Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of John 5:21
For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth [them]; even so the Son quickeneth whom he will.
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.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
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 ( Joh 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 Joh 5:28 and still more of Joh 5:29 is quite conclusive against spiritual resurrection being meant there: what in that case could ‘the resurrection of damnation’ mean? Joh 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?
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
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.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
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 1Ki 17:22, and by the prophet Elisha, in the case of the Shunamites son, 2Ki 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 widows son at Nain, Joh 11:43-44; Luk 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 widows son should come to life. So it depends on his will whether sinners shall live. He has power to renew them, and the renewing of the heart is as much the result of his will as the raising of the dead.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 21. As the Father raised up the dead] This he did in the case of the widow’s son at Sarepta, 1Kg 17:22, by the ministry of the Prophet Elijah. And again, in the case of the Shunamite’s son, 2Kg 4:32-35, by the ministry of the Prophet Elisha.
The Son quickeneth whom he will.] He raiseth from death to life whomsoever he pleases. So he did, for he raised the ruler’s daughter, Mr 5:35-42; the widow’s son at Nain, Lu 7:11-15; and Lazarus, at Bethany, Joh 11:14-44.
Whom he will. Here our Lord points out his sovereign power and independence; he gives life according to his own will – not being obliged to supplicate for the power by which it was done, as the prophets did; his own will being absolute and sufficient in every case.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
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; 1Sa 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 Jairuss daughter, Mat 9:25, and the widows son, Luk 7:14, and Lazarus. Joh 11:43. This was one of those greater works, of which our Saviour spake in the former verse.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
21-23. raiseth the dead andquickeneth them one act in two stages.This is His absolute prerogative as God.
so the Son quickeneththemthat is, raiseth up and quickeneth.
whom he willnot onlydoing the same divine act, but doing it as the result ofHis own will, even as the Father does it. This statement is ofimmense importance in relation to the miracles of Christ,distinguishing them from similar miracles of prophets and apostles,who as human instruments were employed to performsuper-natural actions, while Christ did all as the Father’scommissioned Servant indeed, but in the exercise of His ownabsolute right of action.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them,…. Which may be understood either spiritually of raising dead sinners from the death of sin, to a life of grace and holiness; and the rather, because it is expressed in the present tense “raiseth”, and not “hath raised”; or naturally of raising those that are dead in a corporeal sense, and quickening them, as the widow of Sarepta’s son by Elijah, and the Shunamite’s son by Elisha:
even so the Son quickeneth whom he will; both in a spiritual sense, being the resurrection and the life, or the author of the resurrection from a moral death to a spiritual life, whose voice, in the Gospel, the dead in sin hear, and live; and in a natural sense, as in the above instances of Jairus’s daughter, the widow of Naim’s son, and Lazarus; and in the general resurrection, when at his voice, and word of power, all that are in their graves shall come forth, some to everlasting life, and some to everlasting damnation; and all this as he wills: he quickens, in a spiritual sense, whom he pleases, even as many as the Father has given him; and he will raise up to everlasting life, at the last day, whom he pleases, even as many as were made his care and charge, whom he has redeemed by his blood; and called by his grace. Now as the quickening of the dead is an act of almighty power, and this being exercised by the Son in a sovereign way, as is by his Father, it shows his proper deity, and full equality with the Father. The resurrection of the dead is here expressed by “quickening”, as it frequently is by the Jews, who often speak of , “the quickening the dead”, for the resurrection; so the Targumist on Zec 3:8, “in the quickening of the dead”, , “I will quicken thee”; see the Jerusalem Targum on
Ge 29:26.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Quickeneth whom he will ( ). Present active indicative of (from , making alive), common in Paul (1Co 15:45, etc.). As yet, so far as we know, Jesus had not raised the dead, but he claims the power to do it on a par with the power of the Father. The raising of the son of the widow of Nain (Lu 7:11-17) is not far ahead, followed by the message to the Baptist which speaks of this same power (Luke 7:22; Matt 11:5), and the raising of Jairus’ daughter (Matt 9:18; Matt 9:22-26). Jesus exercises this power on those “whom he wills.” Christ has power to quicken both body and soul.
Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament
Raiseth – quickeneth. Physically and spiritually.
The Son quickeneth. Not raiseth and quickeneth. The quickening, however (zwopoiei, 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. Egeirei, raiseth, means primarily awaketh.
Fuente: Vincent’s Word Studies in the New Testament
1) “For as the Father,” (hosper gar ho pater) “For just as the Father,” whose will and work I came to do, Joh 5:30; Joh 17:4.
2) “Raiseth the dead, and quickeneth them; (egeirei tous nekrous kai zoopoiei) “Raises the dead bodies and makes alive,” gives them life, Luk 7:12-15; Luk 8:41-42; Luk 8:53,56; Joh 11:14; Joh 11:43-44. The Jews generally believed in the power of God to give life and raise the dead, except the Sadducees, Act 23:8; Deu 32:9; 1Sa 2:6; Isa 26:19.
3) “Even so the Son quickeneth whom he will.” (houtos kai ho huios hous thelei zoopoiei) “So also the Son makes alive whom he wills,” in service to His Father. He quickened from the dead a) Jarius’ daughter, b) The widow’s son of Nain, and c) Lazarus, by His miraculous power, that men might believe, Joh 20:30-31.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
21. For as the Father raiseth up the dead. Here he gives a summary view of the nature of the office which had been given to him by the Father; for though he appears to specify one class, yet it is a general doctrine in which he declares himself to be the Author of life Now life contains within itself not only righteousness, but all the gifts of the Holy Spirit, and every part of our salvation. And certainly this miracle must have been so remarkable a proof of the power of Christ, as to yield this common fruit; that is, to open a door to the Gospel. We ought also to observe in what manner Christ bestows life upon us; for he found us all dead, and therefore it was necessary to begin with a resurrection Yet, when he joins the two words, raiseth up and quickeneth, he does not use superfluous language; for it would not have been enough that we were rescued from death, if Christ did not fully and perfectly restore life to us. Again, he does not speak of this life as bestowed indiscriminately on all; for he says that he giveth life to whom he will; by which he means that he specially confers this grace on none but certain men, that is, on the elect.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(21) The following verses (Joh. 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 Joh. 5:17. Resurrection and Judgment were the work of the FatherMy Father worketh hitherto; but the manifestation in limits of space and time is the work of the Sonand 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 (Deu. 32:39). He bringeth down to the underworld and bringeth up (1Sa. 2:6; Tob. 13:2). He has the power of life and death (Wis. 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 (Joh. 5:24).
