The Gospel of John-29 – God’s Zeal to Do Greater Works

John 5:17–23

"But Jesus answered them, 'My Father is working until now, and I am working.' This was why the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him, because not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God. 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.'" Amen.

 

A Historical Sample of Salvation: Seen Through the Reaction of the Jews

We continue our contemplation of the Gospel of John. Previously, we examined the account where the Lord healed a man who had been infirm for thirty-eight years—specifically on the Sabbath—thereby declaring Himself the true Lord of the Sabbath. In light of this, it was perhaps a natural consequence of religious inertia that the Jews reacted with hostility and opposition. However, as we approach today’s text, I hope we do not remain confined to the stereotypical prejudice that "the Jews were simply ignorant people who failed to recognize the Messiah and crucified Him." Rather, we ought to reflect with a deeper and more serious perspective on why the Pharisees, as depicted in Scripture, reacted so stubbornly and why they found the Lord’s ministry so difficult to accept. They were human beings with the same nature as ours, agonizing within a cognitive framework similar to our own. What, then, caused them to react with such vehemence?

 

As we well know, the Jews are a "chosen people." This does not imply that the Jewish nation was inherently superior to other tribes. It means that God designated them as a "sample" (model) to reveal the history of salvation to the entire world. Yet, being a model is a grueling journey. It requires one to personally endure countless processes of refinement to prove God’s providence before the nations that have not experienced it. God has governed the history of Israel so that all peoples might clearly understand the way of salvation; this is precisely why their history was uniquely tumultuous. While we call God’s setting apart of Israel to explain His salvation "election," the reality experienced from the perspective of Israel was quite different from our perception.

 

A Closed System: Zeal for the Law and Self-Righteousness

The Jews possessed a strong sense of pride as a chosen people, finding the clear evidence of that election in their "possession of the Law." They were the recipients of a divine law that the Gentiles did not have. To strictly observe the Sabbath as commanded in the Law, they began to add numerous detailed regulations under the pretext of protecting the original commandment. They did not merely keep a few clauses but created and observed over 600 extensive regulations. This is akin to a student who, upon hearing that studying the textbook is sufficient, becomes overly zealous and consumes every reference book to ensure perfection. Their earnestness was truly remarkable. Where else could one find people who possessed such a fervent passion for the Law and struggled to make it their way of life?

 

Yet, a certain Man appeared before them. This Man seemed to disregard the Sabbath that the Jews held so sacred. When one who did not observe even the basic laws referred to Himself as "the Son of God" and proclaimed, "Listen to My words," it must have appeared to the Jews as an unspeakable shock and a blasphemous utterance.

 

Those who defended the Law firmly believed that God had granted them this Law because He loved them specially and wished to bless them. In truth, their psychological mechanism is not much different from ours. It is not that they were arrogant enough to believe they could keep the Law perfectly without a single error. Rather, they harbored the expectation that ‘even if we are not perfect, if we obey with our best efforts, will not God see our pure passion and sincerity and bestow blessings upon us?’ They even believed the reason they groaned under Roman oppression was their failure to keep the Law strictly. Therefore, they were convinced that if they strove harder to achieve the righteousness of the Law, the Messiah would arrive, and He would reconstruct the glory of the Davidic dynasty, establishing a powerful nation standing tall above all others. This was the foundation of the faith maintained by the Jews.

 

However, this mindset contained a fatal theological error. The Jews believed that they alone held the right to receive God’s blessings and mistakenly thought they could confirm that right through the act of legalistic observance. One might ask, what is the problem with the premise that ‘God loves me if I keep the law He gave me?’ Yet, the true reason this logic is dangerous is that within such a closed system, the redemption of Jesus Christ becomes unnecessary. They erased the place where Jesus should stand within the rigid framework of deeds they had constructed. They were certain they could earn God’s approval through their own efforts.

 

Thus, when Jesus came and proclaimed, "I have come to die for you," a dialogue could not be established. To those who claimed to be righteous men capable of standing before God with just a little more discipline, the declaration "You are essential sinners, and since you can never live by your own strength, I have come to die in your place" must have felt like a humiliating negation. Had Jesus said, "I have come to cheer on your zeal," or "I have come to pass down a new law for a better life," He might have become the most revered legal scholar in Jewish history. But the Lord was walking a path that was the complete antithesis of their expectations.

