Friendship and Revelation
John 5:20-30
20 For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does. Yes, and he will show him even greater works than these, so that you will be amazed. 21 For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom he is pleased to give it. 22 Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son, 23 that all may honour the Son just as they honour the Father. Whoever does not honour the Son does not honour the Father, who sent him.
24 ‘Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life. 25 Very truly I tell you, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live. 26 For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. 27 And he has given him authority to judge because he is the Son of Man.
28 ‘Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice 29 and come out—those who have done what is good will rise to live, and those who have done what is evil will rise to be condemned. 30 By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me.
I. Friendship and Revelation (20)
The basis for the Son’s dependence (John 5:19) is “the Father loves the Son” (20) [1].
See v20a.
For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does.
When Jesus was baptised, the Spirit came down from heaven as a dove and remained on Him (John 1:32, Matthew 3:16, Mark 1:10, and Luke 3:22a). And a voice from heaven said the following (Matthew 3:17, Mark 1:11, Luke 3:22b).
- This is my Son
- whom I love;
- with him I am well pleased.
The use of the “show” (or “reveal”) twice in v. 20 indicates the intimate relation between the Father and Jesus [1]. “As God’s agent, Jesus received direct insight from the Father and acted in accordance with the Father’s wishes. The actions of Jesus, therefore, were the actions of the Father because in Jesus the Father was in fact acting.” [1]
Here, ‘love’ is not agape (unconditional love) but philia (love between friends).
God showed the secret (e.g., the plan of the judgement on Sodom and Gomorrah) to the father of faith, Abraham, too. See Genesis 18:17.
17 Then the Lord said, ‘Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do?’
God called Abraham ‘my friend’ (Isaiah 41:8, 2 Chronicles 20:7, James 2:23), which indicates intimacy.
Jesus died for us as the friend dies for his friends (John 15:13-15) and let us know everything as his friends (John 15:15).
See v20b.
Yes, and he will show him even greater works than these, so that you will be amazed.
Here, ‘these’ means the works of healing Jesus demonstrated. Love is the motivation of showing the Son ‘all’ the Father does (20a), and even greater works than these (20b). Jesus tells them what the ‘even greater works’ are in John 5:21-30. This indicates God’s love toward the Son, Jesus. At the same time, we can see the love of Jesus toward them reflecting God’s love because He is not hiding but showing them the greater works that Jesus will do, and his believers (John 14:12).
In John 5:21-30, Jesus is about to tell them about even greater works than these, so that they will be amazed (20b). Let us study v25, 28-29 first in this section.
In John 5:28-29, Jesus says “Do not be amazed at this” when He tells them about the coming resurrection and judgement.
28 ‘Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice 29 and come out—those who have done what is good will rise to live, and those who have done what is evil will rise to be condemned.
The resurrection (v28b-29a):
a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice 29 and come out—
The judgement (29b):
those who have done what is good will rise to live, and those who have done what is evil will rise to be condemned.
Before we continue, let us study John 5:24 first.
‘Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life.
‘Belief’ is the only condition to receive this Grace. This Grace began when God credited the ‘belief’ of Abram to him as ‘righteousness’ (Genesis 15:6). Genuine ‘belief’ is accompanied by ‘action’ (James 2:17).
Finally, let us note that “has crossed” is the present complete tense.
II. The Authority of Resurrection (21, 24, 25, 26, 28, 29a)
See v21.
21 For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom he is pleased to give it.
See John 10:17-18.
17 The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.’
Jesus declared that He had authority to take His life up again (John 10:18). That is, He had authority to raise Himself from His own death.
Jesus, the resurrection and the life (John 11:25) [2], raised
- Lazarus who was dead and decaying for four (4) days (John 11:1-43)
- the widow’s son in the village of Nain (Luke 7:15)
- the 12-year-old daughter of Jairus, a ruler of the synagogue (Mark 5:42)
We studied v24 in Section I.
25 Very truly I tell you, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live.
In the present, though people are spiritually dead, (The spiritually dead would be like ‘heatless, senseless, ruthless, ignorant and etc’.) They will become spiritually alive if they hear the voice of the Son. (As a result, they would become like ‘loving, sensitive, caring, understanding spiritual things and etc’.)
In future, all including the physically dead will hear His voice to rise either to live or to be condemned (John 5:28-29).
See v26.
26 For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself.
The first man Adam became a living being (Genesis 2:7); the last Adam (Christ Jesus) is a life-giving spirit (1 Corinthians 15:45).
We studied v28 and v29a in Section I.
III. The Authority of Judgement (22, 23, 24, 27, 29b, 30)
See v22.
22 Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son,
Christ Jesus is the Judge as well as the Creator and the Redeemer.
What we bind or loose on earth will happen in the heavenly realm (Matthew 16:19, Matthew 18:18). That is, the believers can open or lock the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 16:19).
Jesus gave His believers the authority of judgement. See Matthew 12:41.
41 The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now something greater than Jonah is here.
See Matthew 12:42.
42 The Queen of the South will rise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for she came from the ends of the earth to listen to Solomon’s wisdom, and now something greater than Solomon is here.
See v23.
23 that all may honour the Son just as they honour the Father. Whoever does not honour the Son does not honour the Father, who sent him.
See John 12:26b.
Jesus said, “My Father will honour the one who serves me.”
See John 13:20.
Very truly I tell you, whoever accepts anyone I send accepts me; and whoever accepts me accepts the one who sent me.’
Other relevant verses are John 12:44-45, Matthew 10:40, Luke 9:48, Luke 10:16, and Mark 9:37.
We studied v24 in Section I.
See v27.
And he has given him authority to judge because he is the Son of Man.
Regarding ‘the Son of Man’ in v27,
“The idea is no doubt a juridical principle: because He is to judge men, therefore He must have not only knowledge of man, but also a human experience. As Son of man, thus embodying the ideal of human life, He is the standard of the judgment, and virtually the judgment itself; as Son of man, He has the whole experience of humanity, sin excepted (which is no pure experience), and as He, in that He has been tempted, is able to succor them that are tempted, He is able also to judge them that are tempted.” [3]
We studied v29b in Section I.
See v30.
By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me.
Jesus will judge based on the true reality (“as I hear”). “perfect perception of the divine will [3]”
His judgement is just because he is not self-seeking. His submission to God was demonstrated in his Gethsemane prayer “yet not my will, but yours be done” (Luke 22:42).
References
- Borchert, G.L., The New American Commentary: John 1-11. 1996: Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
- Park, Y. Jesus – the Resurrection and the Life. 2014 2/04/2023]; Available from: https://comnc.org/jesus-the-resurrection-and-the-life/.
- Lange, J.P.S., Philip, A Commentary on the Holy Scriptures: John. Logos Research ed. 2008, Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.
