The Gospel of John - Outline Part 12 - Like Father Like Son

TITLE

John 5:19-29 – Like Father Like Son

EXPLANATION

These 11 verses contain an explosive confirmation of the shared divine nature of God the Father and God the Son, Jesus.  It is a continuation of the previous section.  Jesus was still conversing with the Jewish religious leaders.  They were already ready to kill Him because of His allusion that God was His Father.  But, in contrast to chapter 4, when He backed away from conflict, Jesus now doubles down on the truth.  And in so doing He gives a discourse on the relationship between Father and Son that is comprehensive in scope.

Jesus began by establishing the unity of purpose between Himself and His Father.  He said that the Son can only do what He sees His Father doing.  But, this is much more than a parallel human father/son relationship.  Because in this case, God the Father reveals all His purposes to God the Son.  This means that the Son sees everything the Father is doing.  Therefore, the Son does all that the Father does, with no exceptions.  Not content to leave this as a general concept, Jesus then proceeded to give some examples.  The Father, for the purpose of demonstrating His glory, has given to the Son the power to raise the dead and judge the wicked.  The reason is so that the Son may receive all the honor and accolades due to the Father.  If someone chooses to dishonor the Son that person is also guilty of dishonoring the Father.

Furthermore, those who hear and believe the word of the Son will be granted eternal life and will be spared the righteous judgment that the Son is responsible to administer.  This eternal life has as its source the Father and the Son.  Because, and this is a critically important concept, the life of which Jesus is speaking is in the Father Himself.  Life is in His essence.  Apart from the Father there is no true life.  And, the Father has given the Son this same life.  This is why those who believe in the Son receive the life in themselves.  Conversely, those who reject the Son are never granted the life, and so proceed into the judgment of which they have been warned.

APPLICATION

This is a crucial doctrine that many heretics throughout church history have misunderstood.  A cursory glance at this doctrine could perhaps lead one to the conclusion that it does not teach that Jesus is deity.  Perhaps God could simply have endowed Jesus with the prerogatives and qualities described here.  However, such conclusions are logical fallacies, and the reason why is found in verse 23.  God is deity.  No mortal creature is capable of receiving the glory due to God.  God’s very nature demands that He be worthy of glory and exaltation that far exceeds what any creation can possibly be worthy of.  If Jesus was merely a created human being there would have been no way possible for Him to be worthy of the same honor due to the Father.  Likewise, only God Himself is capable of administering the just judgment spoken of in verses 21, 27, and 29. 

There is only one inescapable conclusion from all of this regarding the relationship between Father and Son.  That is, they are one in every way.  This includes their capacity for judgment.  The judgment of a righteous and holy God is a thing to be feared.  To fall into the hands of an angry God, a God who is a consuming fire, is a terrible thing.  In fact, there is no fate worse in all of reality than to face the fury of an omnipotent God.  This should fill sinners with terror.  And, we who have been graciously spared this wrath should be bold in highlighting what they face, for their own sake.