For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he will.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The verse highlights the Son's sovereign power over life itself, not merely mirroring the Father but possessing an independent, divine will in granting life to whomever He chooses. This isn't a passive imitation but an active, decisive power, distinguishing His unique role in dispensing life and resurrection.
For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he will.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Jesus has just healed a man on the Sabbath, and the Jewish leaders are persecuting Him for it. In response, Jesus explains that His actions are not a violation of the Sabbath but a demonstration of His divine authority, revealing His intimate connection with the Father. He then elaborates on the "greater works" He performs, which include giving life and executing judgment, highlighting His unique role as the source of spiritual and physical life.
Jesus declares His power mirrors the Father's. But what kind of 'life' are we talking about here?
Jesus explains that just as the Father brings both physical and spiritual life, so does the Son. The "raising the dead" and "giving life" aren't solely about bodily resurrection, but powerfully include bringing those spiritually dead in sin to life through faith in Him. This is a continuous work, happening now as people hear and believe Jesus' word.
Jesus says He gives life 'to whom He will.' What does this reveal about His relationship with the Father and His own authority?
This phrase, 'to whom He will,' isn't about arbitrary choice, but reflects the Son's perfect union and authority with the Father. It highlights Jesus' divine prerogative to bestow life. The Father has committed all judgment and the power to give life to the Son, demonstrating their equal divine essence and authority. This power is not dependent on anyone else; it flows from His own divine will.
Understand the original words
zōopoieō · Greek Verb
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The theological concept of the self-existent power to bring forth or sustain existence. Biblically, God is the sole source of life, and this authority is shared by the Son, demonstrating his deity.
egeirō · Greek Verb
The miraculous restoration of physical life to the dead. Theologically, this serves as a sign of God's authority over death and points toward the ultimate eschatological resurrection.
This powerful vision of dry bones coming to life illustrates God's sovereign power to breathe life into the spiritually dead, mirroring the Son's authority to give life as described in John 5:21.
1 Samuel 2:6This verse explicitly states 'The Lord kills and brings to life; he brings down to Sheol and raises up,' highlighting the Father's exclusive power over life and death, which the Son now shares and exercises. This directly supports the parallel drawn in John 5:21.
Romans 4:17Paul speaks of Abraham believing in God 'who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist,' echoing the Father's life-giving power and establishing a foundational concept of divine power over life that the Son also possesses.
Ephesians 2:1-5This passage describes believers as being spiritually dead in trespasses and sins, whom God, 'being rich in mercy,' 'made alive together with Christ,' directly illustrating the spiritual 'raising up and giving life' that the Son accomplishes.
Colossians 2:13Paul tells believers that 'even when you were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive together with him,' reinforcing the theme of spiritual resurrection and life-giving power exercised by God through Christ.
vincentJohn 5:21: "For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them; even so the Son quickeneth whom he will."
Raiseth - quickenethPhysically and spiritually.The Son quickenethNot raiseth and quickeneth. The quickening, however (ζωοποιεῖ, maketh alive), includes the raising, so that the two clauses are coextensive. In popular conception the raising precedes the quickening; but, in fact, the making alive is the controlling fact of the raising. Ἑγείρει, raiseth, means primarily awaketh.
calvinJohn 5:20-24: "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."
- For the Father loveth the Son, and showeth him all things which he doeth; and he will show him greater works than these, that you may wonder. 21. For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them; so also the Son quickeneth whom he will. 22. For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment to the Son; 23. That…
The verse highlights the Son's sovereign power over life itself, not merely mirroring the Father but possessing an independent, divine will in granting life to whomever He chooses. This isn't a passive imitation but an active, decisive power, distinguishing His unique role in dispensing life and resurrection.
Jesus has just healed a man on the Sabbath, and the Jewish leaders are persecuting Him for it. In response, Jesus explains that His actions are not a violation of the Sabbath but a demonstration of His divine authority, revealing His intimate connection with the Father. He then elaborates on the "greater works" He performs, which include giving life and executing judgment, highlighting His unique role as the source of spiritual and physical life.
Jesus has just healed a man on the Sabbath, and the Jewish leaders are persecuting Him for it. In response, Jesus explains that His actions are not a violation of the Sabbath but a demonstration of His divine authority, revealing His intimate connection with the Father. He then elaborates on the "greater works" He performs, which include giving life and executing judgment, highlighting His unique role as the source of spiritual and physical life.
"For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he will." — The verse highlights the Son's sovereign power over life itself, not merely mirroring the Father but possessing an independent, divine will in granting life to whomever He chooses. This isn't a passi…
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Last reviewed October 2026