Passage: John 5:16-23

The Big Idea

Jesus told the religious leaders, in effect, “If you want to know what My Father is like, watch Me.” Whatever the Father does, the Son does. He gives life and holds all judgment, and He deserves the same honor as the Father. That truth enraged them, because if Jesus looks exactly like the Father, then God looks nothing like their rules. And the good news is, Jesus came to bring us into the family, so we can look like our Father too.

It’s in the DNA

Some families just have it in their DNA. Archie Manning played quarterback in the NFL for years. Then his son Peyton came along and won two Super Bowls. Then his other son Eli won two more. When you watched Peyton read a defense at the line of scrimmage, pointing, shouting, changing the play, you could almost see Archie in him. Same instincts. Same eyes. Same way of seeing the field.

We have a saying for that: the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.

In John 5, Jesus tells the religious leaders something that sets them on fire with rage. He basically says, “If you want to know what My Father is like, watch Me. Whatever He does, I do. The way He works, I work. The way He gives life, I give life.” The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.

But here’s the shocking part. That truth didn’t make them worship. It made them want to kill Him. Because if Jesus looks exactly like the Father, then God looks nothing like their rules.

Legalism Breeds Hatred (John 5:16)

Because Jesus did these things on the Sabbath, the Jewish leaders persecuted Him and tried to kill Him.

A warning about legalism: you can become so obsessed with your rules that it turns into hatred for anyone who breaks them. Legalism always produces contempt for those who fail.

Grace is different: it has love for those who fail to measure up to God’s true standard. It doesn’t ignore real failure. It addresses it, forgives it, and supplies a new life to live by.

“My Father Is Always Working” (John 5:17)

Jesus answered them, “My Father is always working, and so am I.”

The rule they were obsessed with was about work.
So Jesus went straight at their hearts. The very thing that triggered them was the first word out of His mouth.
(He can trigger anyone. Keep reading, and I’m sure He’ll say something that makes you uncomfortable too.)

Jesus said His Father is always working. He never stops. If God is always working, then their whole understanding of the Sabbath was off. And the Sabbath was their biggest source of pride. Their house of cards came crashing down.

How would they respond? With humility and brokenness, “God, help me know You”? Or with pride?

God is working

We’re meant to rest in Him. We can get so stressed about building God’s kingdom that we forget He doesn’t need us to do anything. He can do more in a second than we could accomplish in a billion years.

He invites us to partner with Him through prayer and faith to see His will done on earth. We supply nothing, yet our Father loves to involve us deeply in His work.

Jesus is working

Jesus always delivers His grace to us when we humbly trust Him. Grace is His supply for everything we need.

Equal with God (John 5:18)

That made the leaders try even harder to kill Him, because He wasn’t only breaking the Sabbath, He was calling God His own Father, making Himself equal with God.

They responded in pride, and pride made hatred look like God’s will.
Now we reach the real issue: Jesus claimed the same power, authority and heart as the Father. In other words, He claimed to be God.
They couldn’t accept it. They couldn’t imagine a God who would help a nobody at a pool instead of revealing Himself to them first. After all, they were obviously more worthy. They tried their best to keep the Law and looked down on everyone else for not being as holy as they were.

Some people say, “Jesus never claimed to be God.” That simply isn’t true. The people who heard Him understood exactly what He was claiming, and over and over He made Himself equal with God (John 8:58; 10:30; 14:9).

Perfect Unity (John 5:19-20)

Jesus answered: “Truly, truly, I tell you, the Son can do nothing by Himself. He can only do what He sees the Father doing, because whatever the Father does, the Son also does. For the Father loves the Son and shows Him everything He does. And He’ll show Him even greater works than these, so that you’ll be amazed.”

Jesus isn’t saying He lacks divine power or is inferior to the Father. He’s describing His perfect unity with the Father. The Son does nothing independently or in opposition to the Father, because they share one divine life, purpose and work.

This isn’t weakness. It’s unity.

The Son can do nothing by Himself because He shares one life with the Father.
He sees the Father because His eyes are always on Him. Committed love. Humble dependence.
The Father loves the Son. Their relationship isn’t master and slave, or boss and employee, but Father and Son, united by love. And the tense describes an ongoing, continual love. The Father never stops loving the Son.

You know those insurance commercials about new homeowners “turning into their parents”? They start narrating their own actions, clapping when the plane lands, making awkward small talk with strangers at the gas pump, collecting throw pillows, and giving unsolicited advice to their rideshare driver.

Jesus is the good version. He’s the Son who perfectly does what His Father does.

