I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me

 

 "I can of Myself do nothing.  As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me.  

"If I bear witness of Myself, My witness is not true.  There is another who bears witness of Me, and I know that the witness which He witnesses of Me is true.  You have sent to John, and he has borne witness to the truth.  Yet I do not receive testimony from man, but I say these things that you may be saved.  He was the burning and shining lamp, and you were willing for a time to rejoice in his light.  But I have a greater witness than John's; for the works which the Father has given Me to finish -- the very works that I do -- bear witness of Me, that the Father has sent Me.  And the Father Himself, who sent Me, has testified of Me.  You have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His form.  But you do not have His word abiding in you, because whom He sent, Him you do not believe.  You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me.  But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.  I do not receive honor from men.  But I know you, that you do not have the love of God in you.  I have come in My Father's name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, him you will receive.  How can you believe, who receive honor from one another, and do not seek the honor that comes from the only God?  Do not think that I shall accuse you to the Father; there is one who accuses you -- Moses, in whom you trust.  For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote about Me.  But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?"

 

- John 5:30–47 

 

In our current reading, Jesus is at the Feast of Weeks, known as the Old Testament Pentecost, in Jerusalem.  He has healed a paralytic on the Sabbath, and so the religious authorities engaged in a dispute with Him.  In yesterday's reading, 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 He 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." 

 "I can of Myself do nothing.  As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me."  My study Bible comments on this verse that the divine will is common to the three Persons of the Trinity -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit -- for all fully share in the same divine nature.  As Christ says the Son obeys the Father, this is a reference to His human will, which He assumed at His Incarnation.  My study Bible says that Christ freely aligned His human will in every aspect with the divine will of the Father -- and we are called to do the same. 

"If I bear witness of Myself, My witness is not true.  There is another who bears witness of Me, and I know that the witness which He witnesses of Me is true.  You have sent to John, and he has borne witness to the truth.  Yet I do not receive testimony from man, but I say these things that you may be saved.  He was the burning and shining lamp, and you were willing for a time to rejoice in his light.  But I have a greater witness than John's; for the works which the Father has given Me to finish -- the very works that I do -- bear witness of Me, that the Father has sent Me.  And the Father Himself, who sent Me, has testified of Me.  You have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His form.  But you do not have His word abiding in you, because whom He sent, Him you do not believe.  You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me.  But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.  I do not receive honor from men.  But I know you, that you do not have the love of God in you.  I have come in My Father's name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, him you will receive.  How can you believe, who receive honor from one another, and do not seek the honor that comes from the only God?  Do not think that I shall accuse you to the Father; there is one who accuses you -- Moses, in whom you trust.  For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote about Me.  But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?"  My study Bible asks the question regarding this passage, how could Christ's witness ever be untrue?  It cannot (see John 8:14).  But here, Jesus anticipates the argument, and so speaks the thoughts of the Jewish leaders (He also does the same thing in Luke 4:23).  In Jewish tradition, according to my study Bible, a valid testimony requires two witnesses (Deuteronomy 17:6).  Here, Christ doubles that and offers four witnesses to confirm His identity a Messiah and as Son of God.  First, He mentions God the Father; then John the Baptist; then He gives His own works as bearing witness to His identity as Son; and finally the Old Testament Scriptures, through which Moses and others gave testimony.  

Jesus says, "I can of Myself do nothing.  As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me."  My study Bible tells us that we are meant to do as Christ does, to seek the will of God and do it.  Since Christ Himself explains that He is loyal to the will of the Father, we can assume that the things that He teaches us are also things that express the will of God the Father.  In chapter 14, Jesus says to the apostle Philip, "Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip?  He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, 'Show us the Father'?" (John 14:9).  So through these words, we understand that Christ represents to us the Father in this world, so that we come to know God, even God the Father, through Jesus.  Therefore what He has taught us is clearly in the will of God the Father.  So, if we keep Christ's commandments, then we also seek the will of the Father who sent Christ.  Oftentimes, we'll find ourselves in a dilemma, and we're not sure exactly what is the righteous response, or what is the righteous way of Christ through a particular circumstance.  But here is where prayer and seeking discernment matter.  Here is where the practices of the Church come in for us; in prayer and worship, and all the various practices of the Church, we find help.  We find sustenance through prayer for finding the right way, for seeking strength, and for perseverance in seeking the good and the righteous way of life.  We can but ask in prayer.  There are times when we doubt ourselves, or even doubt our prayer.  But the most important thing is our effort in so doing, and the love in our hearts seeking to please God.  Jesus does not ask us to be omniscient; He asks us to be loyal, faithful, to find the love of God and to seek to love God in return.  This is trust, and it is the real root of faith.  So let us begin to understand that Jesus asks us to do as He does, to live as He lived.  For He has come into the world in a divine/human form, in the Incarnation, in order to show us the way.  As He lived, He shows us the Father, and He shows us how to live in such a way to also seek God's way in all that we do.  As we are also sent the gift of the Holy Spirit through Christ and His Incarnation, death, and Resurrection, we should remember that the Holy Spirit "will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you."  Therefore, Father, Son, and Spirit share one will, and we are given help -- a Helper -- to know that will and participate in it as well.  Let us see the righteousness that Christ teaches us, and remember that it is rooted in love, as He teaches us in turn to love God who loves us.  This discourse was begun because Christ healed the paralytic, and is now being challenged for doing so.  But all that we are given is done so that we may heal; in seeking Christ's righteousness we seek the grace that heals us as well.  Christ has the humility to admit His dependence upon the Father.  Let us remember the One upon whom we need to rely as well.