John 5:23 kjv
That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him.
John 5:23 nkjv
that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.
John 5:23 niv
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.
John 5:23 esv
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.
John 5:23 nlt
so that everyone will honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Anyone who does not honor the Son is certainly not honoring the Father who sent him.
John 5 23 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Divine Equality/Nature of Son | ||
| Jn 10:30 | "I and the Father are one." | Emphasizes shared essence and nature. |
| Jn 1:1 | "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." | Declares pre-existence and deity of Christ. |
| Jn 1:18 | "No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known." | Jesus reveals God's nature. |
| Phil 2:6 | "who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped." | Christ's pre-incarnate deity. |
| Heb 1:3 | "He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power." | Highlights Son's shared essence with Father. |
| Honor/Worship of the Son | ||
| Phil 2:9-11 | "Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow..." | Universal acknowledgment and worship of Jesus. |
| Heb 1:6 | "And again, when he brings the firstborn into the world, he says, 'Let all God’s angels worship him.'" | Angels are commanded to worship Christ. |
| Rev 5:11-14 | "...and worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!...Blessing and honor and glory and might be to him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb forever and ever!" | Heavenly worship equally directed to Father and Lamb. |
| Matt 28:17 | "And when they saw him, they worshiped him..." | Disciples worshiped resurrected Jesus. |
| Delegation of Authority/Judgment to the Son | ||
| Jn 5:22 | "For the Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son." | Immediate preceding verse, direct context. |
| Jn 3:35 | "The Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand." | Father's sovereign delegation of authority. |
| Matt 28:18 | "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me." | Christ's supreme authority post-resurrection. |
| Acts 17:31 | "because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed." | God has appointed Christ as Judge. |
| Consequences of Dishonoring/Rejecting the Son | ||
| 1 Jn 2:23 | "No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever confesses the Son has the Father also." | Denial of Son equals denial of Father. |
| Jn 14:6 | "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." | Only path to the Father is through Jesus. |
| Jn 3:18 | "Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God." | Belief in the Son for salvation, rejection for condemnation. |
| Jn 8:24 | "So I said to you that you will die in your sins, for unless you believe that I am he you will die in your sins." | Unbelief in Christ's identity leads to death. |
| Heb 10:29 | "How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has trampled underfoot the Son of God?" | Grave consequence for rejecting Christ's sacrifice. |
| Related Concepts: Purpose of Son's Mission | ||
| Jn 5:24 | "Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life." | Consequences of honoring/believing in Son. |
| Jn 12:44-45 | "Whoever believes in me believes not in me but in him who sent me. And whoever sees me sees him who sent me." | Seeing/believing the Son is seeing/believing the Father. |
| Jn 6:40 | "For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.” | Belief in the Son leads to eternal life and resurrection. |
| Lk 10:16 | "The one who hears you hears me, and the one who rejects you rejects me, and the one who rejects me rejects him who sent me." | Authority and representation extend to His messengers. |
John 5 verses
John 5 23 Meaning
John 5:23 declares that the purpose of the Father giving all judgment to the Son (as stated in John 5:22) is so that every person might honor the Son in the very same way and to the very same extent as they honor the Father. This verse establishes the fundamental truth of the Son's divine equality with the Father, making honor, reverence, and worship directed to the Son a necessary condition for truly honoring the Father.
John 5 23 Context
John chapter 5 details a profound confrontation between Jesus and the Jewish religious authorities in Jerusalem following a Sabbath healing miracle at the Pool of Bethesda. The conflict intensifies as Jesus asserts His equality with God the Father (John 5:17-18). His defense shifts from merely justifying His Sabbath activity to declaring His divine relationship with the Father, including their shared works, the Father's love for Him, and the Father's granting of divine authority to the Son, specifically the authority to give life (John 5:21) and to judge (John 5:22). Verse 23 then states the ultimate purpose of this delegation of judgment: that all humanity should render identical honor to the Son as to the Father. Historically, Jewish leaders meticulously guarded monotheism and perceived Jesus' claims as blasphemy, challenging their understanding of God's uniqueness and supreme authority.
