Son of God

Then Jesus answered and said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what he sees the Father do; for whatever the Father does, the Son also does in like manner. For the Father loves the Son, and shows him all things that he himself does; and he will show him greater works than these, that you may marvel. For as the Father raises the dead and gives life to them, even so the Son gives life to whom he will. For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son, that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him. Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears my word and believes in him who sent me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.

'Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live. For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son to have life in himself, and has given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of Man. Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear his voice and come forth -- those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation."

- John 5:19-29

This discourse immediately follows the third "sign" in John's gospel, which was the healing of the paralytic at the pool called Bethesda. At this event, Jesus has healed a paralytic, and been taken to task for doing so on the sabbath. Furthermore, he revealed himself as Son, thereby making himself equal with God. This has enraged his critics, who are now ready to persecute him. In today's passage, Jesus expands on the relationship to the Father.

"Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what he sees the Father do; for whatever the Father does, the Son also does in like manner. For the Father loves the Son, and shows him all things that he himself does; and he will show him greater works than these, that you may marvel." Jesus begins speaking about the nature of this relationship; it is so much a relationship of equality and emptying that the Father and the Son are one - one in will and one in action. All the power Jesus uses, in all the signs, the "works" we will see in this gospel, is of the Father.

"For as the Father raises the dead and gives life to them, even so the Son gives life to whom he will. For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son, that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father." Beyond even all the works and signs the Son will do, the Son is given the power of life and death - eternal life, not temporal. As great as this relationship is, it extends further than can be imagined: the Father has committed all judgment to the Son, so that "all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father." A relationship of perfect equality is given by the Father to the Son: in nature, in honor, in power, even entrusting all judgment to the Son.

"He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him. Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears my word and believes in him who sent me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life." Jesus, as Son, so represents the Father, that faith - trust - in his word is an affirmation of relationship to the Father, the restoration of eternal life through this relationship.

"Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live. For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son to have life in himself, and has given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of Man." Jesus is now speaking plainly of the expected judgment. We recall that in the Jewish faith, there is already the expectation of the Son of Man who will judge and whose kingdom will have no end. (See Daniel 7:13-14 and 12:2.) This apocalyptic title, the "Son of Man," is clearly a reference to what they know, and Jesus is openly equating himself with Messiah.

"Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear his voice and come forth -- those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation." Again, Jesus' words here are a reflection of the vision in Daniel (see Daniel 12:2). Jesus is making clear reference here to an apocalyptic expectation from Scripture with which the authorities he is now confronting are well-familiar. Indeed, they are the guardians of the Law and the Scriptures. He is aligning himself with the expected Messiah, and clearly equating himself in nature, power and works with God the Father.

But there is more here than meets the eye, more than an explanation of this relationship of Father and Son and the open declaration of identity. There is also the notion of present time involved, the face-to-face encounter with a present reality in the Person of Jesus. Jesus tells them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live." Judgment is not just a far off time in a far off place, a land of eternal habitation far away. Judgment is immediate and they are also in its presence, depending upon how Jesus' word - that which reflects the will and nature of the Father - is received. "Those who hear will live." What does it mean to hear? We must understand this encounter, in which the Personhood of God is present, as a kind of eternal presence manifest at the present moment, now. Standing before them, in his word and works, there is power that means the presence of the Father and of the Judgment is entrusted in the person of Jesus and is immediately present.

My study bible points out that Jesus tells them that judgment is based on both faith ("he who hears my word and believes in Him who sent me") and works ("those who have done good ... those who have done evil"). A note reads, "The two can be distinguished, but they cannot be separated. Those who respond to the Son of God in faith and who do good will receive the gift of eternal life."

What I think is important to consider beyond all else of so much importance in these words is the immediacy of presence and encounter. What does it mean that Jesus says to them "the hour is coming, and now is" present with them? Judgment is not something that happens only in a far away time and place just as salvation and restoration are not. This is an eternally present reality which is with us at all times. It pervades the present, as Jesus in all his presence as the Person of the Son was incarnate in our world. This moment is with us in all time, as is his presence. We are to understand judgment as a product of this encounter, always available to us through grace and mercy. We can always turn to it, always receive it, hear it, and follow its nature with our action, our choices. Jesus' preaching in the past few passages has moved us closer and closer to an understanding of relationship, relatedness and restoration with the Divine. Now he has revealed his nature as judge, carrier of the judgment even in the present moment. But we must put a greater name to this relationship and its relatedness in us: it is Love, and God's nature is love. It is always present to us, and to turn away and reject it is not life.