John 5 - Jesus, the Son of God
These pulpit notes are provided unedited and will thus contain some grammatical or typographical errors.
John 5:16 And this was why the Jews were persecuting Jesus, because he was doing these things on the Sabbath.
John 5:19 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.
Remember last week we found Jesus in Jerusalem where he healed a man who had been lame for 38 years. As much as we’d like to think that everyone would both rejoice with this man, and celebrate the power which Jesus possessed over sickness and disease, that is not what happened. And why not? Because the Jewish leadership of the day were legalistic hypocrites who were more concerned that Jesus healed a man on the Sabbath, thus violating their understanding of the law, than they were happy that a lame man was healed.
Jesus’ willingness to heal on the Sabbath immediately raised questions of authority, just as did his actions in cleansing the temple during a previous visit to Jerusalem.
The Jewish leadership were constantly confronting Jesus questioning who he thought he was, and from where he thought he got the authority to do what he did. So, in our passage, Jesus answers them.
First, look at verse 17.
John 5:17 ¶ But Jesus answered them, "My Father is working until now, and I am working."
His answer regarding why he felt he could do work on the Sabbath day was simply "My Father is working until now, and I am working." That is, God the Father is working and so I am working.
This simple statement asserts a couple of important and controversial things.
- God is working.
The Jews were so legalistic – so bent on the letter of the law, that they debated among themselves whether or not God worked on the Sabbath. They however reasoned that since God is creator and since the entire universe is his domain, he can never be guilty of moving anything from one domain to another, since it is all his.
In other words, they elevated their law even above God, holding him to account to it.
So, for some, Jesus’ statement that God was at work on the Sabbath wasn’t the main issue, it was what he said next.
John 5:17 ¶ But Jesus answered them, "My Father is working until now, and I am working." - Jesus has the same prerogative as God.
With that, Jesus implied that he had the same prerogative, the same authority, the same right to work as the Father does. Since the Father is working, I am working.
The Jews understood what he was saying…
John 5:17-18 ¶ But Jesus answered them, "My Father is working until now, and I am working." 18 This was why the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him, because not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God.
Now certainly you can imagine a scenario where someone in a position of authority has the right to do something that others don’t.
Imagine for a moment that you were driving and a police car passed you at a very high rate of speed. After he blew past you, you hit the accelerator and match his speed - far beyond the speed limit. Then, after getting pulled over for speeding, you responded to the officer who pulled you over by saying “The police are speeding, and so I am speeding!” How do you think that would go?
The answer would be something like “You are not the police!”
When Jesus says, “My Father is working until now, and I am working”, the Jews response is basically, “You are not God, and so you have no such right!”
They understood by his statement that he was making himself equal to God and claiming the same prerogatives as God. And you know what? Jesus doesn’t correct them.
Instead, what Jesus does in the remainder of our text is explain to his detractors just who he is, what authority he possesses, who gave it to him, and how they ought to respond.
[PROPOSITION]
To summarize what we will learn from Jesus, He will reveal that as the beloved Son of God he has been given authority to carry out the works of the Father, in giving life and bringing judgment, so that all must honour him as they would honour the Father.
As we will see, this authority of Jesus is wrapped up in his identity as both the Son of God, and the Son of Man.
Now, I would like you to notice something about our passage. Notice, starting in verse 17, all the way through verse 26, there is a repetitive theme.
- 17 – My Father is working until now…
- 19 – 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 – the Father loves the Son
- 21 – as the Father gives life, the Son gives life.
- 22 – The Father judges no one, he has given all judgment to the Son.
- And It goes on.
Clearly what is happening here is that Jesus is centering the source of his authority squarely upon the nature of the relationship which he has with the Father.
He is claiming for himself a unique and intimate relationship with God which communicates privilege and power which other men do not have. And how does he describe this relationship? That of a Father and a Son.
Throughout this passage, Jesus is claiming to be the Son of God. God is the Father in verses 17-26 and Jesus is His Son.
