Answering to a Higher Authority

John 5:19-29

Main Idea: Jesus’s authority stems from his deity, and his authority demands obedience.

1. Jesus Does What Only God Can Do.
2. Jesus Receives Honor Only God Deserves.
3. Jesus Has Power Only God Can Claim.

In the first part of chapter 5, Jesus Christ reveals himself as Lord. His words and works show his power and authority. Because of his authority, there’s a claim on our lives to obey him. In verses 19-29 we see that Jesus’s authority stems from his deity, and his authority demands obedience.

The religious leaders wanted to kill Jesus because he was “making himself equal to God” (v. 18). Their response was wrong, but their understanding of Jesus’s statement was not. Jesus was revealing himself as God. This is the basis for his authority. Jesus stresses his deity by describing his unity with the Father in these verses. Once we see his deity, his authority over us becomes obvious. Jesus reveals his deity and authority in three ways.

Jesus Does What Only God Can Do

Jesus does not do “anything on his own” (v. 19). Everything he does is perfectly in concert with the Father’s work and will. “For whatever the Father does, the Son likewise does these things.” Let me put that in our modern vernacular: Jesus isn’t a trust-fund kid trying to distance himself from his Father. He’s not the black sheep trying to make a name for himself. He’s not the type-A firstborn trying to outdo his dad and make it on his own. He’s perfectly in sync with his Father. He’s not a second god come to steal the worship and adoration that belongs only to the true God. He is the true God. He and the Father are one. To worship God is to worship Jesus, and to worship Jesus is to worship God. Remember his defense for working on the Sabbath: “If the Father has the authority to work on the Sabbath, then I do as well” (v. 17; my paraphrase).

Jesus is making a clear statement of deity and authority by revealing his ability to do works only God can do. He has the authority to give a person life (v. 21), and he has the authority to judge men (v. 22). These two characteristics are unique to God; if Jesus has the authority to do them, then he must be God. Maybe someone else could heal a person, but Jesus will do far greater works: He will raise the dead to life. He personally will rise from the dead. When he does so, those who opposed him will marvel (v. 20). Jesus is saying, “You saw me heal a lame man but explained it away and said, ‘He’s got no authority over us.’ What are you going to say when I raise someone from the dead? How will you explain that one? How will you avoid the clear conclusion that I am God and you must obey me?”

Jesus Receives Honor Only God Deserves

This is ironclad evidence of Jesus’s deity. Listen to what God says in Isaiah: “I will act for my own sake, indeed, my own, for how can I be defiled? I will not give my glory to another” (Isa 48:11; emphasis added). God will not give his glory or honor to someone else, yet he gives it to Jesus because Jesus is God (John 5:23). Since the Father and Son are one, to reject the Son is to dishonor the Father. Jesus is tying his authority directly to the authority of God himself. It’s as if he is looking square in the eyes of these religious leaders—these guardians of monotheistic teaching—and saying to them, “You cannot honor God if you do not honor me. You pious and sanctimonious men, your lives are supposed to be the paragon of obedience and submission to God, but if you do not submit to my authority, you are in absolute rebellion against God.”

This is a compelling reminder of the centrality of Jesus Christ to God-pleasing worship. We live in a pluralistic society, a society that promotes the equality of all religions. God’s Word is clear: any system of worship that does not honor Jesus Christ as the true God is from hell. It’s a lie of Satan.

One of the current ways Satan is trying to attack the deity of Jesus Christ is through the religion of tolerance. There’s a loud cry for tolerance in our society, but it’s not really tolerance that’s wanted. True tolerance says, “All people have the right to choose what to believe.” As Christians, we gladly support this type of tolerance. We don’t want to force or coerce someone to become a Christian. We know doing so is impossible anyway; it’s a decision of the heart. This is why Christians have always been at the front lines in the fight for religious liberty. We believe people should have the right to believe whatever they choose, even if they choose to believe something stupid. They can set up a religion that worships a toaster as god. The religion of tolerance has a completely different agenda. It says we must affirm, “All religions are equally true.” That’s not tolerance; that’s an entirely new religion. Satan pushes the religion of tolerance because it undermines the worship of Jesus as the one true God. Though we believe every person has the right to believe whatever he wants, we also believe that only one thing can be true.

Only the true God is worthy of worship, and the only way to worship him is through his Son, Jesus. John Calvin’s words, written 450 years ago, are still true and timely:

Muslims and Jews give the God they worship beautiful and magnificent titles. However, we should remember that whenever God’s name is separated from Christ, it is nothing more than empty imagination. (John, 129)

What good is an imagination that’s empty? The only useful imagination is a full one. An empty imagination is worthless, as is worshiping God apart from Jesus.

I remember hearing a knock on our front door. When I opened the door, I saw two ladies standing on my step holding Bibles and some religious literature. My suspicion was soon confirmed: these two ladies were Jehovah’s Witnesses going from door to door sharing their false gospel. As rapidly as I could, I told them we believed differently about Jesus, and the Bible clearly says Jesus is truly God. “Oh, we believe he’s God,” they said. “No, you don’t. You believe he’s a god, but you do not believe he’s of the same essence as the Father. You do not believe he’s one with the Father.” At that point they admitted they viewed Jesus differently, and the conversation ended a few moments later. Those two ladies, as sweet as they were, standing on my porch with Bibles in hand, were rebelling against God. Anyone who does not submit to Jesus Christ—anyone who dishonors the Son—does not honor the Father.

