But Jesus said to them: “My Father worketh until now, and I work.”[1] Hearing this, the Jews sought the more to kill Him, because He not only, as they thought, broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was His Father, making Himself equal to God[2].
Jesus then, gave them more plainly to understand that He was the Son of God and equal to the Father: “Amen, amen, I say unto you; the Son cannot do anything of Himself, but what He seeth the Father do; for what things soever He doeth, these the Son also doeth in like manner. For the Father loveth the Son, and showeth Him all things which Himself doeth; and greater works than these will He show Him, that you may wonder.
“For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and giveth life, so the Son also giveth life[3] to whom He will. For neither doth the Father judge any man, but hath committed all judgment[4] to the Son, that all men may honour the Son as they honour the Father. Amen, amen, I say unto you, he that heareth My word and believeth Him that sent Me hath everlasting life. Amen, amen, I say unto you, that the hour cometh and now is, when the dead [5] shall hear the voice of the Son of God, and they that hear shall live Wonder not at this, for the hour cometh, wherein all that are in the graves[6] shall hear the voice of the Son of God. And they that have done good things, shall come forth unto the resurrection of life, but they that have done evil, to the resurrection of judgment.”[7]
- ↑ And I work. Our Lord meant this: You apply the law about the Sabbath rest wrongly. It does not apply to God the Father, who is ever active since the days of creation; neither does it apply to me, His Son. The Sabbath is made for man, and applies to human, not divine works; as you can see at the pool of Bethsaida, where my Father works miracles on the Sabbath.
- ↑ Equal to God. They, therefore, quite understood that our Lord called God His Father, making Himself equal to God; but instead of being filled with fear by this declaration, and withdrawing their reproaches about breaking the Sabbath, their rage only increased, and they called our Lord a blasphemer, and sought more eagerly than ever to kill Him.
- ↑ Giveth life. He has the power to raise the dead to life at His pleasure (remember the young man of Naim, the daughter of Jairus, and Lazarus!).
- ↑ All judgment. The judgment of all men.
- ↑ The dead. Here our Lord refers especially to those who are dead spiritually, but who by receiving grace and faith in His teaching are spiritually restored to life.
- ↑ In the graves. Here our Lord speaks of the general resurrection of the dead.
- ↑ Judgment. Damnation.