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
21. Son quickeneth As the Father is the bestower and restorer of life, so the Son, in his union with humanity, will exert the resurrection power.
Whom he will This phrase implies no mere arbitrary exercise of will; for the will of Christ ever acts by most just reason and rule. Upon his wise will and power resurrection depends.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
“For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so also the Son gives life to whoever he wishes.”
Thus just as the Father can raise the dead and give life, both now and in the age to come, so He, the Son, claims to have the same power and authority, and to be able to do it by His own will. In other words He had the right to be able to do these things on His own. Nevertheless the context makes clear that He always exercises that will in line with His Father’s will because they always work together. Jesus will reveal this power in the raising of Lazarus (chapter 11), which amazed everyone who witnessed it, but the statement goes much further than that. He is claiming to give eternal life to all who believe and to have the power to raise men at the last day. He is offering eternal life through the Spirit now, and will Himself be the One Who raises men at the last day (see Joh 5:28-29).
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
The greater miracles:
v. 21. For as the Father raiseth up the dead and quickeneth them, even so the Son quickeneth whom he will.
v. 22. For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son,
v. 23. that all men should honor the Son, even as they honor the Father. He that honoreth not the Son honoreth not the Father which hath sent Him.
v. 24. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth My Word, and believeth on Him that sent Me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation, but is passed from death unto life.
v. 25. Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God; and they that hear shall live.
v. 26. For as the Father hath life in Himself, so hath He given to the Son to have life in Himself;
v. 27. and hath given Him authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of Man. Since the miracle and the words of Jesus had not yet convinced the Jews, He here points forward to two miracles which would put His claim to the Sonship of God beyond question. The Jews believed in the power of God to give life and to raise the dead, Deu 32:39; 1Sa 2:6; Isa 26:19. This work of the Father, to raise the dead and restore them to life, is the work of His independent will. And the same is true of the Son. He has absolute power over life and death; as the Author of life He has power to give life and being at will. His will is just as omnipotent as that of the Father. And the same holds true of another divine work. Since all sins are, in the last analysis, directed against God, it is He that judges and condemns; that is His function, His special work. But now He is not exercising the works of this power, but has given this authority, together with its execution, into the hands of the Son. He has thus openly affirmed the full equality, the unquestioned deity of the Son. The allotting of men to their eternal destinies is altogether in the hands of the Son. The statement is sweeping, it refers to all men, and without appeal. Truly, if such an unquestioned divine prerogative is given to the Son, then there can be no doubt as to His deity and as to the divine honor which is due Him. There is no difference between the honor given to the Father and that due to the Son. In honoring the Son, men honor the Father; in refusing to honor the Son, they incidentally take away the honor from the Father. For divine honor and glory belong to the Son.
With great solemnity and a double asseveration the Lord tries to drive home this truth. It is His purpose to give eternal life. That is the purpose and will of God with regard to all men in the world. And the conditions for the receiving of this gift are very simple. They are merely that a person hear His Word, the glorious, sweet message of the Gospel, and then believe in the Father, that sent Him into the world. It is not a question of obtaining eternal life at some later date, but of possessing it right now. The same thought is also expressed from the negative side, namely, that such a person does not come under condemnation. See Rom 8:11-34. By accepting the Word of the Gospel, the believer goes from spiritual death, which would have resulted in eternal death, into life, into the full possession of the life which Jesus brought out of the grave. He has entered into the blessed, intimate communion with God, into the fullness of the glorious life which this union implies. This thought the Lord brings out with equally solemn emphasis. The time which the Triune God had selected had come with the incarnation of Jesus; the great hour of Jesus for calling the spiritually dead back into life had struck. Many a member of the Jewish nation, many a person that was a true Israelite, even if not a descendant of Abraham, was hearing and obeying the voice of the Son of God, as He was proclaiming it with His own mouth. And by such hearing, by the accepting of the Gospel, all such persons were getting the gift of life as their safe possession. The Father has life in Himself; in the same manner, in the same degree, the Son has life in Himself. Christ, even according to His human nature, has received life as His absolute possession. The Son can give life, for He Himself is the Possessor of life, He is Life and the Fountainhead of life. That is one of the mysteries of the Trinity. And the final proof for the Son’s divine power and majesty is His authority to exercise and execute judgment. This authority is His in His capacity as Jesus Christ the man, as the God-man, as the Word of God Incarnate. Those who will not accept the life which He proclaims and offers in the Gospel, will come under the judgment of condemnation by their own fault. Jesus Christ, the Judge, will be obliged to pronounce the judgment of condemnation upon them. And all of this proves beyond all question that Jesus is true God, with unabridged and full divine powers.
