John 5:19-29 – The Dead Hear the Powerful Voice of the Son of God
(Matt Koerber)
John 5:19-29 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. 20 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. 21 For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he will. 22 For the Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son, 23 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. 24 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.
25 “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. 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 execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man. 28 Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice 29 and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment.
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Yesterday we saw the miraculous healing at the Pool of Bethesda resulted in animosity between Jesus and the Jewish religious leaders. Perhaps “animosity” is too weak of a word. John said that they were trying to kill him (v.5:18.) Apparently, this was not something that they would try to do in broad daylight, because our text for today is an extended statement from Jesus, aimed at these very same religious leaders. The striking feature of this passage is the power that Jesus attributes to his own words.
First of all, the words of Jesus are the means by which the lame man is healed at the pool of Bethesda. This is fitting for someone John introduced as the “Word of God” – through whom all things were made. (Remember, that Genesis 1 describes God speaking the world into existence.)
This miracle is the background for the current dispute with the Jewish religious leaders. In response to their antagonism, Jesus tells them that he will do “greater works than these (v.20.)” What could Jesus do that would be greater than healing a man who has been lame for 38 years? He tells them (and us), “For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he will (v.21.)” In chapter 11, Jesus will raise Lazarus from the dead… through the power of his words. (“Lazarus, come forth.”)
Third, Jesus says that anyone who hears his voice and believes “has eternal life (v.24.)” Jesus will elaborate on eternal life later in the gospel, but he highlights one feature of that life here… the believer will no longer be under God’s judgment (v.24.) The words of Jesus bring spiritual renewal.
Fourth, and finally, Jesus looks forward to the end of history. The Son of God* will return, the dead will be raised, and he will execute judgment on all humanity. As before, Jesus attributes the cataclysmic change at the end of history to his powerful words. “All who are in the tombs will hear his voice and come out.” (v.29, see also verse 25.)
In summary, Jesus continues to reveal his divine identity. Not only does he have a unique relationship with God (his “Father”), but his words have divine power. They heal, raise the dead, grant eternal life, and call forth the final judgment. As we read the words of Jesus in the Gospel of John, we can be assured that his words have the same power for us. As we mediate on his word, he changes us, renews us, and draws us more deeply to himself.
Weekly Prayer Focus: The New Building Design Process
Daily Prayer Request: “Refining the Design” Please pray that God would guide our Design Committee as they respond to feedback from the congregation and seek to move forward refining the proposed design.
* Note on “Son of God” and “Son of Man.” In this section, Jesus alternates between two titles for himself, “Son of God” (v.25) and “Son of Man.” (v.27) In addition, there are many occasions in which Jesus refers to himself simply as “The Son” (at least seven times in vs. 19-25.) While more ambiguous, he implies his unique relationship with “The Father.” The term “Son of God” could be used of a person who had a special relationship with God, such as the king. (See Psalm 2:7.) However, when Jesus called God his “Father” at the end of the previous day’s section, his opponents assumed (rightly) that he was claiming to be equal to God. Likewise, in John 10:13, the title “Son of God” is associated with a similar claim and earns the charge “blasphemy.” By contrast, the title “Son of Man” doesn’t seem to carry such a strong association. This phrase is a favorite self-reference for Jesus across the four gospels. Based on prophecy in Daniel 7:13, this is a messianic title that was somewhat obscure and did not seem to carry the electric charge that other messianic titles had for the first century Jewish listeners. While it is often associated with the Synoptic Gospels (Matt-Mark-Luke), it is used more frequently in the Gospel of John than I had previously realized. (I counted 13 references in John – 11 times by Jesus and twice when the crowd questioned his words.)