath: "My Father is working until now, and I Myself am working" (John 5:17). Will Jesus work on the Sabbath? Yes – when that work is healing, saving, and helping. Because that's what His Father does.
Equality With God
Did you catch that? Not only did Jesus break the Sabbath, He justified it by saying God is His Father and He does whatever God does. If God works on the Sabbath, Jesus works on the Sabbath.
This goes too far for those listening to Jesus: "For this reason, therefore, the Jews were seeking all the more to kill Him because He was not only breaking the Sabbath but also was calling God His own Father, making Himself equal with God" (John 5:18).
It is a double accusation: Jesus broke the Sabbath and said He was equal to God. No one can claim equality with God, especially after just sinning and breaking Sabbath!
Jesus gives an amazing response to this accusation. He doesn't deny it. He explains it. He illustrates it. He doesn't back down and say, "No, no, you misunderstood. I'm not equal to God." Instead, He gives them a list of ways He is equal to God (John 5:19-30).
He already mentioned work: God works on the Sabbath, so Jesus will also (John 5:16-17). Where did Jesus learn to do this work? In life, sons grow up to learn and imitate their fathers. Professionally, this was way more common back in Jesus' day, but it still happens now. Jesus was a carpenter because Joseph was a carpenter. Jesus healed on the Sabbath because God heals on the Sabbath. The Father loves Jesus and "shows Him all the things that He Himself is doing" (John 5:20). You can see the works of God by looking at Jesus.
Jesus also does other things only God can do. "Just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so, the Son gives life to whom He wishes" (John 5:21). Jesus, just like God, has become the source of life. This will be illustrated vividly in the raising of Lazarus and when Jesus says: "I am the resurrection and the life" (John 11:25) and "I am the way, and the truth, and the life" (John 14:6).
All the way back in the prologue, John writes, "In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men" (John 1:4). Giving life is another way Jesus shows His equality with His Father.
Like the Father, Jesus has become the judge (John 5:22; John 12:48). In fact, God has given His judgment to His Son "so that all will honor the Son even as they honor the Father" (John 5:23). Judgment and honor show equality between Jesus and His Father.
As judge, Jesus gives life to all who hear Him (John 5:24; 6:68; 10:27-28) and believe in God. They escape condemnation and enter into life; that is Jesus' call.
Like a father passes on the family business to a son, God has given judgment to Jesus.
John 5:25-30 is a vivid image of what it's like for the Son to have life, authority, and judgment which come from God.
An hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs will hear His voice, and will come forth; those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment (John 5:28-29).
There is no clearer image of Jesus doing God's work, giving life, and judging mankind than in the final resurrection. All will be raised, even the wicked, and will face judgment. All of this authority has been given from Father to Son. So yes, Jesus also has the authority to heal a man on the Sabbath. And yes, as God's Son, Jesus is equal with His Father.
The Witnesses
Jesus doesn't end His argument there. He has done the works of God and shows His equality with God, but he proves it with witnesses. Who is trustworthy and can verify those claims Jesus just made? Who can testify Jesus is equal with God? Jesus will not simply testify about Himself (John 5:31); He will use the testimony of four others.
The first witness is John the Baptist (John 5:33-35). He's also the first witness in John's Gospel, sent by God as a witness to testify about the Light (John 1:6-7). John was not the Light of the world (John 1:8), but He did shine some light, like a lamp burning and shining (John 5:33-35). While the people were willing to rejoice "for a little while" at his work, there are still greater witnesses to come.
The second to bear witness are the works of Jesus (John 5:36). If you want to know the identity of Jesus, look at what He does. Having already observed many of His signs, what do they tell you about Him? His works prove He is from the Father.
The third witness is the Father Himself (John 5:37-38). God bears witness to the true identity of Jesus. Yet because they rejected Jesus, they can't hear the Father. His word is not in them because they rejected His Logos or Word.
The fourth and final witness is Scripture (John 5:39-47). Searching Scripture is a wonderful thing, but it is not the words on the page that bring eternal life. The words on the page testify to Jesus, and He brings eternal life. They overlook Him for the Scriptures. Then they don't actually believe Scripture because they testify of Jesus (John 5:39).
Moses wrote about Jesus (John 5:46). To find where Moses wrote about Jesus, don't look up the word "Jesus" in the Pentateuch. Look to the creation in Genesis 1. Look to Joseph's ladder. Look to the Exodus. Look to the Passover. Look to manna from heaven. Look to the bronze serpent Moses lifted high. Look to the tabernacle and temple. Jesus ends the discussion with a final question: "But if you will not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?" (John 5:47).