Jim Blackburn examines Jesus’ teachings in John 5 on the authority of the second person of the Trinity to resolve an apparent contradiction between two of Jesus’ claims.
Transcript:
Host: Tim in Fairfield, Iowa, listening on Holy Family Radio, do we have you this time, Tim?
Caller: Yeah, you have me. Thank you very much for taking my call, and God bless your work. I’ve been wanting to read through the Gospels again for Lent, it’s been wonderful. And I’m in chapter 5 of St. John’s gospel in the RSV Bible, and I came across something that seems contradictory, in Jesus’ words, I thought you might be able to give a better interpretation of what seems contradictory.
In verse 22, Jesus says, “The Father judges no one, but has given all judgement to the Son, that all may honor the Son even as they honor the Father.” And then if you go down to verse 30, Jesus then says, “I can do nothing on my own authority; as I hear, I judge, and my judgement is just because I seek not my own will, but the will of him who sent me.” So it seems like there’s a contradiction there, but what’s really the proper understanding of those things?
Jim: Okay, I think I see how you’re seeing a contradiction there, but if we look at—let’s look at these verses again, I pulled these up. “[As] the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he will. [Moreover], the Father judges no one, but has given all judgement to the Son.” I think that’s key, right there: that the Father has given all judgement to the Son. Jesus says, “I do nothing on my own authority.” He does it on the authority that has been given to him by the Father. So if we look at verse 30, “I can do nothing on my own authority,” and see that on the heels of “The Father has given all judgement to the Son;” Jesus does have the authority, but it’s been given to him by the Father. Does that make sense? That’s how I would view this.
There’s a—in the Trinity, you know, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, there is a sort of hierarchy among them, you know. And all that the Son has is given to him by the Father. But certainly the Son has authority; it comes through the Father, though. And similarly, the Holy Spirit; Jesus sends the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is given to us and works within us on his own authority that has been given to him by the Father and the Son. So I hope that helps. That—maybe that word, that the Father has given all judgement to the Son, can explain that he’s not acting strictly on his own authority, but on the authority that the Father has given to him. Does that make sense?
Caller: That does make sense. I know sometimes when we say “coeternal,” sometimes, you know, it can be a little bit difficult to understand the exact differences between the three persons of the Trinity. But that is a help, I appreciate that. Thank you.