What I SEE the Father do

(3) The work of God was never the breach of the sabbath, and the works of Christ are the works of the Father, both because they are one God, and also because the Father does not work except in the Son. 5:18 Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was c his Father, making himself equal with God.

(c) That is, his alone and no one else’s, which they gather from his saying, “And I work”, applying this word “work” to himself which properly belongs to God, and therefore makes himself equal to God. 5:19 Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing d of himself, but what he e seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son f likewise.

(d) Not only without his Father’s authority, but also without his mighty working and power.
(e) This must be understood of the person of Christ, which consists of two natures, and not simply of his Godhead: so then he says that his Father moves and governs him in all things, but yet nonetheless, when he says he works with his Father, he confirms his Godhead.
(f) In like sort, jointly and together. Not because the Father does some things, and then the Son works after him and does the same, but because the might and power of the Father and the Son work equally and jointly together.

Commentary Critical and Explanatory
on the Whole Bible

CHAPTER 5

18. God was his Father–literally, “His own [or peculiar] Father,” (as in Romans 8:32). The addition is their own, but a very proper one.
making himself equal with God–rightly gathering this to be His meaning, not from the mere words “My Father,” but from His claim of right to act as His Father did in the like high sphere, and by the same law of ceaseless activity in that sphere. And as, instead of instantly disclaiming any such meaning–as He must have done if it was false–He positively sets His seal to it in the following verses, merely explaining how consistent such claim was with the prerogatives of His Father, it is beyond all doubt that we have here an assumption of peculiar personal Sonship, or participation in the Father’s essential nature.

19, 20. the Son can do nothing of himself–that is, apart from and in rivalry of the Father, as they supposed. The meaning is, “The Son can have no separate interest or action from the Father.”
for what things, &c.–On the contrary, “whatever the Father doeth that same doeth the Son,”
likewise–“in the like manner.” What claim to absolute equality with the Father could exceed this: not only to do “the same things,” but to do them as the Father does them?

20. Father loveth . . . and showeth him all, &c.–As love has no concealments, so it results from the perfect fellowship and mutual endearment of the Father and the Son that the Father communicates to the Son all His counsels, and what has been thus shown to the Son is by Him executed in His mediatorial character. “With the Father, doing is willing; it is only the Son who acts in Time” [ALFORD]. Three things here are clear: (1) The personal distinctions in the Godhead. (2) Unity of action among the Persons results from unity of nature. (3) Their oneness of interest is no unconscious or involuntary thing, but a thing of glorious consciousness, will, and love, of which the Persons themselves are the proper Objects.
show him greater things, &c.–referring to what He goes on to mention (John 5:21-31), comprised in two great words, LIFE and JUDGMENT, which STIER beautifully calls God’s Regalia. Yet these, Christ says, the Father and He do in common.