Fuente: The Popular Commentary on the Bible by Kretzmann
Joh 5:21-23. For as the Father raiseth up the dead, “You have now seen the cure of one who had been long disabled by a disease; but I have not yet raised any from the dead: however, you shall quickly see that it is not for want of power; for, as the Father, whenever he pleases, raises up and animates the dead, so also you shall have sufficient evidence, that the Son animates whom he will; nor is it to be wondered at, that he should have so great a power; for the Father in his own person judges no man, but has given the administration of all judgment unto the Son, before whom all men are at last to appear, and by whom they are to be assigned to their final and eternal state; and this important power the Father has committed to me, that, notwithstanding the humble form in which I now appear, all may be engaged to honour the Son, even as they honour the Father himself; yielding an unreserved homage and obedience to him, as what is necessary to approve their duty and fidelity to God; for he that in such a circumstance, and on such a discovery, honoureth not the Son, as worthy of the highest veneration, honoureth not the Father who sent him; but affronting him in the person of his Son must expect to be treated as an enemy and a rebel.” Our Saviour here rises in his discourse, and opens such a scene of glory to his auditors, as must have filled them with astonishment: to possess the power of raising the dead, argued great dignity; but our Lord claims a greater, in asserting that he was invested with the power of judging the world. The power of judging the world implies the executing of judgments temporal and eternal. This power was committed to our Lord, that all men should honour him even as they honour the Father; where the power is the same, the honour should be the same likewise. Men were therefore to honour the Son, as the maker and governor, and Saviour of the world, by yielding to him the homage of faith, love, and obedience,that they might be rewarded with everlasting life: so that being appointed of the Father universal Judge, they who did not honour him, did not honour the Father. He who treats an ambassador ill, affronts his master; but he who honours not the Son, who is the beloved of the Father, honoureth not the Father, who sent him for this purpose, that he might be honoured in him. He who believeth not the Son, believeth not the Father likewise, by whom he was sent into the world. See ch. Joh 1:3.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Joh 5:21 . Jesus now specifies these , namely, the quickening of the dead, and judgment (Joh 5:21-30 ); accordingly is a broader conception than miracle, which, however, is included in the category of the Messianic . See especially Joh 5:36 .
Fuente: Heinrich August Wilhelm Meyer’s New Testament Commentary
Joh 5:21 . He speaks of the operation of His power in judging and raising the dead, first in an ethical sense down to Joh 5:27 , and then, Joh 5:28-29 , subjoins the actual and universal awakening of the dead as the completion of His entire life-giving and judicial work as the Messiah. Augustine anticipated this view (though illogically apprehending Joh 5:21 in a moral sense, and Joh 5:22 in a physical), and it is adopted among the older writers, especially by Rupertius, Calvin, Jansen, Calovius, Lampe, and more recently by Liicke, Tholuck, Olshausen, Maier, de Wette, Lange, Hilgenfeld, Lechler, Apost. Zeitalt . p. 225 f., Weiss, Godet. Others have extended the ethical interpretation even as far as Joh 5:28-29 (so Deysing in the Bibl. Brem . i. 6, Eckermann, Ammon, and many others; recently, Schweizer, B. Crusius, Reuss), which, however, is forbidden by the language and contents of Joh 5:28-29 ; see on Joh 5:28-29 . Further, when Luthardt (comp. Tholuck on Joh 5:21-23 , and Hengstenberg on Joh 5:21-24 , also Brckner on Joh 5:21 ) understands generally of the impartation of life, he must take both kinds of quickening as the two sides of the , which appears quite irreconcilable with the right understanding of , and with the distinct separation between the present and the future (the latter from Joh 5:28 onwards). The of the Messiah during His temporal working concerns the morally dead, of whom He morally quickens whom He will; but at a future day , at the end of all things, He will call forth the physically dead from their graves, etc., Joh 5:28-29 . The carrying out of the double meaning of onwards to Joh 5:28 (for Joh 5:28-29 even Luthardt himself takes as referring only to the final future) leads to confusion and forced interpretation (see on , Joh 5:25 ). Further, most of the Fathers (Tertullian, Chrysostom and his followers, Nonnus, and others), most of the older expositors (Erasmus, Beza, Grotius, Bengel, and many others), and recently Schott in particular ( Opusc . i. p. 197), Kuinoel, Baumeister (in the Wrtemb. Stud . II. 1), Weizel (in the Stud. u. Krit . 1836, p. 636), Kaeuffer, de not . p. 115 ff., also Baeumlein and Ewald, have taken the entire passage Joh 5:21-29 in a literal sense, as referring to the resurrection and the final judgment. Against this it is decisive: ( a ) that in Joh 5:20 represents the hearers as continuous witnesses of the works referred to, and these works, therefore, as successive developments which they will see along with others; ( b ) that is in keeping only with the ethical reference; ( c ) that , etc., Joh 5:23 , expresses a continuing result, taking place in the present (in the ), and as divinely intended; ( d ) that in Joh 5:24 , cannot be explained of physical death; ( e ) that in Joh 5:25 , and are compatible only with reference to spiritual awakening. To this may be added, ( f ) that Jesus, where He speaks (Joh 5:28-29 ) of the literally dead, very distinctly marks out the resurrection of these latter from that of the preceding as something greater and as still future, and designates the dead not merely with great definiteness as such ( ), but also makes their conditional, not, as in Joh 5:24 , upon faith , but, probably seeing that they for the most part would never have heard the gospel, upon having done good , thus characteristically distinguishing this quickening of the dead from that spoken of immediately before.
] The awakening and reviving of the dead is represented as the essential and peculiar business of the Father (Deu 32:39 ; 1Sa 2:6 ; Tob 13:2 ; Wis 16:13 ); accordingly the Present tense is used, because the statement is general . Comp. Rom 4:17 . Observe, however, that Jesus here speaks of the awakening of the dead, which is peculiar to the Father , without making any distinction between the spiritual and literal dead; this separation first appears in the following reference to the Son . The awakening of both springs from the same divine source and basis of life.
and we might expect in reverse order (as in Eph 2:5-6 ); but the is the key-note, which resounds through all that follows, and accordingly the matter is regarded in accordance with the popular view, so that the making alive begins with the awakening, which therefore appears as the immediate antecedent of the , and is not again specially named in the apodosis.
] for He will not quicken others because they believe not (Joh 5:24 ); this, and not an absolute decree (Calvin, Reuss), is the moral condition of His self-determination, just as also His (Joh 5:22 ) is in like manner morally determined. That this spiritual resurrection is independent of the descent fvom Abraham , is self-evident from the fact of its being spiritual; but this must not be taken as actually stated in the . Many, who take literally , resort to the historical accounts of the raising of individuals from the dead (Lazarus, etc.), for which few cases the is neither appropriate nor adequate. See, besides, Joh 5:25 . Ewald takes God as the subject of , which is neither logical (on account of the , which places both subjects in the same line), nor possible according to the plain words, though it is self-evident that the Son acts only in the harmony of His will with that of the Father; comp. Joh 5:30 ; Joh 6:40 .
