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Turning at last to the subject of this article, John 5:, we find that here Christ is
outlining the spiritual equivalent of Israel's journey in the wilderness. The miracle or
selected sign at the beginning of the chapter; the healing of the impotent man, in that
condition for 38 years (5) and that due to sin (14); makes a link with our opening
remarks.
Christ makes several references to the work of His Father:
"The Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He seeth the Father do: for what things
soever He doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise. For the Father loveth the Son, and
sheweth Him all things that Himself doeth: and He will shew Him greater works than
these, that ye may marvel. For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them;
even so the Son quickeneth whom He will" (5: 19-21).
Our scientific books propound the existence of planetary systems such as ours with a
central sun, being repeated in infinite numbers at infinite distances in space in every
direction. How then shall we even start to think of the work of the Father? We should be
utterly lost if the Son did not bring into our finite vision and understanding sufficient to
witness to the certainty of spiritual horizons that could be the goal and promised land of
those of us who have faith. The raising of Lazarus and other miracles are `the grapes of
Eshcol' of our future estate. And Heb. 6: 5 describes them as `powers of the world to
come'.
Christ makes repeated statements of the links between His Father and Himself:
Verse
19
The Son--nothing done of Himself but what He sees the Father do.
20
The Father loves the Son and shows Him His works.
21
The power to quicken the dead, common to Father and Son.
22
The Father commits all judgment to the Son.
23
Honour common to Father and Son.
26
Life in Himself, common to Father and Son.
30
Judgment of the Son just, for "as I hear I judge".
36
Christ came to "finish" the works of the Father.
It is of interest to note the reference in verse 36 to `finishing' the works of the Father.
We remember our Lord on the cross before yielding up the ghost said "It is finished". All
the works of God in Christ "reconciling the world unto Himself" find their climax here.
At verse 37 Christ points to their dependence on Him to bring to them the knowledge
of the Father:
"Ye have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His shape."
We can imagine the excitement amongst these Jews when they thought that Christ in
saying this was ignoring all the oracles that Moses had delivered to them from God. But
our Lord confronts them:
"(Ye) search the Scriptures: for in them ye think ye have eternal life; and they are
they which testify of Me" (5: 39).
"Had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed Me: for he wrote of Me" (5: 46).