John 5:21-24 21For just as the Father raises the dead and gives life, so also the Son gives life to whom he wishes. 22For the Father judges no one, but he has given all judgment to the Son, 23in order that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. The one who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him. 24Truly, truly, I say to you, the one who hears my word and believes the one who sent me has eternal life, and he does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.
The reciprocal relationship between Father, Son, and disciple continues in these verses. Verse 21 is the second reference in John to resurrection (see 2:19-22). The Jews believed only God had the power to create life or raise it from the dead(2 Kings 5:7; Ezekiel 37:13). The Father is completely sovereign and can bring life from death. The reference to raising the dead here is a prelude to the Father raising the Son on the third day later in chapter 20. This resurrection enables the Son to resurrect those whom he wishes. The primary thought seems to be the close connection between Father and Son. The Son is so intuned to the Father’s will that he does only what the Father wants.
We should not read into verse 21 the doctrine of predestination in the sense that the Son does not will some to be raised. The following verses indicate that the invitation is for all people, but not all will honor the Son and so will experience the Son’s judgment. Since the Father has given power to the Son to raise people from the dead, it is logical that the Son also has the position to judge those whom he raises. The Son knows the Father and is one in mind with him. Therefore, the Son’s judgment is just. The determining factor of this judgment is vitally important in John’s Gospel.
Verse 23 makes the criteria of judgment clear. What will ultimately condemn a person is what he or she does with Jesus. Jesus did not come into the world to condemn the world (3:17). People condemn themselves by not honoring the Son. Honor (timōsi) has the sense of revering or accepting as worthy. In the context of this passage, particularly verse 24, it means to accept Jesus’ teaching and believe in him. The connection of Son to Father is again vital in salvation. To honor the Son also means to glorify the Father (Philippians 2:9-11). Those who want to honor the Father must accept the Son and why he came to earth.
Jesus’ next truly, truly statement emphasizes again the need to believe in him. He makes the choice very clear: believing in him leads to eternal life; rejecting him leads to judgment. Jesus’ claims in this passage are extremely significant for the monotheistic belief of Judaism. The relationship of the Father and Son is so united that to believe in one is to believe in the other. The coming of the Son does not invalidate the claims of the Old Testament. The Son is not a separate God but God come in the flesh with the purpose of revealing the depths of his love, grace, and forgiveness. In John’s Gospel, Jesus is shown as the perfect representation of God. To believe in him is to believe in God’s plan of salvation. Salvation begins in this lifetime. Physical death is only a pause that allows the Son’s power of resurrection to be shown.
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