16 And therefore did the Jews persecute Jesus, and sought to slay him, because he had done these things on the sabbath day.
17 But Jesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work.
18 Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God.
19 Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.
20 For the Father loveth the Son, and sheweth him all things that himself doeth: and he will shew him greater works than these, that ye may marvel.
21 For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them; even so the Son quickeneth whom he will.
22 For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son:
23 That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him.
24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.
25 Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live.
26 For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself;
27 And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man. (John 5:16-27)
In this passage, you will find Jesus claiming to be equal with God in six different ways. Let us examine these six claims of Christ.
- In verses seventeen and eighteen we see that, by Jesus referring to God as His Father rather than Our Father he was very plainly making Himself equal with God. It’s funny how many cultists will say, “Well, if Jesus really was God, why didn’t he just come out and say it?” He did. And you find in verse eighteen that the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he was making himself equal with God.
- In verse nineteen, Jesus claimed to be equal with the Father in his works. He said, “for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.” Not only was Jesus claiming to be equal with God in this statement, but He was also busting the Jews. You see, they were persecuting Him for healing on the Sabbath. So Jesus was saying to them, “Hey, if you’re gonna persecute me for healing on the Sabbath, you are also persecuting the Father. I’m just doing what the Father does.”
- In verse twenty-one, Jesus claimed to have the power to raise the dead. To understand how Jesus was claiming deity in this statement, you must first understand that the Jews believed that Jehovah God held the three great keys: The key to open the heavens and bring rain (Dt. 22:12); the key to open the womb (Gen. 30:22); and the key to open the grave and raise the dead (Eze. 37:13). You might ask, “Well, what about Elijah and Elisha? Didn’t they raise the dead.” Of course they did. But what he was saying was different than any claim Elijah or Elisha might be able to make. He was actually saying that He gives life and raises the dead just as the Father. Elijah and Elisha both knew that their raising people from the dead did not come from their own power.
- In verse twenty-two, Jesus claimed equality with the Father in executing judgment. He said that all judgment had been entrusted to the Son. To the Jew, Jehovah God was “the Judge of all the earth.” (Genesis 18:25) So, for Jesus to say that he was entrusted with all judgment, He was very clearly saying that He was God.
- In verse twenty-three, Jesus claimed equality with the Father by claiming equal honor. This statement would be nothing short of blasphemous and idolatrous unless Jesus really was who He said He was: God.
- In verse twenty-seven, Jesus made His claim very clear by using the title for God on Himself. The title Son of Man came from Daniel 7 and was a title for God. Daniel 7:13-14 says, “I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.” This was the claim Jesus was making.
It is very clear what Jesus was saying in this passage. He was saying, “I am God.” And He didn’t just say it once. He made six different claims; all of which pointed to His belief that He was equal with the Father; that He was God in the flesh. That is what we find from this passage, but there are many other passages pointing to the deity of Jesus Christ. Below, you will find some links that will take you to other passages of Scripture to further back up the deity of Christ.
The Holy Trinity:
God the Father:
God the Son:
- Exodus 3:11-14; Isaiah 43:10-13; John 8:51-59; 10:24-33
- Revelation 1:8; 22:7,12,13; 22:16; 22:20; 1:12-16,17-18; Isaiah 44:6
God the Holy Spirit:
- Acts 5:1-4; 13:1-2
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