] ethically, of the spiritual quickening to the higher moral , instead of that moral death in which they were held captive when in the unconverted state of darkness and sin. See on Luk 15:24 ; Mat 4:16 ; Eph 5:14 ; Rom 6:13 ; Isa 26:19 . Without this , their life would remain ethically a (Jacobs, ad Anthol . VII. p. 152), (Xen. Mem . iv. 8. 8). The Present , for He does it now , and is occupied with this , that is, by means of His word , which is the life-giving call (Joh 5:24-25 ). The Future follows in Joh 5:28 .
Fuente: Heinrich August Wilhelm Meyer’s New Testament Commentary
DISCOURSE: 1626
CHRISTS VINDICATION OF HIS OWN DIVINE CHARACTER
Joh 5:21-23. As the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them; even so the Son quickeneth whom he will. For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son: that all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him.
AMONGST the various beauties by which the Holy Scriptures are distinguished, we cannot but notice the artless simplicity with which the most sublime doctrines are delivered: they are not introduced with studied care, as they would be in human compositions; but arise incidentally, as it were, out of things which have but a remote connexion with them. Our blessed Lord had healed an impotent man at the pool of Bethesda, and had bidden him to take up his bed whereon he had lain, and walk away with it. The Jews, instead of glorifying God on the occasion, accused Jesus of violating the Sabbath, and sought to kill him for having wrought this miracle on the Sabbath-day. Our Lord, in vindication of himself, said, that he did no more than what his heavenly Father did; for his Father carried on his works both of providence and grace on the Sabbath, as well as on other days; and that he himself did the same. At this answer the Jews took still greater offence. They saw that Jesus arrogated to himself a peculiar relation to God, even such a relation as was in effect an assumption of equality with God [Note: ver. 18.]. Hence they sought the more to kill him, on account of what they conceived to be the summit of impiety and blasphemy. Jesus was now compelled to answer for himself on these grounds: and he told the Jews, that though they were correct in supposing him to claim an equality with God, they were mistaken in imagining that he therefore set up himself against God: on the contrary, there was a perfect union of sentiment and affection, of will and operation, between them; and neither did his Father, nor he, do any thing, without the most perfect concurrence and co-operation of the other: and so far was this from interfering with Gods honour, that it was purposely arranged in the eternal counsels, in order that God might be honoured in the person of his Son: nor would God consider himself as honoured by any one, who would not honour him in the precise way which he himself had appointed.
Thus, out of this perverse conduct of the Jews arose an assertion and vindication of the divinity of Christ: they forced him to vindicate his apparent violation of the Sabbath, and then to maintain the ground he had assumed in his vindication of it: and thus we are indebted to their perverseness for one of the clearest and most important statements in all the sacred volume.
Let us now, in discoursing on these assertions of our Lord, consider,
I.
The account he gives of his own character
Had the Jews been mistaken in what they supposed to be the scope of our Lords assertions, he would have set them right: he would have told them plainly, that he did not intend to claim equality with God. But, instead of intimating that they had misunderstood his meaning, our Lord acknowledged that he did claim an equality with God; and, in confirmation of that claim, he asserted that a Divine authority belonged to him, both essentially, as God, and officially, as Mediator.
1.
Essentially, as God
[It is undoubtedly the Divine prerogative to kill and to make alive [Note: Deu 32:39.]: nor is it possible for any creature to restore to life that which is really dead. But the Lord Jesus Christ quickeneth whom he will. As the Father had, by the instrumentality of his prophets, raised some to life, so Christ declared, that he would raise some by his own power. The persons, the time, the manner, were altogether at the disposal of his own will, by which alone he would be regulated in the dispensing of his favours. Moreover, he quickeneth also the souls of men when dead in trespasses and sins; and administers this gift also according to his own sovereign will and pleasure.
Would any mere creature have dared to arrogate to himself such a power as this? or would Jesus have given such an answer as this, if he have not designed to maintain his claim to an equality with God?]
2.
Officially, as Mediator
[When it was determined in the Divine counsels that the Son of God should assume our nature, it was determined also that the government of the universe, and of the Church more especially, should be committed to his hands; and that he should judge the world whom he had redeemed by his blood [Note: Act 10:42; Act 17:31.]. This, though primarily belonging, as it were, to the Father, was delegated to the Son, because he had assumed our nature [Note: ver. 27.], and because it was expedient that he who had purchased the Church with his blood should be empowered in his own person both to reward his friends and punish his enemies. But this office could not be executed by him, if he were not omniscient: he must know, not only every thought, word, and action, of all mankind from the beginning of the world to the end of it, but every possible circumstance that can at all tend to determine the precise quality of each. In a word, to exercise this office, he must be the omniscient God.
Judge then, whether in claiming this office he did not yet further confirm the suspicion of the Jews, that he affected an equality with God. It is not to he conceived, that, if this had not been his design, he would have answered in such a way: for, if he was not really and truly God, the whole tendency of his answer was to mislead their judgment, and to justify their accusations against him as an impious blasphemer.]
But, not contented with establishing his equality with the Father, he informs them of,
II.
The regard which, in that character, he demands
Though he affected not the honour that cometh of man [Note: ver. 41.], yet he could not possibly relinquish the honour which belonged to him both in his personal and official capacity: he could no more absolve the people from their allegiance to him as God, that he could cease to be God. He therefore shews them,
1.
