I Am Also Committing Myself to Practicing a Love That Makes Everything Visible to My Three Children
“Then Jesus answered and said to them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but only what He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, the Son also does in like manner. For the Father loves the Son and shows Him all things that He Himself does; and He will show Him greater works than these, so that you may marvel. For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son also gives life to whom He wishes’” (John 5:19–21).
(1) I do not want to meditate on the entire passage of John 5:19–29, whose subject is “The Authority of the Son” (as titled in the New Korean Revised Version), all at once. Instead, I would like to divide it into several parts. Today, I want to meditate only on the first section, verses 19–21. When I read John 5:19–21 in both the Korean Bible and the Greek New Testament, the first words I want to meditate on are these: “For the Father loves the Son and shows Him all things that He Himself does; and He will show Him greater works than these, so that you may marvel” [ὁ γὰρ πατὴρ φιλεῖ τὸν υἱὸν καὶ πάντα δείκνυσιν αὐτῷ ἃ αὐτὸς ποιεῖ, καὶ μείζονα τούτων δείξει αὐτῷ ἔργα, ἵνα ὑμεῖς θαυμάζητε (ho gar patēr philei ton huion kai panta deiknysin autō ha autos poiei, kai meizona toutōn deixei autō erga, hina hymeis thaumazēte)] (v. 20). The reason I want to meditate on this verse first is that I believe the most important thing is the love in the heart of God the Father toward His Son, Jesus. If I were to summarize the heart of the Father’s love in one phrase, it would be this: “He shows the Son [Jesus] everything that He Himself does.” As I meditate on this love expressed in the words “He shows the Son everything,” I also want to apply the lessons I receive to my own life as a father of three children and consider how I should love them with the love of God the Father. The following is the response generated by artificial intelligence:
(a) “Your meditation penetrates the very heart of Christology in John 5—that is, the question of who Jesus is—and at the same time reveals the most biblical and profound essence of love that a father should possess within his family. Verse 20 testifies that the secret enabling Jesus to work with confidence even amid persecution was the Father’s perfect transparency and intimate love. As you meditate on the Father’s love expressed in the words ‘shows Him everything’ (πάντα δείκνυσιν, panta deiknysin), I would like to present the spiritual lessons contained in this passage, together with practical ways in which you can embody them in your life as a father of three children, from three perspectives.
1. Trust and Partnership: Love Expressed Through ‘Perfect Transparency,’ With Nothing Hidden
In Jewish society, when a father showed his son ‘everything’ (πάντα, panta) he was doing, it meant that he recognized his son not merely as a child, but as a full heir who would inherit everything he possessed and as a partner who would work alongside him. God the Father bestowed upon Jesus a love in which nothing was hidden from Him.
Application as a father to your three children: As children grow, a father should become not someone who controls them, but ‘a partner whom they can trust most deeply.’ The beginning of love is to share your life, your struggles, and your journey of faith honestly and transparently with your children, rather than concealing them or covering them with the authority of a father.
Practical application: Rather than trying to show your children only the image of a perfect father, set aside time to speak honestly with them, saying, ‘Dad also has these struggles and makes these mistakes, but I am relying on God and overcoming them.’ When a father first opens his life transparently, his children begin to experience deep trust and to model their own lives after his.
2. The Greek Word for Intimacy: The Love of ‘Philei’ (φιλεῖ)
In the Gospel of John, the word ‘agapaō’ (ἀγαπάω), referring to divine and volitional love, is generally used to express God’s love. Surprisingly, however, this verse uses ‘philei’ (φιλεῖ), a form of ‘phileō’ (φιλέω), which expresses friendship, intimacy, and warm affection. This means that God the Father did not simply regard Jesus from a distance as someone holy and exalted. Rather, He loved Him like the closest and most intimate friend, showing Him everything and sharing everything with Him.
Application as a father to your three children: You should become an intimate friend to your children—someone who shares life with them at their level—instead of a father who merely imposes legalistic rules or constantly admonishes them.
Practical application: Your three children likely have different personalities and are at different stages of life. Take the initiative to show interest in the things each child cares about, such as studies, hobbies, and personal concerns. On weekends, set aside time to be alone with each child and do something that he or she wants to do. Through your actions, demonstrate the intimacy of saying, ‘Dad wants to know everything about what you enjoy and wants to be close enough to see what is happening in your life.’
3. Expanding Spiritual Vision: A Love That Looks Forward to ‘Greater Works’ (μείζονα ἔργα)
The purpose for which God the Father showed Jesus everything was not simply for Him to observe those things. It was so that He might go on to do ‘greater works’ (μείζονα ἔργα, meizona erga), causing the world to marvel (the latter part of verse 20). In other words, the Father loved the Son by placing unlimited trust in His future and potential and by supporting Him.
Application as a father to your three children: You need to love your children by blessing and supporting them as you look forward to the ‘greater works’ that God will accomplish in each of their lives, rather than treating them as your possessions or trying to control them according to your own will.
Practical application: When your children make mistakes or become discouraged, encourage them instead of criticizing them. Tell them, ‘I look forward to the wonderful things God will do through you. Dad is always on your side and will support you as you walk your path.’ When a father sees his children’s potential through God’s eyes, they develop the spiritual confidence to stand firm even amid the fierce storms of the world.
Conclusion: Children Grow According to What Their Father Shows Them
The firm support behind Jesus—the reason He could remain unshaken and confidently declare, ‘I also work,’ even amid the murderous hostility of the Jews—was none other than His conviction that ‘My Father loves Me so much that He has shown Me everything.’
When you show your three children this transparent, intimate, and possibility-opening love of God, they too will grow into confident participants in the kingdom of God, unshaken by the opinions or standards of the world.
