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Commentaries
English
John
  
3. Christ raises the dead and judges the world
(John 5:20-30)
20"For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all that He Himself is doing; and greater works than these will He show him, that you may marvel.21For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he will.22The Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son,23that all may honor the Son, even as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son, does not honor the Father who sent him.


How mighty are these works, impossible for man, but Jesus can perform them. The Father commits them to the Son to carry through. Here we note two qualities prophesied in Scripture relating to Christ. The Jews expected the Man who typified them: Raising the dead, and judging truly. The two where together and Jesus attributed them to himself. Jesus beforehand predicted in the presence of his foes that he is the Lord of Life who will judge, even though they regarded him as mad or blasphemous. They resolved to kill him. By this affirmation Jesus wanted to change them and lead them to think aright and repent sincerely.
Our God is no destroyer, but a life-giver, not desiring the death of a sinner, but his turn about from his waywardness into life. He who forsakes God perishes gradually, spirit, soul and body. However, he who draws near to Christ is revived and experiences eternal life. The Savior desires your revival and awakening. Will you heed his voice? Or do you persist in a life of sin and guilt?
From eternity the universe is built on truth. Even if people are careless of their Lord, killing and deceiving one another, yet truth is unchanging. The day of judgment is the great accounting day. Divine vengeance will fall on all outrages and specially on the ill-treatment of widows and the weak. God has committed all judgment to Christ. He will judge all peoples, tongues and religions. Jesus was a sinless human, so he understands our human condition, and feels our weaknesses. His judgment is just. When he appears in his glory, all the tribes on earth will lament, for they ignored the Judge, despising and rejecting him. Do you realize this?
Then all will bow the knee before the Son. Those who neglected the worship of Christ on earth, will honor him in fear and trembling. Christ is worthy of all power, riches, wisdom, honor and glory (Revelation 5:12). He has reconciled the world to God. He was the meek Lamb slain for us. God and the Son are alike in the essence of love and might not just in works, but in worthiness of honor and adoration offered to them. That is why Jesus did not reject the worship of anyone while on earth. We ought to honor the Son as we do the Father. We can address the Son in prayer directly, as we do our heavenly Father.
All who reject Christ or belittle him reject the Father Himself. The Eternal is free to choose a Son. The main reason why people who deny the Sonship of Christ and his worship, is their wicked mentality. They are unwilling to know him, and so cannot know God in His reality.