The extent of that honour which he requires
[Whatever honour is due unto the Father, that Jesus claims as due unto himself; and he requires all men to pay it to him. Is God to be adored on account of his infinite perfections? Is he to be the one great object of our faith and love? Are we to confide in him under all circumstances, to obey him at all events, to delight ourselves in him at all seasons, even though death be threatened as the recompence of our fidelity? Such adoration, such faith, such love, such confidence, such obedience, are the unalienable right of the Lord Jesus: and it is particularly to be observed, that the putting of this honour upon the Lord Jesus was the very end and design of God the Father, when he delegated to the Son the office of governing and judging the world; He committed all judgment to the Son, that all men might honour the Son, even as they honour the Father.]
2.
The necessity of paying it to him
[It might be thought sufficient to honour the Father: and so it was whilst the Father alone was known: but when he had revealed himself in the person of Christ, and made all his glory to shine in his face; when in Christ he had reconciled the world unto himself, and had treasured up all fulness in Christ, and invested him with all power in heaven and earth for the completion of the great work that had been assigned him; then he demanded, that all men should honour him in the person of Christ: and, if any should refuse so to honour him, he would reject their persons, and abhor their offerings: yea, whatever reverence they might profess towards him, he would deal with them as rebels against his authority, and as contemners of his mercy.
Thus our Lord obviates the great objections which might be supposed to lie against the validity of his claim. It might have been thought, that the Father would be jealous of his own honour, and consider any communication of Divine glory to his Son as an infringement of his own peculiar rights. But, behold! the very contrary is here declared: for, not only is that very communication designed by God, but all honour that is not accompanied with that communication is abhorred by him.]
Surely we may see from hence,
1.
How defective are the views of the generality
[The religion of the generality is only Judaism divested of its rites and ceremonies. They acknowledge a God, who, they think, has given us commandments; in obeying which we shall secure his favour, and by disobedience to which we shall incur his displeasure. It is true, if you begin to speak of Christ, they will acknowledge all that the Gospel relates concerning him: but they make very little account of him in their religious system. How different are their views from those suggested in the text! There we see, that Christ is the fountain of all spiritual life; and that he dispenses life to men according to his sovereign will and pleasure. There we see, that to honour Christ is the only true way of honouring the Father. There we see, also, what unsearchable riches of consolation are treasured up for the believer; in that the very Person who bought him with his blood, is set over all things both in heaven and earth; and the very Person who paid that ransom for him, and renewed and sanctified him by his grace, shall judge him in the last day. Ah! what do nominal Christians lose by their ignorance of Christ! Dear brethren, know that Christ is the Alpha and Omega, the first and the last in Gods account; and that, if you would be saved by him, you must make him your All in all.]
2.
How defective is the practice of us all
[We have spoken a little of the honour due unto the Father: but if we would have a fuller apprehension of it, let us contemplate the honour that is paid to him in heaven: let us imagine what are the feelings of all the angelic hosts, and of all the spirits of the just made perfect Such then should be our views, and such our feelings towards the Lord Jesus Christ. We should begin our heaven upon earth. True it is, that when we speak of such a state, men will immediately begin to caution you against excess: they will tell you also that such a state would be incompatible with the necessary affairs of life. But where does God caution us against excess in religion, provided our religion be of a right kind? or what are those affairs which could not be conducted, if all men possessed the highest measure of true religion? Were Joseph, David, Daniel, impeded in their temporal duties by their religion? Or is there any one relation of life which will not be filled to more advantage by one who possesses true piety? The true reason why men so decry religion is, that they feel themselves condemned when they behold it exhibited in the conduct of the godly; and the less of such light they behold, the more quiet they hope to be in the prosecution of their evil ways. But we must not regard the cavils of men, or put them in competition with the commands of God. We know full well how all the ransomed of the Lord are occupied in singing praises to Him that sitteth on the throne, and unto the Lamb: What forbids then that we should be so occupied now? It is our duty, our interest, and our happiness, to follow the Lord fully: and I pray God we may also follow him, and delight ourselves in him; that when we are dismissed from the body, and translated to the realms of bliss, we may change our place and our company, but not our employment!]
Fuente: Charles Simeon’s Horae Homileticae (Old and New Testaments)
21 For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them ; even so the Son quickeneth whom he will.
Ver. 21. Raiseth up the dead ] Bringing them from the jaws of death to the joys of life; which none can do but God alone.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
21. ] It is very important to observe the distinction here between the working of the Eternal Son (in creation, e.g.) as He is , with God, and His working in the state of His humiliation in which the Father should by degrees advance Him to exaltation and put His enemies under His feet. Of the latter of these mention is made ( Joh 5:20 ) in the future , of the former in the present . The former belong to the Son as His proper and essential work: the latter are opened out before Him in the process of His passing onward in the humanity which He has taken. And the unfolding of these latter shall all be in the direction of, and in accordance with, the eternal attributes of the Son: see ch. Joh 17:5 : resulting in His being exalted to the right hand of the Father. So here, as it is the Father’s essential work to vivify the dead (see Rom 8:11 ; 1Sa 2:6 alli [82] .), so the Son vivifies whom He will: this last not implying any selection out of mankind, nor said merely to remove the Jewish prejudice that their own nation alone should rise from the dead, but meaning, that in every instance where His will is to vivify , the result invariably follows.
[82] alli = some cursive mss.
Observe, this lays hold of life in its innermost and deepest sense, and thus finds its illustration in the waking both of the outwardly and the spiritually dead.
Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament
Joh 5:21 . . 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 Deu 32:39 ; 1Sa 2:6 ; Isa 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 , 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.