Matthew Henry Complete Commentary
on the Whole Bible

Chapter 5 Verses 17-30 We have here Christ’s discourse upon occasion of his being accused as a sabbath-breaker, and it seems to be his vindication of himself before the sanhedrim, when he was arraigned before them: whether on the same day, or two or three days after, does not appear; probably the same day. Observe, I. The doctrine laid down, by which he justified what he did on the sabbath day (v. 17): He answered them. This supposes that he had something laid to his charge: or what they suggested one to another, when they sought to slay him (v. 16), he knew, and gave this reply to, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work. At other times, in answer to the like charge, he had pleaded the example of David’s eating the show-bread, of the priests’ slaying the sacrifices, and of the people’s watering their cattle on the sabbath day; but here he goes higher and alleges the example of his Father and his divine authority; waiving all other pleas, he insists upon that which was instar omnium—equivalent to the whole, and abides by it, which he had mentioned, Mt. 12:8. The Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day; but he here enlarges on it. 1. He pleads that he was the Son of God, plainly intimated in his calling God his Father; and, if so, his holiness was unquestionable and his sovereignty incontestable; and he might make what alterations he pleased of the divine law. Surely they will reverence the Son, the heir of all things. 2. That he was a worker together with God. (1.) My Father worketh hitherto. The example of God’s resting on the seventh day from all his work is, in the fourth commandment, made the ground of our observing it as a sabbath orday of rest. Now God rested only from such work as he had done the six days before; otherwise he worketh hitherto, he is every day working, sabbath days and week-days, upholding and governing all the creatures, and concurring by his common providence to all the motions and operations of nature, to his own glory; therefore, when we are appointed to rest on the sabbath day, yet we are not restrained from doing that which has a direct tendency to the glory of God, as the man’s carrying his bed had. (2.) I work; not only therefore I may work, like him, in doing good on sabbath days as well as other days, but I also work with him. As God created all things by Christ, so he supports and governs all by him, Heb. 1:3. This sets what he does above all exception; he that is so great a worker must needs be an uncontrollable governor; he that does all is Lord of all, and thereforeLord of the sabbath, which particular branch of his authority he would now assert, because he was shortly to show it further, in the change of the day from the seventh to the first. II. The offence that was taken at his doctrine (v. 18): The Jews sought the more to kill him. His defence was made his offence, as if by justifying himself he had made bad worse. Note, Those that will not be enlightened by the word of Christ will be enraged and exasperated by it, and nothing more vexes the enemies of Christ than his asserting his authority; see Ps. 2:3-5. They sought to kill him, 1. Because he had broken the sabbath; for, let him say what he would in his own justification, they are resolved, right or wrong, to find him guilty of sabbath breaking. When malice and envy sit upon the bench, reason and justice may even be silent at the bar, for whatever they can say will undoubtedly be over-ruled. 2. Not only so, but he had said also that God was his Father. Now they pretend a jealousy for God’s honour, as before for the sabbath day, and charge Christ with it as a heinous crime that he made himself equal with God; and a heinous crime it had been if he had not really been so. It was the sin of Lucifer, I will be like the Most High. Now, (1.) This was justly inferred from what he said, that he was the Son of God, and that God was his Father, patera idion — his own Father; his, so as he was no one’s else. He had said that he worked with his Father, by the same authority and power, and hereby he made himself equal with God. Ecee intelligunt Judaei, quod non intelligunt Ariani—Behold, the Jews understand what the Arians do not. (2.) Yet it was unjustly imputed to him as an offence that he equalled himself with God, for he was and is God, equal with the Father (Phil. 2:6); and therefore Christ, in answer to this charge, does not except against the innuendo as strained or forced, makes out his claim and proves that he is equal with God in power and glory. III. Christ’s discourse upon this occasion, which continues without interruption to the end of the chapter. In these verses he explains, and afterwards confirms, his commission, as Mediator and plenipotentiary in the treaty between God and man. And, as the honours he is hereby entitled to are such as it is not fit for any creature to receive, so the work he is hereby entrusted with is such as it is not possible for any creature to go through with, and therefore he is God, equal with the Father. 1. In general. He is one with the Father in all he does as Mediator, and there was a perfectly good understanding between them in the whole matter. It is ushered in with a solemn preface (v. 19): Verily, verily, I say unto you; I the Amen, the Amen, say it. This intimates that the things declared are, (1.) Very awful and great, and such as should command the most serious attention. (2.) Very sure, and such as should command an unfeigned assent. (3.) That they are matters purely of divine revelation; things which Christ has told us, and which we could not otherwise have come to the knowledge of. Two things he saith in general concerning the Son’s oneness with the Father in working:— [1.] That the Son conforms to the Father (v. 19): The Son can do nothing of himself but what he sees the Father do; for these things does the Son. The Lord Jesus, as Mediator, is First, Obedient to his Father’s will; so entirely obedient that he can do nothing of himself, in the same sense as it is said, God cannot lie, cannot deny himself, which expresses the perfection of his truth, not any imperfection in his strength; so here, Christ was so entirely devoted to his Father’s will that it was impossible for him in any thing to act separately. Secondly, He is observant of his Father’s counsel; he can, he will, do nothing but what he sees the Father do. No man can find out the work of God, but the only-begotten Son, who lay in his bosom, sees what he does, is intimately acquainted with his purposes, and has the plan of them ever before him. What he did as Mediator, throughout his whole undertaking, was the exact transcript or counterpart of what the Father did; that is, what he designed, when he formed the plan of our redemption in his eternal counsels, and settled those measures in every thing which never could be broken, nor ever needed to be altered. It was the copy of that great original; it was Christ’s faithfulness, as it was Moses’s, that he did all according to the pattern shown him in the mount. This is expressed in the present tense, what he sees the Father do, for the same reason that, when he was here upon earth, it was said, He is in heaven (ch. 3:13), and is in the bosom of the Father (ch. 1:18); as he was even then by his divine nature present in heaven, so the things done in heaven were present to his knowledge. What the Father did in his counsels, the Son had ever in his view, and still he had his eye upon it, as David in spirit spoke of him, I have set the Lord always before me, Ps. 16:8.Thirdly, Yet he is equal with the Father in working; for what things soever the Father does these also does the Son likewise; he did the same things, not such things, but tauta , the same things; and he did them in the same manner, homoios , likewise, with the same authority, and liberty, and wisdom, the same energy and efficacy. Does the Father enact, repeal, and alter, positive laws? Does he over-rule the course of nature, know men’s hearts? So does the Son. The power of the Mediator is a divine power. [2.] That the Father communicates to the Son, v. 20. Observe, First, The inducement to it: The Father loveth the Son; he declared, This is my beloved Son. He had not only a good will to the undertaking, but an infinite complacency in the undertaker. Christ was now hated of men, one whom the nation abhorred (Isa. 49:7); but he comforted himself with this, that his Father loved him. Secondly, The instances of it. He shows it, 1. In what he does communicate to him: He shows him all things that himself doth. The Father’s measures in making and ruling the world are shown to the Son, that he may take the same measures in framing and governing the church, which work was to be a duplicate of the work of creation and providence, and it is therefore called the world to come. He shows him all things ha autos poiei — which he does, that is, which the Son does, so it might be construed; all that the Son does is by direction from the Father; he shows him. 2. In what he will communicate; he will show him, that is, will appoint and direct him to do greater works than these. (1.) Works of greater power than the curing of the impotent man; for he should raise the dead, and should himself rise from the dead. By the power of nature, with the use of means, a disease may possibly in time be cured; but nature can never, by the use of any means, in any time raise the dead. (2.) Works of greater authority than warranting the man tocarry his bed on the sabbath day. They thought this a daring attempt; but what was this to his abrogating the whole ceremonial law, and instituting new ordinances, which he would shortly do, “that you may marvel!’’ Now they looked upon his works with contempt and indignation, but he will shortly do that which they will look upon with amazement, Lu. 7:16. Many are brought to marvel at Christ’s works, whereby he has the honour of them, who are not brought to believe, by which they would have the benefit of them. 2. In particular. He proves his equality with the Father, by specifying some of those works which he does that are the peculiar works of God. This is enlarged upon, v. 21–30. He does, and shall do, that which is the peculiar work of God’s sovereign dominion and jurisdiction— judging and executing judgment, v. 22–24, 27. These two are interwoven, as being nearly connected; and what is said once is repeated and inculcated; put both together, and they will prove that Christ said not amiss when he made himself equal with God. (1.) Observe what is here said concerning the Mediator’s power to raise the dead and give life. See [1.]

