Thursday 24th November
Read John 5:19-23
“Jesus gave them this answer: ‘Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.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.” (NIVUK)
If one way the Son and the Father are equal is in their granting of life to those dead or near death (v21), the corollary to the granting of resurrection life is judgment itself. But the parallelism is not quite the same. The Father does not judge but entrusts all judgment to the Son (v22).
In observing this small break in parallelism, those who have read the passage fully (v19-30) may have noticed that it roughly follows the chiasmic structure common to much Hebrew writing and poetry (cf v19/v30; v20/v28-29; v21/v26; v22/v27 and v24/25). The structure serves to draw our focus to v23. The logical conclusion of Jesus’ extended answer to the Jewish challenge that He claimed ‘equality with God’ is found there. Whoever (namely the Jews) does not honour the Son does not honour the Father, who sent Him (v23b). In defending the uniqueness of the Father to the exclusion of the Son in moving against Jesus they are dishonouring the very Father they claim is incomparable (cf Isaiah 42:8) and challenging the Judge.
It was assumed by the Jews that the power to judge resides with God alone (Genesis 18:25) yet Jesus claims this authority has been fully entrusted to the Son. All the divine authority to judge sits with Him (v22). So equality with God cannot be confused with ambassadorial privilege. Jesus does not simply ‘speak on behalf of’ God but wields the full judicial authority of God in His own right. The reason for this is so that the honour or glory due to God be received by Jesus.
The obedience and love of the Son for the Father, expressed in abdicating honour and glory for us (Philippians 2:5-7), is the means through which the Son is exalted, honoured and glorified and sits as the just judge of all the earth…the honour and glory of the Son is central, for it honours the Father fully.
“Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:9-11) (NIVUK)
