A Study of John's Gospel

John 5:21-23: Jesus: The Honorable, Life-Giving Judge

A study of John 5:21-23

"For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he will. For the Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son, 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."

‭‭John‬ ‭5‬:‭21‬-‭23‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Definitions of the original language in the context of this passage:

-The Son: "υἱὸς", "huios"; noun, nominative, singular, masculine - a son; used to describe those who are born again (Lk. 20:36) and of angels and of Jesus Christ.

-The Father: "πατέρα", "patera"; noun, accusative, singular, masculine - God is called the Father; the Father of Jesus Christ, as one whom God has united to himself in the closest bond of love and intimacy, made acquainted with his purposes, appointed to explain and carry out among men the plan of salvation, and made to share also in his own divine nature.

-Raises: "ἐγείρει", "egeirei"; verb, present, active, indicative, third person, singular - to arouse from the sleep of death, to recall the dead to life.

-Dead: "νεκροὺς", "nekrous"; adjective, accusative, plural, masculine - corpse, dead.

-Gives Them Life: "ζῳοποιεῖ", "zōopoiei"; verb, present, active, indicative, third person, singular - make alive, give life.

-Judges: "κρίνει", "krinei"; verb, present, active, indicative, third person, singular - to pass judgment on someone; contextually in John 5:22: used specifically of the act of condemning and decreeing penalty on one.

-Judgment: "κρίσιν", "krisin"; noun, accusative, singular, feminine - decision, judgment; opinion or decision given concerning anything. That judgment which Christ occasioned, in that wicked men rejected the salvation he offered, and so of their own accord brought upon themselves misery and punishment; to come into the state of one condemned.

-Honor: "τιμῶσι", "timōsi"; verb, present, active, indicative, third person, plural - to have in honor, to revere, venerate.

-Sent: "πέμψαντα", "pempsanta"; verb, aorist, active, participle, singular, accusative, masculine - to send; Teachers who come forward by God's command and with his authority are said to be (or to have been) sent by God: as, John the Baptist, John 1:33; Jesus, John 4:34; John 5:23f, 30, 37.

Observation/Summary (short explanation of what the passage says in your own words):

As Jesus explained His perfect unity with the will and work of the Father, He said in verse 20 that even greater works than what had already been witnessed from him would be seen. And He went on verses 21-23 to say that even as the Father raises the dead to life, the Son (Jesus) does the very same. Next, Jesus said the Father judges no one, but He has given all judgment to the Son to administer. Then Jesus said that everyone who does not honor the Son, does not honor the Father, because Jesus (the Son) was sent by the Father.

Implication (what does this mean to us):

Here in verses 21-23 Jesus continues to explain His relation to God the Father. He is not a subordinate or alternate deity, but rather, fully God and fully Man; one with the Father. As Jesus explains His connection to the work of the Father, He discusses resurrection in verse 21. The Jewish leaders had just witnessed a miraculous healing, but they didn't care about that. They only cared about the man made laws they had added to the Sabbath which had been broken when Jesus commanded the healed paralytic man to get up, pick up his bedroll and walk.

In His response, Jesus goes a step further than discussing healing. He speaks of raising the dead to life. The raising of the dead was understood by the Jewish audience to be something only God could do. Elijah, in the Old Testament, had been an example of God using a man to raise the dead, but Elijah was clearly the instrument in that scenario. Here, Jesus is not claiming to be a mere human prophet, or instrument, used by God to raise the dead. Jesus is saying He has the power to raise the dead because He is God. This is why He says, "...the Son gives life to whom He will." Elijah acted in accordance with Yahweh's will, but Jesus acts in accordance with His own will because He is Yahweh. God the Father is Yahweh. God the Son is Yahweh. And God the Holy Spirit is Yahweh. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are one Being who exists as 3 perfectly unified Persons; and they are all equally and fully Yahweh.