 

Misunderstanding God’s Love and Total Human Incapacity

In the past, there was a contemporary Christian song that gained immense popularity in Korean society titled "You Were Born to Be Loved." Most of you are likely familiar with it. This song was loved by believers and non-believers alike, and it was so popular that it held the top spot as a mobile ringtone for a long time. "You were born to be loved"—how warm and sweet a consolation this phrase is. While there is certainly a positive message in this hymn, it also represents a lopsided aspect of modern Christian faith. The truth that God is love and that He cherishes us infinitely is a sweet declaration that feels like grace just by hearing it. However, when we try to define God only within such a sentimental framework, the logic of faith soon encounters serious contradictions.

 

If God is a being who only bestows love in the way we imagine, why is this world filled with such agonizing pain? Why do the fires of war never cease, and beyond human greed, how do we explain the reality of innocent lives vanishing due to natural disasters like earthquakes? Witnessing the tragedy of children dying of hunger, how can we establish the concept of a "God of love"? The question of why God, if He is love, permits the existence of such evil leads to endless skepticism. Ultimately, within the limited reason of man, God remains a contradictory being—proclaiming love on one hand, while appearing to neglect incomprehensible tragedies on the other.

 

Furthermore, if we push this logic, we reach the question: If God truly possessed the kind of unconditional, accepting love that we expect, would there have even been a reason to send Jesus Christ to this earth? Why would He need to go through the painful and complicated process of incarnation, leaving Him to a cruel death on the cross and then raising Him again? Could not God, in His almighty mercy, simply forgive us all unconditionally? That might be closer to the "unconditional Great Compassion" we often praise in movies or literature. If He had done only that, there would have been no reason for Jesus to come, nor for the substitutionary atonement of the cross. Some explain that this happens because God is both love and justice, but even the pretext of justice sounds like a hollow excuse in the face of the death of innocent infants. Ultimately, arriving at such a conclusion demonstrates that our very theological starting point is contaminated. We fundamentally misunderstand "God’s love."

 

We also fail to clearly understand God’s justice. The sense of unfairness and doubt arising in our hearts stems from ignorance—a failure to fully realize God’s character. I emphasize again: the proposition that God is love is an absolute truth. However, the core issue is whether we have the "right" to demand that love. What we truly fail to believe is not the fact that "God is love." That is a story everyone likes and is willing to accept. The truth we actually refuse to admit is the miserable existential limitation that, no matter how much a human uses their good conscience to live with all their might, they can never reach God on their own. No matter how purely one lives or how moral a life one leads as an example to others, we cannot admit, due to our pride, the solemn fact that it is utterly insufficient to stand before God. This is the reality of the theological pride that humanity refuses to surrender.

 

The Work of the Son: Connecting Creation and Exodus

The Jews received the Law directly from God. Because they believed that living according to the Law was sufficient, they did not understand why Jesus Christ had to appear. They would have welcomed Him if He had provided an additional guide to complement the existing legal system, saying, "If you keep this as well, you shall obtain perfect salvation." But the Lord flatly rejected their expectations. Instead, He proclaimed that He Himself was the fulfillment of the Law, the Prophet, and the eternal Truth. This was an unimaginable subversion to the Jews. While they expected a supplementary means to fill their deficiencies, the Lord rendered all human efforts void by asserting, "No one comes to the Father except through Me."

 

"What then is the Law we have protected with our lives, and who are You, who even breaks the Sabbath, to speak such arrogant words?" The Jews were indignant. Ultimately, to them, Jesus was not a Savior but a threatening presence who sought to dismantle their robust religious system. To avoid giving up the merit and righteousness they had built, they felt they had to deny and eliminate Jesus Christ.

 

This stubbornness of the Jews is not far from our own condition today. Suppose that in my sermon, I emphasized the duties between spouses and shared moving illustrations and lessons. Even if you were deeply moved by those teachings and left the sanctuary with a new resolve, the painful truth is that such a determination alone can never lead to life. It is partly because that heart is fragile and changes from morning to evening, but fundamentally because "legalistic acts" themselves cannot conceive life. We stand now before such a serious existential crisis.

 

In this context, when we look at verse 19 of today’s text, Jesus suddenly says during the Sabbath controversy, "The Son can do nothing of His own accord, but only what He sees the Father doing." It might sound like an abrupt statement out of context. However, verse 19 begins with the crucial conjunction "Therefore." This suggests that the preceding situation and the Lord’s proclamation are closely linked. In other words, to the Jews who craved another law to keep the Sabbath more strictly, the Lord revealed that as the Master of the Sabbath, He was working just as God works. When faced with death threats as a result, the Lord reaffirmed the basis of His ministry: "All these things I do are not of My own arbitrary will, but I am merely following what I see God the Father doing."

