“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.”
My Notes
What Does John 5:20 Mean?
Jesus reveals the intimate dynamic between Father and Son: "The Father loveth the Son, and sheweth him all things that himself doeth." The Father's love for the Son isn't passive affection—it produces complete disclosure. Love generates transparency. Because the Father loves the Son, He holds nothing back. Every divine action is shown, shared, made visible to the Son.
The promise of "greater works" (meizōn erga) points forward to the resurrection and beyond—works so great that they will produce marveling in the observers. The healings they've witnessed are just the beginning. What's coming—raising the dead, granting eternal life, executing final judgment—will make the current miracles look like a preface.
The theological architecture of this verse establishes that everything Jesus does originates in the Father's disclosure. Jesus doesn't operate independently. He sees what the Father does and does the same. The Son's works are the Father's works made visible. There's no gap between what the Father intends and what the Son accomplishes. Love, disclosure, and action form an unbroken chain.
Reflection Questions
- 1.If love produces transparency, what is God showing you that you haven't been paying attention to?
- 2.The Father shows the Son 'all things.' Do you trust that God is being transparent with you about His purposes?
- 3.Jesus promises 'greater works.' What 'greater works' might God be preparing in your life beyond what you've already seen?
- 4.If deeper relationship leads to deeper disclosure, how do you deepen your relationship with God to see more of what He's doing?
Devotional
"The Father loveth the Son, and sheweth him all things." Love produces transparency. Because the Father loves, He shows. He doesn't hold back. He doesn't withhold information. He doesn't keep the Son in the dark. Love, in the divine relationship, means complete disclosure. Everything the Father does, the Son sees.
This verse gives you a window into how the Trinity operates: the Father loves the Son, and that love generates total sharing—of purpose, of action, of knowledge. There's no secret divine agenda that Jesus isn't privy to. There's no hidden plan the Son isn't part of. Love and transparency are inseparable in God's nature.
The promise of "greater works" is Jesus saying: you haven't seen anything yet. The healings that amazed you? Those are the opening act. The greater works—raising the dead, giving eternal life, exercising final judgment—are coming. And they'll produce marvel in the same way the current works produce marvel, only more.
The application for your relationship with God is direct: if the Father shows the Son all things because He loves Him, what does God show the people He loves? The answer, throughout Scripture, is: more than you think. God isn't hiding from you. He's not withholding His purposes out of indifference. His love generates disclosure. The more you're loved, the more you're shown. If you feel like you're in the dark about what God is doing, the solution might not be more information. It might be deeper relationship. Love opens the disclosure.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
For the Father loveth the Son,.... As being his Son, his image, the brightness of his glory, and the express image of…
The Father loveth the Son - This authority he traces to the love which the Father has for him - that special, ineffable,…
Greater works than these - Two of these he immediately mentions: Raising the dead, Joh 5:21. And judging the world, Joh…
We have here Christ's discourse upon occasion of his being accused as a sabbath-breaker, and it seems to be his…
For the Father loveth the Son Moral necessity for the Son's doing what the Father does. The Father's love for the Son…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture