John 5:21

John 5:21-23 . For as the Father raiseth up the dead, &c. — Here he declares what are those greater works, namely, raising the dead and judging the world. These two, quickening and judging, are proposed, John 5:21-22 . The acquittal of believers, which presupposes judgment, is treated of in John 5:24 ; the quickening some of the dead, John 5:25 ; and the general resurrection, John 5:28 . For the Father judgeth no man — Without the Son; but he doth judge by that man whom he hath ordained, Acts 17:31 . That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father — Honour him as the Maker, Upholder, Redeemer, Saviour, Governor, and Judge of the world, and that either willingly, by yielding to him the homage of faith, love, and obedience, and so escaping condemnation, and attaining eternal life; or unwillingly, and so feeling the wrath of the Judge. This demonstrates the equality, or sameness, rather, of the Godhead of the Son and the Father. If our Lord were God only by office, or investiture, and not in the unity of the divine essence, he would not be honoured even as, that is, with the same honour as that wherewith the Father is honoured. He that honoureth not the Son — With the same equal honour, greatly dishonoureth the Father which sent him.

John 5:21 . ὥσπερ γὰρ … ζωοποιεῖ . This is one of the “greater works” which the Father shows to the Son. The Jews believed in the power of God to give life and to raise the dead; see Deuteronomy 32:39 ; 1 Samuel 2:6 ; Isaiah 26:19 . In our Lord’s time there was in use the following prayer: “Thou, O Lord, art mighty for ever; Thou quickenest the dead; Thou art strong to save; Thou sustainest the living by Thy mercy; Thou quickenest the dead by Thy great compassion; Thou makest good Thy faithfulness to them that sleep in the dust; Thou art faithful to quicken the dead. Blessed art Thou, O Lord, who quickenest the dead.” There is therefore no need to ask, what quickening of the dead is here meant? What was meant was that the power which they all believed to be in God was likewise in the Son. He quickens οὓς θέλει , i.e. , no matter how dead the person is; even though he has lain as long useless as the impotent man. The question of the human will is not touched here, but it may be remarked that the will of the impotent man was consulted as the prime requisite of the cure.

Raiseth - quickeneth Physically and spiritually. The Son quickeneth Not raiseth and quickeneth. The quickening, however (ζωοποιεῖ, maketh alive), includes the raising, so that the two clauses are coextensive. In popular conception the raising precedes the quickening; but, in fact, the making alive is the controlling fact of the raising. Ἑγείρει, raiseth, means primarily awaketh.

21-23. raiseth the dead and quickeneth them—one act in two stages. This is His absolute prerogative as God. so the Son quickeneth them—that is, raiseth up and quickeneth. whom he will—not only doing the same divine act, but doing it as the result of His own will, even as the Father does it. This statement is of immense importance in relation to the miracles of Christ, distinguishing them from similar miracles of prophets and apostles, who as human instruments were employed to perform super-natural actions, while Christ did all as the Father's commissioned Servant indeed, but in the exercise of His own absolute right of action.

He seemeth not to speak of what God will do in the general resurrection, but of those whom the Lord raised up from the dead in the Old Testament, by Elijah and Elisha. The giving of and restoring unto life, are things proper unto God, Deu 32:39 1 Samuel 2:6 . So the Son quickeneth whom he will: God hath given unto me a power to raise from the dead whom I will; as he did raise up Jairus’s daughter, Matthew 9:25 , and the widow’s son, Luke 7:14 , and Lazarus. John 11:43 . This was one of those greater works, of which our Saviour spake in the former verse.

21 . raiseth up the dead ] This is one of the ‘greater works’ which the Father sheweth the Son, and which the Son imitates, the raising up those who are spiritually dead. Not all of them: the Son imparts life only to ‘whom He will:’ and He wills not to impart it to those who will not believe. The ‘whom He will’ would be almost unintelligible if actual resurrection from the grave were intended. 21–27 . The Father imparts to the Son the power of raising the spiritually dead. It is very important to notice that ‘raising the dead’ in this section is figurative ; raising from moral and spiritual death: whereas the resurrection ( John 5:28-29 ) is literal ; the rising of dead bodies from the graves. It is impossible to take both sections in one and the same sense, either figurative or literal. The wording of John 5:28 and still more of John 5:29 is quite conclusive against spiritual resurrection being meant there: what in that case could ‘the resurrection of damnation’ mean? John 5:24-25 are equally conclusive against a bodily resurrection being meant here: what in that case can ‘an hour is coming, and now is ’ mean? 21–29 . The intimacy of the Son with the Father proved by the twofold power committed to the Son (a) of communicating spiritual life , (b) of causing the bodily resurrection of the dead .