What does submission to God look like? Well, it begins by following Jesus’s instructions to believe him (v. 24). Any talk of obeying God or following God or pleasing him is empty and meaningless until you’ve accepted the sacrifice of Jesus on your behalf. It’s easy to think about Jesus and say things like, “I really respect him.” “I think he’s pretty cool.” “He says some really good things.” Think about those statements from God’s perspective. God made you, but you rebelled against him. Instead of punishing you, he put in motion a plan to rescue you. This plan required his Son to be born as a man, live a perfect life, and then die a horrible death so you could be forgiven and freed. You hear all this, and you think, Wow. I respect Jesus. God didn’t send his Son to die so you’d respect him. He sent his Son to die so that you’d throw yourself at his feet and ask him to rescue you. God is not after your respect. God is after you. He says anything short of coming in faith to Jesus Christ to save you amounts to disrespect. The only way to honor God is to embrace the gift of mercy and forgiveness Jesus won for you on the cross.

Jesus Has Power Only God Can Claim

Jesus has authority over all men and their eternal destiny. He’s the giver of salvation, and his salvation has two perspectives. In verse 25 it’s a current perspective. Right now Jesus is giving life to those who are spiritually dead. Verses 28-29 have a future perspective. Jesus will raise the dead to eternal life. Jesus has the prerogative to give life because he has “life in himself” (v. 26).

If I were to walk into your house, take a painting down off your wall, and give it away, what would you think? You would probably think I had no right to give away your painting. But if I were to walk into my house, take a painting down off my wall, and give it away, would you think twice about it? No. It’s mine to give. Jesus has the authority to give life because he owns life.

To whom does he give this life? The spiritually dead. The dead “will hear [his] voice” (v. 25). I’ve heard numerous funeral sermons and never seen the corpse say amen. How can the spiritually dead hear and obey Christ’s message? I think the best way to answer that question is to ask another one: How can a lame man take up his bed and walk? Only if the commander provides the power (5:1-18). Apart from Jesus Christ no person can choose spiritual life. Just like the lame man, we’re unable to heal ourselves. Yet, when Jesus calls us to life, he instantly makes us alive. Salvation is wholly the work of Christ; he transforms dead sinners into living sons.

However, the authority of Jesus extends beyond calling spiritually dead sinners to life. It also encompasses calling the physically dead back to life. The final two verses (vv. 28-29) focus on a future day when Jesus returns to take believers into heaven and cast unbelievers into hell. On that day those in the grave will hear his voice. Just as Jesus told the lame man to “get up,” he will shout to those in the grave, “Get up!” and they will. What authority! Jesus will call all men to stand before him and receive his judgment. Those who have believed in him and submitted to his commands will receive eternal life, and those who have not will experience eternal judgment.

In John 11 Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead. How amazing it would have been to stand there that day and see this man rise from the grave and come walking out! In 5:29 Jesus tells of a day when every dead person will be called out of the grave by one simple command: “Get up!” Jesus will speak, and every single corpse from all of human history will obey. Now that’s authority!

A bugler could stand at the edge of a graveyard and play reveille, but nothing would happen. He could travel to the greatest of our national cemeteries, where military men, noted for their obedience throughout life, lie buried. No matter how well or loudly he played, nothing would happen. Those dead men need a far greater authority to bring them to life, and that authority is the voice of Jesus Christ. (Hughes, John, 166)

Verse 27 contains one final reminder of Jesus’s authority. Jesus describes himself with the title Son of Man. This title is taken from Daniel 7. In that chapter Daniel is experiencing a vision from God that reveals God’s sovereignty over all the nations and kingdoms in the world. In verses 9-10 he describes a scene from God’s throne room:

As I kept watching, thrones were set in place, and the Ancient of Days took his seat. His clothing was white like snow, and the hair of his head like whitest wool. His throne was flaming fire; its wheels were blazing fire. A river of fire was flowing, coming out from his presence. Thousands upon thousands served him; ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him. The court was convened, and the books were opened. (Dan 7:9-10)

Here’s what we find a few verses later:

I continued watching in the night visions, and suddenly one like a son of man was coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was escorted before him. He was given dominion, and glory, and a kingdom; so that those of every people, nation, and language should serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will not be destroyed. (Dan 7:13-14)

Jesus is the Son of Man. He’s been given dominion, glory, and a kingdom. He is to be served by all peoples, nations, and languages. His dominion is everlasting and shall never pass away or be destroyed. The story of the gospel is that the King has come. Will his subjects obey? The most pressing question this text poses to us is this: Will we submit to the authority of Jesus Christ? Will we seek to bring every area of our lives under his control?

Hebrew National makes 100 percent premium kosher beef hot dogs. On the hot dog package, right underneath the bright yellow letters, “Hebrew National,” are the words, “We answer to a higher authority.” The same slogan should be written on everything we do. Is the authority of Christ affecting how you talk to your spouse? discipline your children? discipline yourself? respond to criticism? spend your time? spend your money? As Christians, our confession is Jesus Christ is Lord, and our commitment is to submit to his lordship in every area of our lives. We do, indeed, answer to a higher authority.

Reflect and Discuss

1. What does it mean that Jesus “is not able to do anything on his own” (John 5:19)?
2. How is Jesus making a clear statement of both deity and authority?
3. How can Jesus have the authority to give a person life and judge people?
4. How has he displayed this authority?
5. Why is rejection of Jesus dishonoring to God? What is the difference between admiring Jesus and believing in Jesus?
6. What words would you use to lovingly tell someone that any system of worship not honoring Jesus as the true God is a lie?
7. What does submission to God look like?
8. How can the spiritually dead hear and obey Jesus?
9. What claim does Jesus make by calling himself the Son of Man?
10. How is the authority of Christ affecting the way you live?