John 5:19-24, The Authority of the Son

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.  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.  21 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,  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.  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. 

These six verses of Scripture are about as rich in meaning about who Jesus is and what he does as any in the gospels. When Jesus says, "Truly, truly," it means we are to listen intently. First, he says he is subordinate to the Father. He can do nothing on his own. He only does what the Father wills and shows him. This does not mean that He is not fully God, however. The Father and Son are equal, an equality expressed in a mutually subordinate unity, the kind of mutual subordination Paul calls for husbands and wives to have in Ephesians 5.  

Second, Jesus says he will do greater things. The works he will do will be even greater than the healing at the pool or the changing of water into wine. Yet these "lesser works" point to the greater work he will do on the cross for our purification from sin and in resurrecting our bodies for eternal life. The power of Jesus to heal dead limbs is the same power that will raise us to new life, if only we hear his word and believe that he is indeed from God. In fact, as soon as we believe in Jesus we enter into this new life.  

And third, Jesus will be the judge of all people. The Father has turned all judgment over to him. For those who believe, this is very good news. For those who do not believe, Jesus says they dishonor the Father and will face a different future. It is the same warning he gave the man at the pool. "If you do not stop sinning, something worse will happen to you."  

In prayer, ask the Father to speak to you about his relationship with the Son, about their unity, their work, and the coming judgment Jesus guarantees.