John 5:21 . Γάρ , for ) He declares what are those greater works: quickening and judging . From His judicial power flows His unlimited authority in quickening whom He will, and at what time He will. Weigh well the γάρ , for , John 5:22 , “ For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son.” But the quickening of the dead is a proof of His judicial power, which does not as yet come before men’s eyes. “Weigh well the γάρ , for , John 5:21 : and so quickening the dead raises men’s admiration in a greater degree than judging does.

These two, quickening and judging , are set before us at John 5:21-22 ; and, in inverse order by χιασμός , at John 5:24 is discussed the exemption of believers from condemnation, which itself presupposes a judgment : at John 5:25 is discussed the restoration to life of some of the dead; marvellous indeed, but however so as that the general resurrection, John 5:28 , is to exceed this marvel .— ἐγείρει , raiseth up ) This double-membered sentence has this force: Just as the Father raises up the dead (whom He will), and quickens them: so also the Son (raises up the dead) whom He will , (and) quickens them .— νεκρούς , the dead ) in body: for the death of the body is properly opposed to disease [alluding to the infirmity of the impotent man], John 5:5 : and life eternal, into which an entrance is gained through the resurrection of the body, is opposed to the judgment , John 5:22 .— οὕς θέλει , whom He will ) Never does the effect fail to follow His will. A universal assertion, as John 5:22-23 .

(21) The following verses ( John 5:21-29 ) show what these greater works are. They are the Resurrection and the judgment; but these are regarded as spiritual as well as physical, as present as well as future. Once again the background of the thought is to be found in John 5:17 . Resurrection and Judgment were the work of the Father—“My Father worketh hitherto;” but the manifestation in limits of space and time is the work of the Son—“and I work.” For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them.—The “them” after “quickeneth” is better omitted. The words are purposely general. Raising the dead and making alive are attributes of God. “He kills and He makes alive” (Deuteronomy 32:39). “He bringeth down to the underworld and bringeth up” (1Samuel 2:6; Tobit 13:2). “He has the power of life and death” (Wisdom Of Solomon 16:13). These the Son seeth the Father doing, and these also He doeth in like manner. He, too, has the power to quicken whom He will, and He useth that power. Deadened souls have felt it, and are living in the new-born life. There is in His word, for the man who hears it and believes it, a moral change which is nothing other than an actual passing out of death into life (John 5:24).

As the Father raiseth up the dead - God has power to raise the dead. By his power it had been done in at least two instances - by the prophet Elijah, in the case of the son of the widow of Sarepta 1 Kings 17:22 , and by the prophet Elisha, in the case of the Shunamite's son, 2 Kings 4:32-35 . The Jews did not doubt that God had power to raise the dead. Jesus here expressly affirms it, and says he has the same power. Quickeneth them - Gives them "life." This is the sense of the word "quickeneth" throughout the Bible. Even so - In the same manner. By the same authority and power. The power of raising the dead must be one of the highest attributes of the divinity. As Jesus affirms that he has the power to do this "in the same manner" as the Father, so it follows that he must be equal with God. The Son quickeneth - Gives life to. This may either refer to his raising the dead from their graves, or to his giving spiritual life to those who are dead in trespasses and sins. The former he did in the case of Lazarus and the widow's son at Nain, John 11:43-44; Luke 7:14-15. The latter he did in the case of all those who were converted by his power, and still does it in any instance of conversion. Whom he will - It was in the power of Jesus to raise up any of the dead as well as Lazarus. It depended on his will whether Lazarus and the widow's son should come to life. So it depends on his will whether sinners shall live.