This claim of Jesus is something that we really can't ignore. The Jewish leaders understood what he was saying—he was making himself equal with God. And if that's true, then we can't treat Jesus just like some wise teacher or religious leader. Either Jesus is Lord or he's something far worse, but he can't just be a nice, safe teacher.
Jesus then explains how this relationship works. He says the Son can do nothing of his own accord. Jesus isn't just saying that he's weak; he's saying his will is so perfectly in line, perfectly one with the Father's will, that it's impossible for him to act independently. The Son does only what he sees the Father doing—this is the picture of perfect unity, like a reflection in a mirror.
When Jesus says, "Whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life," he means the person who listens with their heart and puts their full trust in God. Then he says, this person has passed from death to life. The verb translated "passed" means to cross over from one place to another. It's like stepping over a line. One moment you're in death, the next you are in life. That's why eternal life doesn't begin in the future. It begins the very moment you believe.
The Father has entrusted all judgment to the Son. The role that belongs only to God has been placed in his hands. This was shocking to his listeners. To them, it sounded like blasphemy. But Jesus makes it clear that he has the right to judge because he is equal with the Father.
Imagine for a moment that you're standing in a courtroom. The judge is seated up front, all the witnesses are in place, and what's about to happen is every word you've ever spoken, every thought you've ever had, every action you've ever done is about to be read out loud. That's a pretty hard thought, right? But now think about this: what if it's not a person sitting behind that seat, some unknown judge, but it's Jesus himself? How might that change the way you live today, the way you think about him, the way you honor him?
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Since Jesus is one with the Father, the giver of life, and the judge of all, we must honor him by trusting in him and obeying his word. This is the heart of the passage.
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When Jesus says, "My Father is working until now, and I am working," the Greek word for working doesn't just mean casual activity but ongoing, purposeful labor. Jesus is saying, just like my Father continues his work of sustaining the world, I too am actively working in the same way.
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Notice carefully how Jesus calls himself "my Father." He doesn't say "our Father," which Jews used and still use as they pray together, but they never singularly say "my Father." In their ears, this meant Jesus was claiming a unique relationship with God—a relationship of shared essence. In their world, no faithful Jew would ever dare to put themselves on the same level as God in this way, but Jesus does it without hesitation.
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Jesus isn't taking God's place; he's showing that he shares the Father's very nature. This fits perfectly with what John has already told us in the opening of his gospel: "In the beginning was the Word, the Word was with God, and the Word was God." Jesus is not created; Jesus is eternal God.
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If you want to know what God is like, look at Jesus. If you want to know how God acts, watch Jesus. He is the visible image of the invisible God.
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Jesus has the divine prerogative to give spiritual and eternal life. In this section, we'll explore three realities: first, Jesus claims the same power as the Father to raise the dead; second, hearing and believing in Jesus brings immediate passage from death to life; and third, the Son possesses life in himself just as the Father does.
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Jesus says he has life in himself. That's huge. This is nothing like us. We depend on food, water, air to stay alive. Jesus has life in himself. He is the source. He doesn't just give life. He is life.
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Doctors can restart a physical heartbeat, but they can't give eternal life. Only Jesus can do that. He takes people who are spiritually dead and makes them alive forever. No machine, no doctor, no human effort. Only Christ.
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Eternal life isn't something you work for. It's something Jesus gives freely to those who hear his voice and trust him. If you've already believed, then remember this: the life you have in Christ is real. It's secure. It's eternal.
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Jesus says, the Father gave him authority to judge so that everyone would give the Son the same honor they give to the Father. That means you can't say you worship God if you don't honor Jesus. To reject Jesus is to reject God himself.
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Jesus has both the power to raise the dead and the right to determine their eternal destiny. Everyone will rise. Believers to eternal life. Unbelievers to judgment.
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Unlike human judges who can make a mistake, who can be swayed by pride, bribes, or bias, Jesus' judgment is perfect because it is fully aligned with the will of God the Father.
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None of us will escape this courtroom. The only question is, when you stand before Christ, will you be raised to the resurrection of life or to the resurrection of judgment?
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If you belong to him, you can face this day with hope, not fear, because your judge is also your savior.
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If Jesus is one with the Father, then we must take his words seriously—every promise, every command. If Jesus alone can give life, then we must stop trusting in ourselves or religion and place all our trust in him. If Jesus is the judge, then we must live with eternity in view, honoring him now before we stand before him later.
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The judge himself has already made the way for us to be forgiven. Jesus is the Son of God. He came to this earth through a virgin's womb, lived the perfect sinless life that we never could, and died on the cross in our place. He willingly took the punishment for our sins, and three days later he rose from the dead, showing his victory over sin and death. And one day he's coming back. This means that if you trust him, you won't face him as one who condemns, but as the savior who gives you life.
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