So, what exactly does it mean that Jesus is the Son of God? Does it mean he is divine? Yes, but that is not all. The title “son of God” has Old Testament roots which must be explored in order for us to fully grasp who Jesus is. This is vitally important because John tells us that he has written this gospel so that:
John 20:31 [we] may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing [we] may have life in his name.
And also, for our immediate purposes in John 5, an understanding of what it means that Jesus is the Son of God will make sense of his claims to authority in response to the Jews questioning his working and healing on the Sabbath.
As we explore the development of the concept of “son of God” throughout scripture, we will find that when Jesus calls himself God’s son, he is invoking a title which would have been very well known to the Jews of his day. In fact, the idea of one being the son of God stretches as far back as Adam and finds an Old Testament climax in David and subsequent Davidic Kings.
So, let’s begin at the beginning.
Adam – the Son of God
In the account of God’s creation of man in Genesis 1, we read:
Genesis 1:26-28 ¶ Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." 27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. 28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth."
Image
When God made Adam, he made him in his own image. That is, Adam and Eve were created to reflect of God himself. Whereas God is a Spirit and cannot be seen, mankind was created to image forth the nature, and dominion of God on earth. This was a covenantal relationship in which Adam and Eve as God’s image-bearers were to worship, honour, and obey him, while reflecting his glory upon creation.
If Adam and Eve were faithful as God’s image-bearers, they would see his worship and dominion spread across all of creation as they were fruitful and multiplied.
Whereas an earthly King might erect a statue or monument of himself in his conquered lands in order to represent his dominion. God created man to be his image, spreading and representing his dominion across all of creation as they subdued it. And so the Lord says:
28 …And God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth."
So, as those bearing God’s image, they were to be God’s vice-regents, even kingly figures established by God as those who were to exercise his dominion over creation. The Psalmist in Psalm 8 reflects upon mankind as God’s royal vice-regents given dominion over creation:
Psalm 8:3-9 ¶ When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, 4 what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? 5 Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. 6 You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet, 7 all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field, 8 the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea, whatever passes along the paths of the seas. 9 O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!
So Adam was created by to represent God and his rule in creation. As God’s image he was spread the worship and dominion of God through all the earth. But, Genesis 1 says more than “Adam was created in God’s image” it also says that Adam and Eve were made in God’s likeness.
Likeness
To be made in the likeness of God is to be made in some way to be like him. As Adam exercised God’s dominion on earth as his image, he was to do so while exhibiting the character and nature of God. He was to rule for God, while espousing the character of God. To what extent mankind is made in the likeness of God is not entirely clear, but certainly this involves the fact that we are made with the ability to express his communicable attributes.
As Adam exercised dominion over creation as God’s royal vice-regent, he was to do so with holiness, love, grace, mercy, justice, goodness, kindness, etc.
But in addition to this, we find that to be made in the likeness of God also entails the idea of relationship. Specifically, the relationship of a Father and a Son. Look at Genesis 5:
Genesis 5:1-3 ¶ This is the book of the generations of Adam. When God created man, he made him in the likeness of God. 2 Male and female he created them, and he blessed them and named them Man when they were created. 3 When Adam had lived 130 years, he fathered a son in his own likeness, after his image, and named him Seth.
In this text we gain some insight into the terms “image and likeness.” Specifically, we learn that these are terms of sonship. As Adam’s son, it could be said that Seth was fathered in Adam’s likeness and after his image.
This may be somewhat lost on us, in our culture, in 2023, but traditionally it was expected that a son would not only inherit the traits of his Father, but would represent him well. The son would honour and obey his father, counting it shameful to tarnish his name. He would often follow in his father’s footsteps and take up his father’s vocation.
The son, as the image and in the likeness of his father, would honour and obey him, in the context of loving relationship. He would reflect his father’s character and values, while representing him well. He would even share in the work of his father.
He would be like his father in nature, character, and vocation.
So, here’s a question. If likeness and image are used in connection to sonship where Seth and Adam are concerned. Would it be appropriate to refer to Adam, as the son of God? Yes.