The Fourfold Gospel

5:17  But Jesus answered them, My Father worketh even until now, and I work1.

1. My Father worketh even until now, and I work. The dual nature of Jesus permitted both a divine and human attitude toward the sabbath. We have shown that Jesus chose to assert his divine attitude, for in no other matter did these Jews have clearer distinction as to the difference between divine and human right than in this matter of sabbath observance. See John 5:10. If Jesus were a mere man, their ideas of law clearly condemned him; but if Jesus were indeed God, their knowledge of divine conduct in the whole realm of nature clearly justified him, and the miracle asserted his divine control in nature’s realm. While God rested from creation on the sabbath, nothing can be clearer than that in works of sustenance, reproduction, healing, and providence. God has never rested, and never made distinctions between the days of our week. In the light of the gospel we find also that his redemptive work has never ceased and, considering the part which Jesus was even then accomplishing in this field of labor, his words, “and I work”, are full of meaning.

5:18 For this cause therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him1, because he not only brake the sabbath2, but also called God his own Father3,making himself equal with God4.

1. For this cause therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him. See John 5:16.
2. Because he not only brake the sabbath. Not only violated, but denied its authority over his divine nature.
3. But also called God his own Father. They rightly interpreted Jesus as asserting relationship to God differing from that sustained by others, as expressed in some few passages in the Old Testament, where God is spoken of as a Father to the people generally; that is, their Creator.
4. Making himself equal with God. No main could claim such unity of nature as would exempt him from the obligation of the fourth commandment. Had they misunderstood Jesus in this all-important point, how quickly would he have corrected them, for he could not have been less righteous than Paul and Barnabas (Acts 14:11-15).

35:19 Jesus therefore answered and said unto them1,Verily, verily2, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father doing: for what things soever he doeth, these the Son also doeth in like manner.

1. Jesus therefore answered and said unto them. His answer is a connected address, the theme being his own character, mission, authority, and credentials as the Son of God. It is the Christology of Jesus, and instead of being a retraction of the claim to divinity which the Jews accused him of making, it is a complete and amplified reassertion of it, so that Luther fitly called it

   “a sublime apology, which makes the matter worse.”

   Jesus first declares his relations to the Father (John 5:19-23), which are set forth in four divisions, each of which is introduced by the word “for”; viz.: (1) Unity of action (John 5:19). (2) Unity of love, counsel, and plan (John 5:20). (3) Unity of life-impartation (John 5:21). (4) Unity in judgment, resulting in unity of honor. (John 5:22,23). This last division formed a turning-point in the discourse. Since there is there unity of honor, it is important that men should honor Jesus, and also otherwise sustain right relationships to him, and Jesus therefore, to enlighten the Jews as to their duty toward him, proceeds to set forth his relations to men (John 5:23-30), which he also gives in four divisions, closely correlative to his four statements as to the Father, thus: (1) Right to receive divine honor from men (John 5:23). (2) Authority to execute life and death judgment over men (John 5:24). (3) Power of life-impartation as to men, and that both spiritually and literally (John 5:25-29). (4) All Jesus’ relationships to man to be sustained and executed according to the will and plan or mission of God (John 5:30). But since all these various relationships grow out of his divine nature, Jesus next submits the credentials which establish his claim to such a nature (John 5:31-39). There also are given in four divisions; namely: (1) Testimony of the Baptist (John 5:31-35). (2) Jesus’ own works and ministry (John 5:36). (3) Testimony of the Father (John 5:37). (4) Testimony of Scripture (John 5:38,39). Or we may regard Jesus as asserting that the Father testifies to the Son’s divinity in four different ways; that is,