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
raiseth = awaketh. Greek egeiro. App-178.
the dead = corpses. See App-139.
quickeneth = giveth life to. Occurs in John only here, twice, and Joh 6:63. Then universally believed by the Jews.
them. Supply the Ellipsis (complex, App-6.), thus: “quickeneth [whom He will]; so the Son also [raiseth the dead, and] quickeneth whom He will. “
the Son = the Son also.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
21.] It is very important to observe the distinction here between the working of the Eternal Son (in creation, e.g.) as He is , with God, and His working in the state of His humiliation in which the Father should by degrees advance Him to exaltation and put His enemies under His feet. Of the latter of these mention is made (Joh 5:20) in the future, of the former in the present. The former belong to the Son as His proper and essential work: the latter are opened out before Him in the process of His passing onward in the humanity which He has taken. And the unfolding of these latter shall all be in the direction of, and in accordance with, the eternal attributes of the Son: see ch. Joh 17:5 : resulting in His being exalted to the right hand of the Father. So here,-as it is the Fathers essential work to vivify the dead (see Rom 8:11; 1Sa 2:6 alli[82].), so the Son vivifies whom He will: this last not implying any selection out of mankind, nor said merely to remove the Jewish prejudice that their own nation alone should rise from the dead,-but meaning, that in every instance where His will is to vivify, the result invariably follows.
[82] alli = some cursive mss.
Observe, this lays hold of life in its innermost and deepest sense, and thus finds its illustration in the waking both of the outwardly and the spiritually dead.
Fuente: The Greek Testament
Joh 5:21. , 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 , for, Joh 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 mens eyes. Weigh well the , for, Joh 5:21 : and so quickening the dead raises mens admiration in a greater degree than judging does. These two, quickening and judging, are set before us at Joh 5:21-22; and, in inverse order by , at Joh 5:24 is discussed the exemption of believers from condemnation, which itself presupposes a judgment: at Joh 5:25 is discussed the restoration to life of some of the dead; marvellous indeed, but however so as that the general resurrection, Joh 5:28, is to exceed this marvel.-, 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.-, the dead) in body: for the death of the body is properly opposed to disease [alluding to the infirmity of the impotent man], Joh 5:5 : and life eternal, into which an entrance is gained through the resurrection of the body, is opposed to the judgment, Joh 5:22.- , whom He will) Never does the effect fail to follow His will. A universal assertion, as Joh 5:22-23.
Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament
Joh 5:21
Joh 5:21
For as the Father raiseth the dead and giveth them life, even so the Son also giveth life to whom he will.-This verse explains the greater works promised in the preceding verse-the power to quicken the dead into life. [He gives his Father the credit of being the fountain of all life and that he can raise the dead to life and that he himself possesses the same power through the Father.]
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
as: Deu 32:39, 1Ki 17:21, 2Ki 4:32-35, 2Ki 5:7, Act 26:8, Rom 4:17-19
even: Joh 11:25, Joh 11:43, Joh 11:44, Joh 17:2, Luk 7:14, Luk 7:15, Luk 8:54, Luk 8:55
Reciprocal: 1Sa 2:10 – judge Psa 68:20 – unto Psa 80:17 – General Psa 119:40 – quicken Eze 37:3 – O Lord God Mat 8:3 – I will Mat 9:6 – that the Mat 11:27 – are Luk 1:32 – give Luk 15:24 – this Joh 1:4 – him Joh 3:31 – is above Joh 5:19 – and Joh 5:20 – greater Joh 5:25 – when Joh 14:6 – the life 1Co 12:11 – as 1Co 15:22 – in Adam 1Co 15:45 – a quickening 2Co 3:6 – giveth life Eph 2:1 – dead Eph 2:5 – quickened Phi 3:10 – and the power Col 2:13 – he Col 3:3 – your 1Ti 6:13 – who quickeneth 2Pe 1:17 – God 1Jo 5:11 – this
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
1
One of the works that are greater than healing a sick man, is that of raising a man from the dead. The Son was destined also to perform that great work of quickening the dead by the sound of his voice.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
The Apologists Bible Commentary
John 5
21For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son also gives life to whom He wishes.
CommentaryJesus elaborates on His previous statements that He acts in perfect harmony with the Father – doing only what He sees His Father doing and whatever He sees His Father doing. And, the Father who loves the Son perfectly, shows the Son everything that He does. Here, Jesus asserts that the prerogatives of resurrection and giving life – which the Jews knew belonged to God alone (cf., 2 Kings 5:7) – are His as well. Just as the Father will “bring back to life” those whom He will, so too the Son gives life to “whom He wishes.” This statement, far from contradicting his previous assertion that He does nothing “of Himself” (v. 19), is a further indication of the unity of will enjoyed between Father and Son. Claiming the prerogatives of God and His unified will with God, is a further explanation of exactly how the Son is equal with God. Not as a rival God, one who acts independently or in competition, but as the fully Divine Son, who submits to the Father’s Will; who perfectly loves and is loved; who reveals the Father to us so exquisitely that we can say that when we have seen Christ, we have seen the Father. 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 supernatural actions, while Christ did all as the Father’s commissioned Servant indeed, but in the exercise of his own absolute right of action (JFB ).
Grammatical Analysis`wsper gar`o pathr …`outwV kai`o`uioV hSPER GAR hO PATR … hOUTS KAI hO hUIOS … For just as the Father … so also the Son … hSPER ? (just) as (BAGD ). ?Strengthened by PER… “even as” (Vine ). ?Even as, as (Moulton & Milligan ). ?PER…brings out the force of hOS…”Just as,” “even as” (Thayer ).
Other Views ConsideredJehovah’s Witnesses objection: Some Witnesses have argued that while verses like this one demonstrate that Jesus functioned as God while on earth, this does not mean that the Son is equal with the Father in terms of His Nature. Even some Trinitarian commentators see a distinction between a “functional Christology ” and an “ontological Christology ,” indeed even Calvin can be read this way. Response: It must be noted that while this verse and the surrounding context speak specifically of Christ doing the “work” of the Father, elsewhere we are told that the Son does share the Divine Nature of the Father (cf., John 1:1; Philippians 2:6; Col 2:9; Hebrews 1:3). Thus, the whole counsel of Scripture declares both functional and ontological equality of Father and Son. It has been correctly noted, for example by de Jonge, that in order to bring out the distinctive and unique character of Jesus’ discourse and actions John had to go back to the origin of him who spoke and acted thus; and therefore it does not make sense to play “action” off against “being,” “function” against “nature.” …. It is the Word of this God, who in the beginning created life and light, that the Evangelist speaks when in his prologue he mainly traces the “meaning” of Jesus’ words and works to his origin and “nature.” It is also the nature of the incarnate Word that forms the basis for the pronouncements in ch. 5, which are pivotal for the entire Gospel, to the effect that “the Son can do nothing of his own accord but only what he sees his Father doing” because “the Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself is doing” (Ridderbos , pp. 194-95).