As Luke traces Jesus’ genealogy backwards through Joseph, he traces Jesus’ ancestry all the way back to Adam. We take up this list of “sons of” in the genealogy of Jesus in Luke 3:37:
Luke 3:37-38 the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch, the son of Jared, the son of Mahalaleel, the son of Cainan, 38 the son of Enos, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.
Adam was the son of God. What does that mean? It means that Adam was created in God’s image and likeness.
He was created to live in relationship with God, loving, honouring and obeying him, while operating as his appointed King over creation. A King which ruled with the traits of God, properly representing and reflecting God. In this way, he was to spread the worship and dominion of God throughout all of creation. This would include raising up faithful offspring who would also image forth God on earth, while living in loving relationship with him. If Adam did this, he would be a faithful son.
So, as early s Genesis, we find the concept of sonship introduced. God’s faithful son would honour and obey him. He would live in godliness, reflecting the character of God. He would represent God accurately, bringing his glory to bear upon the earth. He would share in the work of the Father, including exercising dominion. He would bring forth an entire race of men and women who would do the same. He would do all of this in the context of a loving Father/Son relationship with God.
If all of this worked as it should, the entire world would be filled with faithful image-bearers, spreading God’s dominion and his worship across the globe for all time.
GOD’S IMAGE DEFACED – THE FALLEN SON OF GOD
That, of course, is not what Adam accomplished. Before we are out of Genesis 3, Adam has failed in every point. Adam proved to be a disobedient son.
- Instead of bringing God’s dominion to bear upon creation, he sought his own dominion.
- Instead of subduing creation, he was dominated by it.
- Instead of representing God and his interests, he gave into his own wants.
- Instead of bringing God’s glory to bear upon the earth, he sought his own glory.
- Instead of carrying out the work of God, he went rogue and did his own thing.
- Instead of treasuring his relationship with God, he broke that relationship and hid from God.
- Instead of bringing forth a race of men and women who would spread the worship and dominion of God across the globe in the context of loving relationship with God, he plunged the entire race into sin, so that all had sinned.
Adam was defaced as the image of God and failed to live in God’s likeness. He was not God’s faithful son.
So then, did God abandon his design for the world to be filled with worshipers made in his image, exercising dominion on earth, while reflecting his glory? Not at all.
Fast-forward and you’ll find that God chose a man named Abram and made a covenant with him. He gave him new name, as if he had adopted him into his family. He promised him an inheritance as a Father would promise a son. Through Abraham then would come Isaac, and then Jacob and through Jacob the entire nation of Israel.
Then we read something astounding. When Israel found themselves enslaved in Egypt, God remembered his covenant with Abraham and sought to deliver them from Pharaoh. Through this redemption however, he would do far more than rescue a people. In redeeming Israel, God would take them to be his own people. He would enter into a covenant relationship with them.
Now, how do you think God would describe the relationship which he would have with the nation of Israel?
Exodus 4:21-23 And the LORD said to Moses, "When you go back to Egypt, see that you do before Pharaoh all the miracles that I have put in your power. But I will harden his heart, so that he will not let the people go. 22 Then you shall say to Pharaoh, 'Thus says the LORD, Israel is my firstborn son, 23 and I say to you, "Let my son go that he may serve me." If you refuse to let him go, behold, I will kill your firstborn son.'"
In Egyptian culture, Pharaoh was believed to be the son of their god. What the Yahweh, the true God says to Pharaoh is, you are not the son of God, Israel whom you have enslaved are my son. As my son, they must come and serve me, so let them go.
Hosea refers to the Exodus this way:
Hosea 11:1 ¶ When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son.
The sonship for which God created Adam, has now been bestowed upon Israel as a nation. The entire nation was to be a nation of men and women who:
- Imaged forth the glory of God.
- Who advanced the dominion and spread the worship of God throughout the earth.
- Who carried out the work of God.
- Who reflected the holy character of God.
- Who accurately represented God to all other nations.
- Who loved, and served, and obeyed God in the context of an intimate relationship as sons and daughters of God.
