John 5:19-29

So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise.  For the Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself is doing. And greater works than these will he show him, so that you may marvel.  For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he will.  For the Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son,  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.  Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.
“Truly, truly, I say to you, an 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.  For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself.  And he has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man.  Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice  and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment.

John 5:19-29

Jesus has just made the controvertial statement that God is his father.  This stunned the Jews because it made Jesus equal with God.  Now, Jesus goes on to explain the relationship between the Father and the Son.

Same in their Doing

One thing we gather from what Jesus says here is that the Son and the Father are aligned in what they do.  The Son does what he sees the Father doing.  Well, are there things that the Father does that the Son does not do?  Well, Jesus simply states that "whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise".  Well, are there things that the Son does not see the Father doing?  If that's the case, are there then things that the Son cannot do that the Father does since the Son didn't see it?  Well, the Father "shows him all that he himself is doing".

There are two examples given with regards to this connection in what they do.  The first example is the giving of life.  The Father raises the dead and gives them life.  If the Son does what he sees the Father doing, it is only natural that Jesus does this as well.  The Father has the ability to raise the dead and give them life and so the Son has this ability as well.  The second example is judgment.  The Father "has given all judgment to the Son".  The Father has the ability to judge and has given that to the Son.

By now you can tell that this connection between the Father and the Son does not make the Son a literal copycat.  It's not like God commands something and Jesus does the exact same thing as well.  Instead, this is describing that the Son and the Father have the same capability.  The Father can give life and can judge.  Similarly, the Son can give life and can judge.  It is in this way that we can see how Jesus was making himself equal with God by calling him his own Father.

Same in their Honour

What is the purpose of all of this?  Why is the Son given all judgment?  We read the reason in verse 23, "that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father".  Perhaps it could've been done such that the Son did not have these abilities.  However, then honour would not be for the Son in the same way as for the Father.

This connection of honour is so important that Jesus goes on to say something else about it: "Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him".  Not only are they to be the same in honour, but they are the same in dishonour.  I guess it would make sense, but this statement simply makes it clear.  To not honour the Son is the same as not honouring the Father.  Therefore, if you want to honour the Father, you'd need to honour the Son.

Aside - Irony

If you step back and think about this for a second, it's actually quite ironic.  The Jews are judging Jesus for breaking the sabbath and calling God his own Father.  As a result, they are seeking to kill him.  In response, Jesus explains to them that he can give life to whom he will and has been given all judgment.  Though the Jews seek to take life and enact judgement, Jesus is actually the one who has the ability to give life and the authority to enact judgment.

The Resurrection of the Dead

This is all leading up to something big, which Jesus hints at it in verse 20: "And greater works than these will he show him, so that you may marvel".  Jesus explains what this is in verse 25: "Truly, truly, I say to you, an 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".  This is Jesus giving life to whom he will as was mentioned earlier; however, it's much more than just life and judgment.  Jesus even says "Do not marvel at this".  What we are to marvel at is the resurrection of the dead.

Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment.
John 5:28-29

This is who the Son is, what he is capable of doing, and why he is deserving of honour.