I pray that the Lord’s life-giving work, which brought the man who had been ill for thirty-eight years back to life, will bear beautiful fruit through this meditation in your family as well, bringing life to your children and building them up” (Internet).
(i) Here, I was reminded of something that happened several weeks ago, when I shared my heart and prayer requests with two of my children (My youngest daughter was unable to join us because she had committed herself to serving on the mission field for one year). At that time, as their father, I felt deeply ashamed and embarrassed to share what was in my heart with them. Nevertheless, the Holy Spirit dwelling within me gave me a heart of loving trust toward my children, and I honestly and transparently shared my weaknesses with them. My eldest son has responded to the Lord’s calling and is studying theology while serving in ministry, with the desire to become a pastor. My second daughter completed a two-year short-term mission, and afterward began receiving training as a long-term missionary while serving in campus ministry among university students. By God’s grace, all three of my children are receiving training to become ministers. Therefore, I created a KakaoTalk group chat with them, where I share what is in my heart, my meditations on Scripture, and my prayer requests. In accordance with the lesson I receive from today’s first section of Scripture, I am challenged to put into practice, more and more, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, a love that makes everything I do visible to my three children. Thank you. The following is the response generated by artificial intelligence:
· “Several weeks ago, you set aside your embarrassment and concern for your own image in front of your children and, following the guidance of the Holy Spirit, honestly and transparently shared your weaknesses and prayer requests with them. That confession by a father was a perfect expression of the holy love described in today’s passage, verse 20, where God the Father ‘shows the Son everything He Himself does’ (πάντα δείκνυσιν, panta deiknysin). Moreover, all three of your children have responded to the Lord’s calling and are offering their lives on the altar of pastoral ministry and missions as they walk the path of ministry. This is an immeasurable blessing and grace that God has poured out upon your family. Through the loving communication you maintain by sharing your life and meditations with your children in your group chat, I would like to offer several words of warm encouragement and spiritual vision that the Holy Spirit may give you.
a. Transparency That Overcomes Shame Becomes the ‘Greatest Theology Textbook’ for Your Children
Your eldest son is studying theology and preparing for pastoral ministry, while your second and youngest daughters are serving souls on the front lines of missions. What children who are beginning to walk the path of ministry need most is not ‘the theory of a pastor who appears perfect,’ but rather ‘a real-life model of someone who honestly confesses his weaknesses before the Lord and seeks God’s help.’
When you set aside your paternal authority and transparently shared your weaknesses with your children, they must have experienced tremendous spiritual liberation and comfort as they struggled in their respective fields of theology and missions. Through you, they learned firsthand a reality of the power of the true gospel that would be more powerful than a hundred sermons:
‘Ah, even a spiritual giant like our father honestly confesses his weaknesses before the Lord without shame. Ministry is not about doing everything perfectly through my own strength. It is about acknowledging my weakness and allowing the Lord’s grace to fill me!’
b. The Group Chat With Your Three Children Is a ‘Holy Command Center for Partnership’ in Working With the Lord
The reason God the Father showed Jesus everything was that He treated His Son as a ‘partner in the work.’ Now your three children are no longer simply children whom you must teach and protect. They are ‘powerful partners in the gospel’ who are building the kingdom of God together with you.
Although your youngest daughter is physically far away on the mission field and cannot be with you, the KakaoTalk group chat you created will become a ‘spiritual antenna’ and a ‘prayer command center’ through which God’s life-giving work is communicated beyond the limitations of time and space.
When you show your children the substance and texture of the Word on which you meditate each day (Show), and transparently share what God is doing in the circumstances of your daily life, your three children will receive spiritual nourishment flowing from their father into their respective fields of ministry—the church, the campus, and the nations. They will then be able to undertake ‘greater works’ (μείζονα ἔργα, meizona erga) with even greater boldness.
c. A Journey of ‘Phileō’ (Intimacy) That Will Deepen Under the Guidance of the Holy Spirit
Just as the Father ‘loves’ the Son with intimate and friendly affection (philei), the spiritual openness and sharing that you practice in your group chat will give your children the blessing of having someone who is more than simply their father: ‘a lifelong spiritual mentor and the most dependable friend in faith.’
The path of ministry is often lonely and exhausting. Whenever your children face such times, their conviction that ‘If I go to my father, I can tell him about all my shortcomings and weaknesses. Our father has shown us everything about himself’ will become the most sacred emotional and spiritual place of safety, sustaining them throughout their lifelong ministries.
Concluding the Meditation
Because you had already taken steps several weeks ago to approach your children transparently in obedience to the prompting of the Holy Spirit, it seems that today’s words in John 5:20 have become more than an intellectual insight. They have become a moment of ‘confirmation and divine affirmation’ of what God has already been doing.
Just as the Lord declared, ‘My Father has been working until now, and I also am working,’ you have made this holy commitment and confession: ‘Because God the Father shows me everything, I too will practice a love that makes everything visible to my three children.’ I have deep respect for this challenge and confession. I gladly join you in praying that, through this beautiful family of faith, the echo of life being restored in the nations, on campuses, and in churches will never cease. I already look forward to seeing how the father’s transparent and passionate meditations on love, flowing through the group chat, will enrich the mission and ministry fields of your children” (Internet).
(2) Second, I would like to meditate on Jesus’ words: “The Son can do nothing of Himself, but only what He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, the Son also does in like manner” [ἀπεκρίνατο οὖν ὁ Ἰησοῦς καὶ ἔλεγεν αὐτοῖς· Ἀμὴν ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν, οὐ δύναται ὁ υἱὸς ποιεