John 5:19
Read John 5:19 Using Other Translations
What does John 5:19 mean?
Then answered Jesus, and said unto them
They charged him with blasphemy for calling God his Father, and
making himself equal to him: and his answer is so far from
denying the thing, or observing any mistake, or misrepresentation
of his words, that he allows the whole, and vindicates himself in
so saying:
verily verily, I say unto you;
nothing is more certain; it may be depended on as truth; I who am
truth itself, the "Amen", and faithful witness, aver it with the
greatest assurance:
the Son can do nothing of himself;
or he does do nothing of himself, nor will he do anything of
himself; that is, he neither does, nor will, nor can do anything
alone or separate from his Father, or in which he is not
concerned; not anything without his knowledge and consent, or
contrary to his will: he does everything in conjunction with him;
with the same power, having the same will, being of the same
nature, and equal to each other: for these words do not design
any weakness in the Son, or want of power in him to do anything
of himself; that is, by his own power: for he has by his word of
power spoke all things out of nothing, and by the same upholds
all things; he has himself bore the sins of his people, and by
himself purged them away, and has raised himself from the dead;
but they express his perfection; that he does nothing, and can do
nothing of himself, in opposition to his Father, and in
contradiction to his will: as Satan speaks of his own, and evil
men alienated from God, act of themselves, and do that which is
contrary to the nature and will of God; but the Son cannot do so,
being of the same nature with God, and therefore never acts
separate from him, or contrary to him, but always co-operates and
acts with him, and therefore never to be blamed for what he does.
The Syriac, Arabic, and Persic versions render it, "the Son
cannot do anything of his own will"; so Nonnus; as separate from,
or contrary to his Father's will, but always in agreement with
it, they being one in nature, and so in will and work. He does
nothing therefore
but what he seeth the Father do;
not that he sees the Father actually do a work, and then he does
one after him, as the creation of the world, the assumption of
human nature, and redemption of man, or any particular miracle,
as if upon observing one done, he did the like; but that he being
brought up with him, and lying in his bosom, was privy to the
whole plan of his works, and saw in his nature and infinite mind,
and in his vast counsels, purposes, and designs, all that he was
doing, or would do, and so did the same, or acted agreeably to
them; and which still shows and proves their unity of nature, and
perfect equality, since there was nothing in the Father's mind
but was known to the Son, seen, and observed, and acted up to by
him: so Philo the Jew F5 says of the
``Father's most ancient Son, whom he otherwise calls the firstborn; that being begotten, he imitates the Father, and seeing, or looking to his exemplars and archetypes, forms species;''that is, being conversant with the original and eternal ideas of things in the divine mind, acts according to them, which he could not do if he was not of the same nature with, and equal to his Father. Moreover, the Son sees what the Father does by co-operating with him, and so does no other than what he sees the Father do, in conjunction with him: to which may be added, that the phrase shows, that the Son does nothing but in wisdom, and with knowledge; and that as the Father, so he does all things after the counsel of his will:
for whatsoever things he doth, these also doth the Son
likewise;
the Son does the selfsame works as the Father does, such as the
works of creation and providence, the government both of the
church, and of the world; and he does these things in like
manner, with the same power, and by the same authority, his
Father does, and which proves him to be equal with him; the very
thing the Jews understood him to have asserted, and which they
charged him with: and this he strongly maintained. The Syriac
version reads, "for the things which the Father does, the same
also does the Son"; and the Persic version, "whatsoever God has
done, the Son also does like unto it".
F5 De Confus. Ling. p. 329.