Two Things That Belong Only to God

Jesus then claims two things that belong uniquely to God. He isn’t merely a messenger announcing God’s decisions. He’s the divine Son who gives life and has authority to judge humanity.

1. He gives life (John 5:21)

Just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so the Son gives life to whoever He wishes.

Death is the one rule no one can break. Everyone dies. But God can do anything, including bringing life to the dead.
Jesus gives spiritual life, and it’s never earned.
Jesus also points ahead to His own resurrection. He knew He would die and trust His Father to raise Him.
That’s resurrection life, the same life Jesus shares with us.
His death forgives us and makes us holy. His resurrection life brings us into a joyful, connected relationship with God.
Jesus shares His own life with us the same way He shares life with the Father.

How do we experience this resurrection life? Paul described a time when he and his team were crushed beyond their strength, so much that they despaired of life itself. They felt they had received a death sentence. But it happened so they would stop relying on themselves and rely on God, who raises the dead (2 Corinthians 1:8-9).

2. He judges (John 5:22)

The Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son.

Jesus claims that He’s the One who decides who receives life. And He gives life to all who call on Him, all who put their hope and trust in Him.
He is incredibly loving, and perfectly just. He’ll always do what’s right.

What about children who die? What about pain, suffering and evil? Why does God sometimes feel hidden? What about hell? Is He really in control of my life?

Jesus may not answer all those questions right now. But He will always do what’s right. He will always do what’s perfect.

Honor the Son (John 5:23)

So that everyone will honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Whoever doesn’t honor the Son doesn’t honor the Father who sent Him.

Because Jesus always does what’s right, He deserves all the glory.
The Son receives the same honor as the Father. That would be blasphemy if Jesus were merely a created being. But He’s fully divine. To reject the Son is to reject the Father who sent Him.
And yes, Jesus will judge everyone.

Judgment for believers and unbelievers

Believers will stand before the judgment seat of Christ, where He evaluates our lives after salvation for reward or loss of reward (1 Corinthians 4:5; 2 Corinthians 5:10). This judgment has nothing to do with salvation, because believers’ eternal destiny is secure in Jesus (Ephesians 1:13-14). It’s about rewards for how faithfully we served Christ (Luke 19:12-27; 1 Corinthians 3:12-15).
Unbelievers will be judged at the great white throne (Revelation 20:11-15). By then their destiny is already sealed by their rejection of Jesus. This judgment concerns what they did in life (Revelation 20:12). Everyone there is cast out because their names aren’t found in the Book of Life. They rejected Christ’s free gift of salvation (Revelation 20:15).

Someone has to judge. And He’s the only One we’d ever really want as Judge. He is love, and He is just. He is perfect. And He shares life and grace with everyone who calls on Him in this life.

Back to the Mannings

Peyton and Eli didn’t become great quarterbacks by memorizing a rulebook. They grew up in Archie’s house. They watched him. They were around him. His life rubbed off on them. They looked like their father because they were close to their father.

That’s exactly what Jesus describes in verse 19. The Son can do nothing by Himself, only what He sees the Father doing. Jesus’ eyes were always on His Father. Not out of pressure, but out of love. Verse 20: the Father loves the Son.

Now here’s the good news of the New Covenant. Jesus didn’t come just to show us what the Father looks like. He came to bring us into the family.

The religious leaders in this chapter worked so hard to look holy. They kept the rules. They guarded the Sabbath. And they ended up looking nothing like God. They ended up wanting to kill God.

Grace works the opposite way. You don’t become like Jesus by working harder. You become like Jesus by receiving His life and keeping your eyes on Him. As we behold His glory, we’re transformed into His image (2 Corinthians 3:18). God’s plan is for us to be conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters (Romans 8:29).

Think about that. The same resurrection life that raised Jesus from the dead, the same life He shares with the Father, He shares with you. You aren’t an employee on a job site trying to earn a paycheck. You’re a son. You’re a daughter. And the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.

If you’re tired from working for God instead of resting in Him, stop. Your Father is always working. Look to Him.
If you’re carrying failure and you’re afraid of judgment, hear this: the One the Father appointed as Judge is the same One who died for you. He’s the only Judge you’d ever want, and He gives life to all who call on Him.
If you’ve never come home to the Father at all, Jesus is saying today: “Look at Me, and you’ll see Him. Come to Me, and you’ll have life.”

Grace Takeaway

If you want to know what God is like, look at Jesus. He gives life, He holds all judgment, and He shares His own sonship with everyone who comes to Him. You don’t become like your Father by keeping rules. You become like Him by staying close.

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The Apple Doesn’t Fall Far from the Tree