John 5:19

"For this cause therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill him, because he not only broke the Sabbath, but also called God his own Father, making himself equal with God."

Key Reflection

This passage highlights the Jewish leaders' intense hostility towards Jesus, stemming from both his alleged violation of the Sabbath and his bold claim to divine status. By asserting equality with God, Jesus challenged their understanding of proper worship and authority, prompting them to plot his death as a means to preserve their religious traditions and social order.

From the Scholars: Barnes' Notes

Verse 19. The Son can do nothing of himself. Jesus, having stated the extent of his authority, proceeds here to show its source and nature, and to prove to them that what he had said was true. The first explanation which he gives is in these words: The Son--whom he had just impliedly affirmed to be equal with God-- did nothing of himself; that is, nothing without the appointment of the Father; nothing contrary to the Father, as he immediately explains it. When it is said that he CAN do nothing OF HIMSELF, it is meant that such is the union subsisting between the Father and the Son that he can do nothing independently or separate from the Father.

Related Verses

More from John 5

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48

Go deeper with Bible.talk - your AI Bible study companion