“…the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing…” (John 5:19)
Bible Reading: John 5:19-20
There are at least four things that belong to the basic shape of Jesus’ life. The first is his “heavenly-mindedness,” the second, his love for his Father, the third, his obedience to the will of his Father, and the fourth, his utter dependence upon his Father.
It is the last of these we are to consider today. In being sent by his Father into the world, Jesus did not choose to live out of the resources of his own wisdom and power or for his own interests. As we have seen, he lived to please the One who sent him.
This meant that he not only did what the Father wanted him to do, but he did it in utter reliance upon him. Nowhere is that seen more clearly than in his response to legalistic Jews in Jerusalem who were persecuting him for healing on the Sabbath a man who had been an invalid for 38 years (John 5:1-18). “Truly, truly, I say to you,” he said, “the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing” (v. 19). And again, “I can do nothing on my own” (v. 30).
Another incident that speaks of this also occurred in Jerusalem while Jesus was teaching in the temple at the Feast of Tabernacles. “How is it that this man has learning when he has never studied?” the sceptics among his audience asked (John 7:15). To them, Jesus replied, “My teaching is not mine, but his who sent me” (v. 16). Later, he elaborated on this point when he said, “I have not spoken on my own authority, but the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment – what to say, and what to speak…” (John 12:49).
It is this that lies behind Jesus’ great statement in John 6:57: “As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on me, he also will live because of me.” In saying this, Jesus at once declares both his dependence upon his Father and the way that is to be reflected in his disciples’ dependence upon him. Just as he voluntarily emptied himself in order that he might be filled with the Father, so we too are to empty ourselves of all self-sufficiency that we might find our all in Christ.
It is this reliance that Jesus refers to in his well-known words in connection with the allegory of the vine and branches in John 15. “I am the vine and you are the branches,” he said. “Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing” (v. 5).
Such dependence does not rob us of our humanity or freedom but opens the door to a life that is purified, empowered and directed by Christ. Like his, it is a life that is caught up in the movements of God’s eternal purposes.
To Think About:
- Are you seeking to live your life in your own strength?
- How does a life of dependence lead to a life of purpose?