   “God is properly the sole and original testifier, and all others are his signature and seals.”

   The discourse then closes with an application of its truth to the Jewish auditors (John 5:40-47). They are told that all this truth is lost on them because of their own fourfold sinful condition, which is thus stated: (1) Want of will to come to Christ (John 5:40). (2) Want of real love toward God, or desire for his honor (John 5:41-43). (3) Love for the honor of men, rather than the honor of God (John 5:44). (4) Want of real faith in the Mosaic writings (John 5:45-47).

2. Verily, verily. See John 1:51.
3. The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father doing: for what things soever he doeth, these the Son also doeth in like manner. The Jews regarded Jesus as claiming equality with God in a vain-glorious, honor-seeking spirit; but Jesus restates himself, so as to show that the claim is really a renunciation or abdication of all independent greatness–as having an equality exercised in absolute subservience (Isaiah 42:1; Philippians 3:5-9). They had accused him as a human being acting contrary to the law of the Father. But he declares himself to be a divine being, so united to the Father as to have no will or action apart from the Father, a condition the resultant of which is not weakness and insufficiency, but the strength and perfection arising from an absolute and indissoluble union with the Father–the glory of divinity. Chrysostom remarks,

   “Just as when we say, it is impossible for God to do wrong, we do not impute to him any weakness, but confess in him an unutterable power, so also when Christ saith, “I can of mine own self do nothing”, the meaning is that it is impossible–my nature admits not–that I should do anything contrary to the Father.”

   Jesus asserts his equality with the Father in such a way as not to depreciate the dignity and glory of the Father.

5:20 For the Father loveth the Son1, and showeth him all things that himself doeth2:and greater works than these will he show him3,that ye may marvel4.

1. For the Father loveth the Son. The words here indicate that the love of the Father toward the Son was source of revelation, and that the revelation was progressive. Love constrained the Father to reveal, and love in turn constrained the son to act according to the revelation.
2. And showeth him all things that himself doeth. Putting the statements of John 5:19,20 together, we find that the Son knows all that the Father does, and likewise does all that the Father does, and in like manner. There could be no higher assertion or equality than this; in fact, it asserts identity rather than equality. But the equality is not the result of conquest, nor was it one of power opposed to power, but is freely given and accorded by reason of love.
3. And greater works than these will he show him. Moreover, this unity of love would be evidence by greater works in the future, of which two are enumerated; namely, resurrection and judgment, the former being at first spiritually and afterwards literally outlined. The Father would show these works to the Son by causing him to do them; there would be no separate act of the Father so that the works would be twice performed.
4. That ye may marvel. These works would produce faith in those of right spirit. But among such hardened hearts as those whom Jesus addressed they would only produce wonder and consternation. Those who withheld the tribute of faith should pay that of amazement.

John Wesley’s Explanatory Notes
on the Whole Bible

The Book of John
Chapter 5 5:17 My Father worketh until now, and I work – From the creation till now he hath been working without intermission. I do likewise. This is the proposition which is explained 5:19– 30, confirmed and vindicated in 5:31 , , , . 5:18 His own Father – The Greek word means his own Father in such a sense as no creature can speak. Making himself equal with God – It is evident all the hearers so understood him, and that our Lord never contradicted, but confirmed it. 5:19 The Son can do nothing of himself – This is not his imperfection, but his glory, resulting from his eternal, intimate, indissoluble unity with the Father. Hence it is absolutely impossible, that the Son should judge, will, testify, or teach any thing without the Father, 5:30, &c; John 6:38; John 7:16; or that he should be known or believed on, separately from the Father. And he here defends his doing good every day, without intermission, by the example of his Father, from which he cannot depart: these doth the Son likewise – All these, and only these; seeing he and the Father are one. 5:20 The Father showeth him all things that himself doth – A proof of the most intimate unity. And he will show him – By doing them. At the same time (not at different times) the Father showeth and doth, and the Son seeth and doth. Greater works – Jesus oftener terms them works, than signs or wonders, because they were not wonders in his eyes. Ye will marvel – So they did, when he raised Lazarus.