John 5:27

John 5:27

And hath given him authority to execute judgment also
Both in his church and kingdom, in the present state of things, and at the last day, when all shall stand before his judgment seat: and that

because he is the son of man;
truly and properly man; because though he was in the form of God, and equal to him, yet became man, and was in the form of a servant: and so reads the Ethiopic version, "because the Son of God is the son of man"; and therefore the authority of executing judgment, according to the council and covenant of peace, is committed to him; or that men might have a visible judge, or be judged by one in their own nature: agreeably the Persic version renders it, "because the Son himself is he who judges the sons of men"; or rather because he is that son of man spoken of in prophecy, especially in ( Daniel 7:13 ) ; by whom is meant the Messiah, as the Jews themselves allow F6, and who was not a mere man, but the man God's fellow; and so being omniscient and omnipotent, was equal to such a work, which otherwise he would not have been; (See Gill on John 5:22). The Syriac version joins this clause to the beginning of ( John 5:28 ) , and reads it thus, "because he is the son of man, marvel not at this"; let this be no obstruction to your faith of his quickening the dead, and having authority to execute judgment on all; since, though the son of man, he is not a mere man, but God over all, as what is next ascribed to him manifestly shows.


FOOTNOTES:

F6 Zohar in Gen. fol. 85. 4. Bemidbar Rabba, sect. 13. fol. 209. 4. Jarchi & Saadiah Gaon in Dan. vii. 13. & R. Jeshuah in Aben Ezra in ib.