John 5 23 Word analysis
- "that": Greek: hina (ἵνα). A common conjunction indicating purpose or result. Here, it explicitly states the purpose behind the Father giving all judgment to the Son.
- "all men": Greek: pantās (πάντας) anthrōpous (ἀνθρώπους). Emphasizes the universal scope of this command to honor. This is not limited to Jews or a select group, but every individual on earth.
- "should honor": Greek: timōsin (τιμῶσιν). From timaō (τιμάω), meaning to value, revere, highly respect, or even worship. It encompasses more than mere admiration; it implies attributing divine worth and authority. The present active subjunctive mood indicates an ongoing, expected action.
- "the Son": Referring to Jesus Christ, the Messiah and pre-existent Word, as revealed throughout John's Gospel. The definite article highlights His specific and unique identity as the divine Son.
- "even as": Greek: kathōs (καθώς). This is a crucial comparative adverb meaning "just as," "exactly as," or "in the same manner and degree as." It signifies an identity or equivalence of the honor due. It does not mean "similarly to" but "in the identical way as." The honor must be equal in quality, quantity, and object.
- "they honor": Greek: timōsin (τιμῶσιν). Repetition of the same verb, reinforcing the exact parallel.
- "the Father": Referring to God the Father. This comparison directly links the honor given to Jesus with the honor due to God Himself.
Words-group analysis:
- "that all men should honor the Son": This phrase highlights the divine demand for universal acknowledgment of Jesus' divine status, not just a casual respect, but the profound reverence associated with Deity. This honor is the ultimate goal of the Father's delegation of authority.
- "even as they honor the Father": This pivotal comparison establishes the profound theological claim. The equivalence (kathōs) of honor implies the Son possesses the same divine nature and attributes as the Father. It negates any hierarchical distinction in worth or reverence between the Father and the Son, asserting their co-equality within the Godhead. Disparaging the Son is, therefore, dishonoring the Father, and vice versa.
John 5 23 Bonus section
The insistence on equal honor highlights a significant polemic against any diminished view of Christ's person. It refutes notions that Christ is merely a prophet, a good teacher, or even a created being, as held by various heresies throughout history (e.g., Arianism). This verse anchors the orthodox Christian understanding of Christ's co-equality and co-eternity with God the Father. The structure of John's Gospel repeatedly brings forth such confrontations where Jesus' claims to divine prerogatives lead to severe conflict with Jewish authorities (e.g., His authority to forgive sins, His Lordship over the Sabbath, His pre-existence, His unity with the Father). This continuous emphasis on the demand for equal honor means that one cannot genuinely worship God the Father without also revering and worshipping Jesus, His Son, as God. This truth has profound implications for understanding salvation and fellowship with God: one cannot have the Father without the Son (1 Jn 2:23).
John 5 23 Commentary
John 5:23 is a cornerstone verse asserting the full deity of Jesus Christ. It states that the Father's purpose in granting all judgment to the Son (as described in John 5:22) is precisely so that every human being renders honor to the Son equivalent in quality and degree to the honor given to the Father. The core meaning of timē (honor) here includes reverence and worship, not merely respect. The critical term kathōs ("even as") emphatically precludes any lesser honor for the Son compared to the Father.
This statement was revolutionary and profoundly offensive to first-century Jewish leaders who maintained strict monotheism. For Jesus to claim honor equal to God was perceived as blasphemy, warranting death. However, Jesus consistently affirmed this truth, establishing that His unity with the Father is not just a moral or relational unity but a unity of essence and deity.
Thus, to reject the Son's divine standing or to refuse Him divine worship is to reject and dishonor the Father who sent Him and endowed Him with such authority. Conversely, true honor to the Father is inseparable from acknowledging and honoring His Son as co-equal God. It underscores the Trinitarian nature of God where Father and Son, though distinct Persons, share a singular divine being, demanding a singular, shared worship. Practically, this means our trust, adoration, obedience, and prayer must be directed to Jesus Christ as we would direct them to God the Father, recognizing His absolute Lordship. For instance, confessing "Jesus is Lord" (Rom 10:9) is to give Him divine honor.