Of course, Israel, like Adam proved itself to be an unfaithful son. Shortly after being redeemed and adopted by God, they grumble and complain and rebel. They fall back into idolatry and continually give into temptation while wandering in the wilderness.
Eventually, the Lord would establish a King over Israel to lead the people to fulfill their calling as his chosen people. In an interesting turn, the Lord would adopt this King as his son.
Psalm 2:1-12 ¶ Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? 2 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD and against his Anointed, saying, 3 "Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us." 4 He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision. 5 Then he will speak to them in his wrath, and terrify them in his fury, saying, 6 "As for me, I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill." 7 ¶ I will tell of the decree: The LORD said to me, "You are my Son; today I have begotten you. 8 Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession. 9 You shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel." 10 ¶ Now therefore, O kings, be wise; be warned, O rulers of the earth. 11 Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling. 12 Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.
In this Psalm, the Psalmist likens the installation of David on the throne of Israel to God begetting a son. “You are my Son; today I have begotten you.” Whereas Adam was a son via creation, and the nation of Israel via redemption, David is king via installation. Installation on the throne.
So, what of the nation of Israel, are they no longer God’s son? They are. However, in this new arrangement, King David would be the representative son. He would represent the entire nation leading them, and exemplifying for them what it means to be a son of God.
And so we find that David is a man who
- Spreads the dominion of God
- Advances the worship of God
- Intercedes for the people of God
- Reflects the character of God
- Carries out the work of God
- And all in the context of a loving relationship in which God is his Father, and he is the Son.
From this point on, a pattern is established in Israel, indeed in the whole earth. The King sitting upon the throne of David is the son of God, charged with being faithful where Adam fell.
Speaking of David’s son and his sons after him, the Lord says to David:
2 Samuel 7:14-16 I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. When he commits iniquity, I will discipline him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men, 15 but my steadfast love will not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you. 16 And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever.'"
He who sits on the throne of David is the son of God. He represents the people of God, leading them to love, adore, worship, and obey the Father. He is to spread the worship and dominion of God across the globe, producing an entire people who reflect God’s image and his likeness as sons and daughters of God.
Well, how did David do as the son of God? He sinned against God. How about his son Solomon? He sinned against God. How about subsequent Davidic Kings? Disaster.
So that when we come to the New Testament period, the Davidic throne is vacant and, as far as the people are concerned, there is no son of God.
This did not mean there was not hope however. A host of Old Testament scriptures looked forward to a day when one would sit upon the throne of David once more, and for eternity. This one would faithfully lead God’s people into genuine worship, and spread that worship throughout the world. He would succeed where Adam, Israel and previous Davidic kings failed. Not surprisingly this future figure is referred to as son:
One such text is in Isaiah 9:
Isaiah 9:6-7 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.
A King would come who would be called a son. Not only would he be called a son, but he would be called mighty God. He would be different from all others in that the throne upon which he sat, would last forever.
Who would this son be?
Matthew 3:16-17 And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; 17 and behold, a voice from heaven said, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased."
God’s beloved Son, in whom he was well-pleased had arrived. Not Adam, or Israel, or David, all who sinned and proved to be unfaithful sons, but Jesus, beloved by the Father and only pleasing to him.
The long-anticipated son of God hard arrived. It is because of this anticipation that many figures, in encountering Jesus in the New Testament are so quick to declare that he is the Son of God. These early confessions were not firstly declarations of Jesus deity, but that he was the one who came to sit on the throne of David as God’s son, representing God’s people, reflecting the glory of God, accomplishing the Lord’s work, exercising power and authority and dominion and leading God’s people to do the same.
That is why Nathaniel could so quickly confess:
John 1:49 Nathanael answered him, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!"
[See also Luke 1:32 for “son of most high” connected to Davidic kingship]
What these early followers of Jesus would eventually realize is that Jesus, this one who came as the Son of God, was also eternally, God the Son. This is the confession of the Apostle John:
John 1:1-4 ¶ In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men.
…
John 1:14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
God the Son is the Son of God, and as such he is infinitely superior to any who came before him.
