The Work of the Son

Today's Reflections

The Work of the Son

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Jn 5:17-30

¹⁷Jesus answered [the Jews], “My Father is at work until now, so I am at work.” ¹⁸For this reason the Jews tried all the more to kill him, because he not only broke the sabbath but he also called God his own father, making himself equal to God.

¹⁹Jesus 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. ²¹For just as the Father raises the dead and gives life, so also does the Son give life to whomever he wishes. ²²Nor does the Father judge anyone, but he has given all judgment to his Son, ²³so 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. ²⁴Amen, 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. ²⁵Amen, 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. ²⁶For just as the Father has life in himself, so also he gave to his Son the possession of life in himself. ²⁷And he gave him power to exercise judgment, because he is the Son of Man. ²⁸Do not be amazed at this, because the hour is coming in which all who are in the tombs will hear his voice ²⁹and 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.”

Reflection:

The Father loves his Son. Jesus claims in the Gospel a perfect synchronization of his will and actions with the Father’s. What he claims is this, equivalently: “I do what the Father does, and I do it in complete obedience to his will. I do nothing of my own, but I do what I see the Father doing, and as he bids me to do.”

As followers of Jesus, we must seek to act as he does. We let the Father take the initiative. We seek to find out what God wants us to do; we discern what God is doing. And then we unite our minds, wills, and actions to the mind, will, and action of the Father and his Son Jesus. Through the guidance of the Spirit of Jesus, we can act like Jesus and show ourselves sons and daughters of the Father.

Act like Jesus, but do not be surprised

if some people try to stone you!