Fuente: The Apologists Bible Commentary
Joh 5:21. For even as the Father raiseth up the dead and maketh to live, so the Son also maketh to live whom he will. This verse begins the explanation of the greater works which the Father will show unto the Son. In speaking of these, however, the present not the future tense is used, for some of them are even now present in their beginnings, though future in their complete manifestation. The first example of these works of the Father, which the Son also doeth in like manner, is raising up the dead and making to live. Are the words to be understood in their ordinary sense, or are they figurative? This question can only be answered from the context. On one side Joh 5:25 is decisive, death being there used of a spiritual state, and not with a physical reference only. On the other hand, Joh 5:28 unquestionably speaks of the raising of the dead out of their graves. As, therefore, the verses which follow Joh 5:21 certainly contain an expansion and exposition of the first words of the discourse (Joh 5:17; Joh 5:19-21), the general terms of Joh 5:21 must be employed in their widest sense, including both a physical and a spiritual resurrection and gift of life. This is the more natural, as the miracle of healing has been the fountain of the discourse, and we have seen that in such miracles of our Lord the physical and spiritual worlds are in a remarkable way brought together.The work spoken of is divided into two parts, the raising and the giving of life. The former word raising is that used in Joh 5:8 (Rise), and is the first part of the command which then gave life. It is the word rendered awake in Eph 5:14, a passage which the verse before us at once recalls. Whether used literally or in reference to a spiritual resurrection, it denotes the first step in the process of making to live. Either word might stand by itself to indicate the work: neither in 2Co 1:9, God which raiseth the dead, nor in Rom 4:17, God who maketh the dead to live, is an imperfect act described. But the description is more vivid here, as we see first the transition and then the completed gift. In the language of this Gospel, life has so deep a significance that maketh to live must not be limited to the initial quickening,it is the whole communication of the fulness of life. If this view be correct, we can find no difficulty in the omission of the word raiseth in the second half of the verse. Once mentioned, it presents the work of giving life so vividly, that afterwards the one word maketh-to-live is sufficient to bear all the meaning. So in Joh 5:8 and Joh 5:11. The command to the sick man had been, Rise and . . . walk: when the result is described and the command related by him who has been healed, nothing is said of the arising, for it is included in the gift of life. God maketh alive (Deu 32:39; 1Sa 2:6): God hath given to us eternal life (1Jn 5:11). However understood, whether physically or spiritually, this is the work of the Father; both in the physical and in the spiritual sense, it is also, we now learn, the work of the Son. In one respect the later part of the verse is not less but more detailed than the earlier. No one can doubt that whom He will lies implicitly in the first words, but the thought is expressed in regard to the Son only; and the best illustration of it as applied to Him is given by the narrative itself. Amongst the crowd of sick Jesus chose out one especially wretched and consciously helpless, and bestowed on him the free gift of life. So (Mat 11:25) the wise and prudent are passed by, and babes are the objects of the Fathers merciful will. The Sons will is the manifestation of the Fathers purpose. There is no suggestion of an absolute decree. The cure of the sick man was to a certain extent dependent on his own will: Hast thou a will to be made whole? (Joh 5:6). The same will to be quickened is necessary to all to whom the will to quicken on the part of the Son extends. What is the source of the will in them is a question not raised: enough that the light appears, and they are attracted to the light and open their hearts to receive it.
Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament
A third argument, proving Christ to be God, and equal with the Father, is here produced? namely, his raising of the dead; he is joined with the Father in that work, and equal with him: As the Father quickeneth whom he pleaseth, so doth the Son quicken whom he will; that is, not as the Father’s instrument, but as a principal agent, by the same authority, with the like absolute freedom of will which the Father uses, being a sovereign and independant being as the father is: As the Father raiseth the dead, and quickeneth them, so the Son quickeneth whom he will. This is more than ever was said of any prophet or apostle, that he did such works at his will.
Learn hence, 1. That quickening or raising of the dead, is an act of omnipotency, and proper to God only: The Father raiseth the dead, and quickeneth them.
2. That Christ’s power to raise the dead, as well as the father’s, is a proof of his equality with his Father, and an evidence of his being truly and really God; The Son quickeneth whom he will.
Fuente: Expository Notes with Practical Observations on the New Testament
Joh 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, Joh 5:21-22. The acquittal of believers, which presupposes judgment, is treated of in Joh 5:24; the quickening some of the dead, Joh 5:25; and the general resurrection, Joh 5:28. For the Father judgeth no man Without the Son; but he doth judge by that man whom he hath ordained, Act 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.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Ver. 21. For, as the Father raiseth the dead and giveth them life, so doth the Son also make alive whom He will.
To raise the dead is a greater work than to heal an impotent man; hence the for. This work, as well as the particular miracles, is the reproduction of the Father’s work. The great difficulty here is to determine whether, as the greater part of the interpreters seem to think (for many do not explain themselves sufficiently on this point), the work of resurrection ascribed to the Father is to be identified with that which the Son accomplishes, or whether it is specifically different, or, finally, whether they combine with one another by a process, the formula of which must be sought after.
According to the first explanation, the , give life, ascribed to the Father, would remain in a purely ideal state until the Son, yielding to the divine initiative, caused the design of the Father to pass into the earthly reality. Thus Luthardt says: The work belongs to God, in so far as it proceeds from Him; to the Son, in so far as it is accomplished by Him in the world (p. 444). Gess: It is not that the resurrection of the dead was until now the work of the Father, to become now the work of the Son; the resurrection of the dead is not yet an accomplished fact. No more is it that one part of the dead are raised by the Father, another by the Son….But the Son is regarded as the organ by which the Father raises from the dead. Baumlein : The Son is the bearer and mediator of the Father’s activity. This sense is very good in itself; but does it really suit the expression: like as? Was this indeed the proper term to designate a single divine impulse, an initiative of a purely moral nature? Jesus, in expressing Himself thus, seems to be thinking, rather, of a real work which the Father accomplishes and to which His own corresponds.
