Jesus answered and said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, a son cannot do anything on his own, but only what he sees his father doing; for what he does, his son will do also. 20For the Father loves his Son and shows him everything that he himself does, and he will show him greater works than these, so that you may be amazed. 21 For just as the Father raises the dead and gives life, so also does the Son give life to whomever he wishes. 22 Nor does the Father judge anyone, but he has given all judgment to his Son, 23 so that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him. 24 Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes in the one who sent me has eternal life and will not come to condemnation, but has passed from death to life. 25 Amen, amen, I say to you, the hour is coming and is now here when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. 26 For just as the Father has life in himself, so also he gave to his Son the possession of life in himself. 27 And he gave him power to exercise judgment, because he is the Son of Man. 28 Do not be amazed at this, because the hour is coming in which all who are in the tombs will hear his voice 29 and will come out, those who have done good deeds to the resurrection of life, but those who have done wicked deeds to the resurrection of condemnation. 30 “I cannot do anything on my own; I judge as I hear, and my judgment is just, because I do not seek my own will but the will of the one who sent me.
In this powerful passage, Jesus responds to the Jewish leaders’ accusations of blasphemy (Jn. 5:18) by solemnly affirming His divine Sonship and unity with the Father. He insists that the Son does nothing apart from the Father (v. 19), but shares fully in His life-giving and judicial authority (vv. 21–22). The Father has entrusted to the Son the power to raise the dead and execute final judgment because He is the Son of Man (v. 27), a title drawn from Daniel 7:13–14. Jesus declares that belief in Him and in the Father who sent Him leads to eternal life and spares one from condemnation (v. 24). He foretells a future resurrection where the righteous will rise to life, and the wicked to condemnation (vv. 28–29; cf. Dan. 12:2; Is. 26:19 ).
This discourse reveals the unity of action between Father and Son and identifies the Son as the eschatological Judge. The resurrection mentioned in verses 25 and 28 is understood both spiritually (now) and bodily (at the end of time), reflecting a two-stage unfolding of salvation history. The “hour…now is” (v. 25) refers to the spiritual resurrection that takes place in the present through faith and grace—those who hear and believe the voice of the Son pass from death to life (cf. Jn. 5:24). This is the new birth “from above” that Jesus speaks of in John 3:3, 5 when the soul is brought from spiritual death to life in the Spirit. This spiritual resurrection precedes and anticipates the bodily resurrection that will occur on the Last Day, when all who are in the tombs will hear His voice and come forth (vv. 28–29).
Jesus’ claims about His divine relationship with the Father would have been unmistakably understood by His Jewish audience as alluding to Old Testament declarations of God’s exclusive powers. By taking upon Himself the authority to give life, raise the dead, execute judgment, and speak divine truth, Jesus places Himself within the very identity and mission of God as revealed in the Hebrew Scriptures.
This discourse fulfills and echoes several key Old Testament passages. For instance, in Proverbs 8:22–30, the divine Wisdom is presented as being with God and sharing in His creative work. Similarly, in Deuteronomy 32:39: God alone has power over life and death—authority Jesus now claims (John 5:21). Likewise, Deuteronomy 18:18–19 foretells that a prophet like Moses will speak God’s word with divine authority—a prophecy fulfilled in Christ, whose word is life (John 5:24). Moreover, in Isaiah 55:3, “Listen, that you may have life”, Jesus offers eternal life to those who hear and believe (v. 24). These passages ground Jesus’ claims in the Jewish Scriptures and help to show how He fulfills them in His person and mission.
Jesus reveals Himself as the one through whom God’s redemptive plan is fulfilled. The power to give life and judge belongs to Him because of His unity with the Father. Faith in Him leads to eternal life, a core element of salvation (cf. Jn. 3:16–18; Rom. 6:23). The resurrection and final judgment mark the culmination of God’s plan to restore fallen humanity, separating the just from the wicked (cf. 2 Cor. 5:10; Rev. 20:12–13).
During Lent, the Church calls the faithful to conversion, repentance, and deeper faith in Christ. This passage reminds us that the time of salvation is now (v. 25) and that eternal life begins through faith and obedience to the Son. It calls for a serious examination of our lives in light of the coming resurrection and judgment. As St. Paul urges: “Behold, now is a very acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (2 Cor. 6:2).
Almighty God, You sent Your Son, the true Son of Man foretold by the prophets, to share in Your power to give life and to judge in righteousness. He spoke with the voice of divine Wisdom, calling the dead to rise and the living to believe. Awaken our hearts to hear and follow Him so that we may pass from death to life through faith in His Word. This we pray through the same Christ our Lord. Amen!
Sources
- McSorley, Joseph. An Outline History of the Church by Centuries (From St. Peter to Pius XII). 2nd ed., B. Herder Book Co., 1944.
- Orchard, Bernard, et al. A Catholic Commentary on Holy Scripture. Feb. 1953.
- Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.
- Faculty of the University of Navarre. The Navarre Bible: New Testament Expanded Edition. Four Courts / Scepter, 2008.
- Faculty of the University of Navarre. The Navarre Bible: The Pentateuch. Four Courts Press, 2017
- Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Prentice Hall, 1990.
- Charpentier, Etienne. How to Read the Old Testament. Translated by John Bowden, 1981.
- Komonchak, Joseph, et al., editors. The New Dictionary of Theology.
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