John 5:16–29

Read the passage.

The Pharisees were upset that Jesus was contradicting their understanding of what it meant to rest on the Sabbath and keep it holy. Jesus maintained that He had authority over the Sabbath (here and elsewhere in the Gospels), which is as much a declaration of divinity as anything. Yet, Jesus doubles down and calls Himself the Son of God.

I watch apologetics videos often, and one argument I’ve seen skeptics bring against the divinity of Jesus is John 5:19. Particularly Muslims and Jehovah’s Witnesses will try to say that Jesus is dependant on the Father in the same way all created beings depend on Him. However, a careful reading does not show the Father giving the Son power to do anything. Instead, the Son sees what the Father is doing, and does it Himself. (v. 19) Of His own accord and power, the Son does the same things as the Father, in full approval, e.g.: raising the dead to life, judging the living and the dead.

In a sense, the Father has delegated authority to the Son, but in a complete and absolute way. The Father has raised from the dead, and the Son does too, but whomever He wills to. The Father does not judge, but leaves all the judging to the Son. The reason for this is that the Son will receive the same honor that the Father does. Created beings cannot receive the same honor as the Uncaused Cause, the Creator of heaven and earth. They simply can’t.

As if that weren’t enough, Jesus gives more reasons why the Son of God is also God. “For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself.” (v. 26) This phrase “life in himself” is known by the fancy theological term aseity. Aseity is the concept of absolute independence, a complete lack of needs outside of oneself. We humans need food, water, shelter, and social interaction, but also gravity, the strong nuclear force, and logic. (I think Maslow’s hierarchy needs a few more layers at the bottom.) God doesn’t need these things to be God. He is. Just like the Father is, so the Son is. The Father is God, and the Son is God, and there is still only one God that is.

While agreeing with the Pharisees about the future resurrection from the dead (and disagreeing with the Sadducees who rejected it), Jesus clearly equates the titles “Son of God” and “Son of Man”. The Son of Man is the rider on the clouds (signal of divinity) who is given all rule, dominion, and authority from the Ancient of Days (the Everlasting Father) in Daniel 7:9–14. I have seen some argue that these titles aren’t meant to be the same, but Jesus’s words show that doesn’t hold water.

Worthy are You to receive honor, glory, power, dominion, authority forever and ever.