 

The more we meditate on this proclamation, the more infinite its mystery becomes. The word that the Son witnessed what the Father does and revealed it as such contains a massive ministry that penetrates human history. The "work of God" that the Lord saw is, first and foremost, the work of "Creation" that brought all things into being. Just as the Apostle John testified to the Creator Jesus through the Word in the beginning, the structure of the Gospel of John also operates within the framework of six days of creation and the seventh day of rest. By choosing the twelve disciples to establish a new Israel and opening a new horizon for the Exodus, the Lord is proving that God’s creation is being newly reenacted here and now.

 

But God’s work does not stop at the narrative of creation. If you asked the people of Israel what God’s greatest work was, they would undoubtedly cite the "Exodus." As countless psalms testify, the event of deliverance from Egyptian oppression is a collective memory engraved in their very bones and minds. The Lord is now asserting that He is performing that same salvation of the Exodus. Just as the Israelites did not emerge from the Red Sea by their own power, the man infirm for thirty-eight years did not stand up by his own will. The Lord did not demand any confession of faith or legalistic observance as a prerequisite from that man. Just as God went to the suffering people first before Moses received the Law on Mount Sinai, Jesus Christ came first to the man lying without hope. When we were wandering in darkness, not knowing the way of life, Christ came to us first. The very fact that you are in this place, confessing Jesus as Lord and knowing the grace of the cross, is the irrefutable evidence that the Lord found you first. It is not that we went to the Lord; the Lord came to us.

 

The Greater Work: Fulfillment of God’s Covenant, Life, and Judgment

This means that Jesus performed the same ministry that God performed. Let us summarize the work Jesus did through verse 20. "For the Father loves the Son and shows Him all that He Himself is doing." We have already examined this portion. Scripture continues: "And greater works than these will He show Him, so that you may marvel." The Lord not only performed the Father’s work as it was but now declares He will show even more fundamental and great works.

 

What exactly are these "greater works"? Verse 21 clarifies: "For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom He will." It is the ministry of granting life. The core of this great task is the work of saving life and, as the following verse says, the fact that "the Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son"—that is, the authority of judgment. The salvation that gives life and the righteous judgment: these are the "greater works" of God spoken of in Scripture.

 

The reason why saving life is so significant is not simply because the external scale of the ministry is vast. It is because it is the complete "fulfillment" of all God’s promises throughout human history. Starting from the Protoevangelium in Genesis 3:15 proclaimed immediately after the fall—the prophecy that the seed of the woman would bruise the head of the serpent—to the models of sacrifice symbolized by the Tabernacle, and all the covenants made with Israel in the hardships of the wilderness, all have been fully realized through the one Person, Jesus Christ. God’s burning love and His unceasing zeal have finally completed that plan. This is the reality of the "greater work" the Lord said He would show. Moving beyond the fragmentary types of the Old Testament, the reality of perfect salvation called the "New Covenant" has now appeared before us.

 

Our lives, which were originally enslaved to the Law as the unbearable Law became a heavy yoke and we had to endure by our own strength, find true liberation through the coming of Jesus Christ. From that miserable cycle of agonizing over how to live better and how to obtain peace and rest through countless religious efforts, the coming of Christ proclaims freedom. The Lord personally came to us, took our yoke upon Himself, and personally bore the burden we had to carry. Therefore, this ministry is called a "greater work" not because its appearance is grand, but because it is the event where the work of God, planned from eternity, is finally completed.

 

The Life of a Saint: A Witness Who Sees and Follows the Work of Jesus

We go one step further and discover an even more marvelous mystery. After mentioning the greater works He performed, the Lord gives a truly heart-stirring promise to His disciples. John 14:12 says: "Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father." Many misunderstand this to mean that 'we will also be able to raise the dead like the Lord or perform supernatural miracles on a grand scale.' However, the "greater work" revealed by Scripture has nothing to do with an individual's display of mystical power. Here, "greater work" means that just as the Lord saw and performed the work of God the Father, we also witness the redemptive work of Jesus Christ and see its completion realized in our lives.

 

What has happened to you because the Lord died on the cross and rose again? Your life, which was dead in sin, has come alive again. The providence of salvation, prepared by God before the foundation of the world, has become a reality in your life today. What work could be greater than this? This event of salvation, incomparable to anything else, is the true miracle and the fruit produced by God’s zeal. The Lord’s prayer is still directed toward us today: "Just as I did nothing of My own accord but saw and performed the Father’s work, you also see the work I have accomplished and act within it." Ultimately, all this ministry is a flow of love achieved within the mysterious union between the Father and the Son.