According to the second sense, adopted by Reuss, we must ascribe the bodily resurrection to the Father and the resurrection in the spiritual sense, salvation, to the Son. Reuss finds the proof of this distinction in the ,whom he wills, which indicates a selection and refers consequently to the moral domain only. This solution is untenable. How could Joh 5:28-29, which describe the consummation of the Son’s work, be applied to the spiritual resurrection? Comp. likewise Joh 6:40; Joh 6:44, etc., where Jesus expressly ascribes to Himself, by an , I, several times repeated, the resurrection of the body a fact which entirely destroys the line of demarcation proposed by Reuss. Jesus seems to me rather to speak here of the divine action, at once creative, preservative and restorative, which is exercised from the beginning of things in the sphere of nature, and which has broken forth with a new power in the theocratic domain. Comp. Deu 32:39 : I kill and make alive, I wound and heal. 1Sa 2:6 : It is the Lord who killeth and maketh alive, who bringeth down to the grave and bringeth up from it. To this work of moral and physical restoration, till now accomplished by God, Jesus now unites His own; He becomes the agent of it in the particular sphere in which He finds Himself at each moment; this sphere will extend itself ever more widely; His capacity, in Himself, for performing it will increase in the same measure, until this domain is the universe and the power of the Son is omnipotence (comp. Mat 28:18).
The steps of this growth are the following: He begins to perform isolated miracles of corporeal and spiritual resurrection, samples of His great future work. From the time of His elevation to glory, He realizes, through the communication of the Holy Spirit, the moral resurrection of mankind. Finally, on His return, by the victory which He gains over the last enemy, death (1Co 15:26), He effects, in the physical domain, the resurrection of believers, and afterwards also the universal resurrection. At that moment only will the work of the Father have passed entirely into His hands. The work of the Son is not, therefore, different from that which the Father acccomplishes. Only the Son, made man, becomes the agent of it only by degrees. The present, makes alive, in the second member, is a present of competency. Comp. indeed Joh 5:25; Joh 5:28 (the hourcometh that…), which show that the reality is yet to come. Nevertheless, even now, the word of Christ possesses a life- giving force (the hour even now is, Joh 5:25). We may connect the object the dead with the first verb only (raiseth), and give to the second verb (, gives life), an absolute sense. But perhaps it is more natural to make the words, the dead, the object of both of the verbs (see Weiss). , strictly to awake, refers to the passage from death to life; , to give life, to the full restoration of life, whether spiritual or bodily. Nothing forces us, with Reuss, to restrict the application of the word make alive, in the second member, to spiritual life The restriction: to whom he wills, undoubtedly indicates a selection. But will there not be a selection, also, in the bodily resurrection? In Joh 5:29, Jesus distinguishes, in fact, two bodily resurrections, one of life, the other of judgment. The first alone truly merits the name of making alive.
By saying: those whom he wills, Jesus does not contrast His will as Son with that of the Father. This meaning would require . He contrasts those whom He feels Himself constrained to make alive (believers) with those on behalf of whom it is morally impossible for Him to accomplish this miracle. These words, therefore, are the transition to Joh 5:22, where it is said that the judgment, that is to say, the selection, is committed to Him. In effecting the selection which decides the eternal death and life of individuals, Jesus does not cease for an instant to have His eyes fixed upon the Father, and to conform Himself to His purpose. According to Joh 6:38; Joh 6:40, He discerns those who fulfill the divinely appointed condition: he that believeth; and immediately He applies to them the lifegiving power which the Father has given to Him, and which has now become His own. Might there not be in this , those whom he wills, an allusion to the spontaneity with which Jesus had offered healing to the impotent man, without being in any way solicited by him, choosing him freely among all the sick persons who surrounded the pool? Reuss finds, in these words: those whom he wills, a contradiction to the idea of the dependence of the Son’s work as related to that of the Father. But the inward feeling which makes Jesus will in such or such a way, while forming itself in Him spontaneously, is none the less in accord with that of God. Jesus wills of His own will, as He loves of His own love. But this love and this will have the same objects and the same end as the love and will of the Father. Comp. the formula, in the Apostolic Epistles: Grace and peace from God, and the Lord Jesus Christ. Liberty is no more arbitrariness in Jesus, than in God. In the same sense it is ascribed to the Spirit (Joh 3:8 and 1Co 12:11), and to the God of nature (1Co 15:38). What Jesus meant to express here is not, therefore, as Calvin and formerly Reuss have supposed, the idea of predestination, it is the glorious competency which it pleases God to bestow upon Jesus for the accomplishment of the common work. He is a source of life like the Father, morally at first, and then, one day, corporeally. While affirming His voluntary dependence, Jesus allows a glimpse to be gained of the magnificence of His filial prerogative.
Fuente: Godet Commentary (Luke, John, Romans and 1 Corinthians)
Verse 21
To quicken is to restore the dead to life.
Fuente: Abbott’s Illustrated New Testament
5:21 {4} For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth [them]; even so the Son quickeneth whom he will.
(4) The Father makes no man partaker of everlasting life except in Christ, in whom alone also he is truly worshipped.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
The fact that the Father discloses all He does to the Son and the Son does whatever the Father does is clear from the Son’s giving life to the dead. The Jews acknowledged that only God could raise the dead (2Ki 5:7; Eze 37:13). This involves overcoming the forces of sin and death. Jesus claimed that authority now, and He demonstrated it later (Joh 11:41-44). His healings were a lesser demonstration of the same power. The Son’s will is so identical to the Father’s that His choices reflect the Father’s will. Eternal spiritual life and resurrected physical life are both in view.