Let’s look at one more passage in conclusion to help us understand Jesus as the superior son of God.
Hebrews 1:1-14 ¶ Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.
Jesus, the son of God is appointed as heir of all things. Unlike Adam, who was created by God, Jesus is God the creator.
3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power.
Unlike Adam who was created in the image and likeness of God to reflect God’s glory, Jesus is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature. There is no diminishing, and no dilution. He is the exact expression of the Father.
…After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,
Unlike David the son of God, who sat on a throne and defiled it by giving into his own sin, Jesus the son of God, was sinless and made purification for the sins of his people.
Unlike David who sat on an earthly throne ruling a kingdom, Jesus sits on a heavenly throne, ruling the universe.
The writer of Hebrews now makes his comparison of Jesus the son of God to David the son of God explicit. Look in verses 4-5:
4 ¶ having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs. 5 For to which of the angels did God ever say, "You are my Son, today I have begotten you"? Or again, "I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son"?
He quotes Psalm 2 and 2 Samuel 7, both passages which establish David as the King who is the son of God. But here it is applied to Jesus who is the greater David. He will sit on David’s throne, but unlike David, he will rule over an eternal kingdom. Look in verse 8:
8 But of the Son he says, "Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom. 9 You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions." 10 And, "You, Lord, laid the foundation of the earth in the beginning, and the heavens are the work of your hands; 11 they will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment, 12 like a robe you will roll them up, like a garment they will be changed. But you are the same, and your years will have no end." 13 And to which of the angels has he ever said, "Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet"?
Jesus, the Son of God, sits on an eternal throne. He is the obedient son who loves righteousness, and hates wickedness. He is God the Son of eternity past who laid the foundations of the earth and fashioned the heavens. He sits upon an eternal throne and all nations and all of creation are being brought under his dominion.
So then, if Jesus, God the Son is the son of God, come to succeed where all prior sons failed, what would we expect to see in his earthly life?
- We’d expect him to do the works of the Father.
John 5:17-18 ¶ But Jesus answered them, "My Father is working until now, and I am working." 18 This was why the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him, because not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God.
- We’d expect to see him perfectly obey the Father
John 5:19 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.
[He proved his obedience when tempted in the wilderness by Satan. Remember Satan prefaced each temptation by saying what? “If you are the Son of God…” Jesus did not take the bait. The way to prove his sonship was not by putting on some show, but through his obedience. And so, unlike Israel which succumb to temptation in the wilderness, Jesus, the greater son, proved obedient when tempted] - We’d expect him to have an intimate relationship with the Father
John 5:20 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. - We’d expect him to be given dominion and authority
John 5:21-22 For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he will. 22 The Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son,
…
John 5:25-29 "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. - We’d expect to see him receive honour
John 5:23 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. - We’d expect to see him produce and lead a people into spiritual life
John 5:24 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.
So, in answer to those who questioned his authority to heal on the Sabbath day, Jesus explicitly reveals that he is the anticipated son of God. He is the obedient and faithful son who has come to perfectly reflect and reveal the Father. He is the representative son who came to make and lead a people to worship the Father in Spirit and Truth.
- As the Son of God, he had a unique relationship with the Father in which the Father revealed to him all that he was doing.
- As the Son, he shared in the work of the father
- As the Son, he had the power and authority to give life to whomever he will.
- As the Son, he had the authority to execute judgment.
- As the Son, he deserved the same honour which was due the Father.
- Believe
- Obey
- Worship
This Father/Son relationship which saw the Father bestow such love upon Jesus and grant such authority to Jesus was predicated upon the fact that Jesus was the perfectly obedient son who would obey, even to the point of death.
John 10:17 For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again.
He proved his obedience even unto death and a sacrificial death at that. A death, not for his own sins, but to provide a purification for our sins.
So, did Jesus have authority to heal on the Sabbath? Seems like a silly question at this point, doesn’t it? Yes he had the authority, because as the beloved Son of God he has been given authority to carry out the works of the Father, in giving life and bringing judgment, so that all must honour him, the Son, just as they would honour the Father.