 

Therefore, a saint is not one who pioneers life through their own will and strength, but one who "witnesses" the work already achieved by Jesus Christ and follows His footsteps with humility. Whenever the Lord healed the sick, prayed, and ministered, He confessed, "I do exactly what I see the Father doing." We are the same. The Lord says, "Just as the Father already achieved it before I acted, I have already achieved everything before you act; therefore, live by depending on Me within My achievement."

 

The Lord always sets the example for us first. Who was the first to perfectly carry out the solemn command to "love your enemies"? It was Jesus Christ. For you and me, who were enemies of God, the Lord personally gave His life to confirm that love. Because we witnessed that overwhelming love, we are finally able to follow the Lord’s path, confessing, "We can do nothing of our own accord." Because we believe the Lord gave His life to buy us, we also come to not consider our own lives as precious for the sake of the Lord. It is not that we remain idle and complacent because the Lord did everything, but we fully commit ourselves to the path of life that the Lord walked first. That is the natural response of a saint captivated by love.

 

Unceasing Prayer and the Change Wrought by God’s Zeal

Dear brothers and sisters, the prayer we strive to perform also stands upon this same principle. We are able to pray because Jesus Christ is constantly interceding for us within us. Our prayer is not a voluntary effort but a holy drawing led by the Holy Spirit through groaning and petition. If we had to pray only by our own will, even a few hours of concentration would be burdensome. However, the command "pray without ceasing" exhorted by the Apostle Paul is a privilege given to those who dwell within the unceasing prayer of the Lord. A life that does not miss the breath of the Lord’s prayer—while the disciples of the past dozed and collapsed beside the Lord’s prayer, we who possess the Spirit of Christ can now remain in the place of petition without ceasing, in union with the Lord.

 

Beloved, do not ever abandon your expectation for this amazing and great work promised by the Lord. The glory that God showed to Jesus, the Lord has promised to us as well. This great history of salvation is still in progress among us and will be fully revealed in the future. We are witnesses testifying to the process by which the good work God began in our lives is being completed. Because we look toward this glorious destination, we willingly surrender our character and lives into the mercy and compassion of the Lord. We know better than anyone how stubborn and weak our nature is, but nevertheless, trust in the zeal of God who transforms us. God is still working without rest, molding our twisted nature into the image of Jesus Christ.

 

How much more deeply have you come to know God this past week? Has the temperature of your love for the Lord become a little hotter than before? God’s zeal is still strongly pushing you toward that holy image at this very moment. This is the great work of God that transforms our lives. We have an unwavering conviction. Just as the promise "greater works than these will He show him" given by the Father to the Son was fulfilled through Christ, the promise given to us, "greater works than these will he do," will surely be fulfilled. There is absolutely no room for doubt that His faithfulness will complete our salvation.

 

Go Forward with a Broken Spirit and Harbor God’s Zeal in Your Heart

Dear fellow workers, this massive work of God begun within us will never perish, even if it looks weak and insignificant now. Just as a small seed of life grows to form a great tree and becomes a resting place for many birds, the Kingdom of God within us already proclaims its victory and requests our gratitude and praise. This is because Jesus Christ has taken all our burdens and is currently walking that path ahead of us at this very moment.

 

Therefore, let us be grateful with all our hearts. Let us praise the Lord with all our might. Let us devote ourselves to prayer without ceasing. Harbor that burning zeal of God within your hearts. Have a heart of compassion for the marginalized and dying souls around us. At the same time, let us face our own spiritual dullness and weakness and appeal with tears. If you feel frustrated because you are still buried in worldly values and fail to realize God’s holy providence, let us fall before the Lord with a broken spirit that rends the heart. Let us earnestly seek the Lord’s infinite mercy and kindness. Do not be conceited as if you have already achieved everything, but I hope you will be the people of the Lord who humbly go before the throne of grace with a broken spirit every day.

 

Closing Prayer

Holy Lord, we thank You for the grace of loving us first. You personally set the example of prayer and returned joy and gratitude to God the Father as You looked upon us. Lord, we now respond to that love of Yours and offer up praise and honor. Just as You loved us unconditionally, we also desire to love You with all our hearts. Since our existence and all our possessions have come from You, Lord, we confess that our entire lives belong only to You. Please place even our breath, our gaze, and our touch under Your reign.

 

May this great work of God that You began be fully accomplished wherever our gaze rests, wherever our hands touch, and within our lips and confessions. Lead us until our perception is renewed and our knowledge of the Lord is made full. Lord, we are truly weak and deficient sinners. Have mercy on us and allow us to have a truly humble heart, becoming faithful people of the Lord who look upon the great history of salvation You are performing with faith.

 

We pray in the name of Jesus Christ, our Savior. Amen.