Like Father, Like Son

Jesus answered the Jews:
“My Father is at work until now, so I am at work.”
For this reason they tried all the more to kill him,
because he not only broke the sabbath
but he also called God his own father, making himself equal to God.
Jesus answered and said to them,
“Amen, amen, I say to you, the Son cannot do anything on his own,
but only what he sees the Father doing;
for what he does, the Son will do also.
For the Father loves the Son
and shows him everything that he himself does,
and he will show him greater works than these,
so that you may be amazed.
For just as the Father raises the dead and gives life,
so also does the Son give life to whomever he wishes.
Nor does the Father judge anyone,
but he has given all judgment to the Son,
so 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, amen, I say to you, whoever hears my word
and believes in the one who sent me
has eternal life and will not come to condemnation,
but has passed from death to life.
Amen, amen, I say to you, the 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 just as the Father has life in himself,
so also he gave to the Son the possession of life in himself.
And he gave him power to exercise judgment,
because he is the Son of Man.
Do not be amazed at this,
because the hour is coming in which all who are in the tombs
will hear his voice and will come out,
those who have done good deeds
to the resurrection of life,
but those who have done wicked deeds
to the resurrection of condemnation.

“I cannot do anything on my own;
I judge as I hear, and my judgment is just,
because I do not seek my own will
but the will of the one who sent me.” - Jn. 5:17-30

Today's gospel is Jesus's defense against those who questioned on what authority he performed his miracles or taught the people. Jesus tells them, just as God the Father does, so does he, Jesus, the Son of the Father. He repeats though, that he acts not of his own will, but rather the will of the Father. This is an important aspect, because in 15 days, Jesus will ask God to allow him to forgo his will just once and escape the destiny of suffering and death that awaits him in a few hours. However, just as he does here, Jesus then says that he accepts the will of God and will only do what God wants, even if it might go against his own will.

How often do we accept the Father's will over own? Let's be honest, the answer is not enough. We want to do the right thing, but we also want to play it safe and not run any risks that might come from surrending our lives of God. We need to be more like Jesus and open ourselves to the will of the Father. Who knows, the reward might just be infintely better than the alternative.