“Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.” John 5:19
If read alone, this verse can make it sound like Jesus is less than the Father. How can He not be? The world tells us that if there is a relationship in which one obeys the other, there is a difference in power, authority, and even value. But, to come to these conclusions about the Father and Son would be a mistake, and specific to John 5:19, it would be to ignore the context of the verse and the words of surrounding verses.
Jesus is responding to a group of pharisees, and their claim that Jesus was violating Sabbath law. A law given by God, whom Jesus was now calling His Father. And although God was occasionally referred to as “Father,” in the Old Testament, the holy book of the Jews, it was rarely done (Isa. 63:16, 64:8; Jer. 3:19; Mal. 2:10). “Father,” is an intimate term which expresses close relationship and authority, and the Jewish people viewed God in a more distant way. He spoke through prophets. He spoke through a cloud or a burning bush. He was all powerful and generous, but to call Him Father seemed like blasphemy. Jesus referring to God as His Father infuriated the Jewish leaders to the point of wanting to kill Him. They knew that He was claiming His equality with God, “For this reason they tried all the more to kill him; not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God,” (John 5:18).
What then does Jesus mean when He says, “the Son can do nothing by himself,”? To the pharisees, Jesus was simply saying that He was doing the will of the very God that they claimed to serve. And to us, He is giving a glimpse into the eternal relationship and unity of the Trinity. That God the Father, Christ the Son, and the Holy Spirit work in complete unity and partnership.
To see this shared authority and unity more clearly, let’s look at Paul’s letter to the church in Philippi, “Christ Jesus: Who, being in the very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross!” (Phil. 2:5-8). Notice in these verses that Jesus is called, “in the very nature God,” and that His equality with God was, “not something to be used to his own advantage.” Notice that “He MADE HIMSELF nothing,” by coming into this world as a man. Notice that “He HUMBLED HIMSELF by BECOMING obedient to death.” The Son was not forced to do the Father’s will, but rather chose to do the Father’s will all out of His great love for His beloved children, you and me. The Son was not forced into compliance but chose to perfectly model what humble obedience looks like. Jesus was not strong armed into submission, but shows us what humility, sacrifice, love, and gentleness look like, not out of weakness, but out of all-powerful strength and authority intentionally restrained for the good of His people. Not a power struggle between Father and Son, but a glimpse into perfect unity, partnership, and shared authority.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, thank You for showing us that obedience to You is unity with You. Help us eagerly submit to You, that we would experience the joy and security of unity with God.
Susanville Christian Fellowship 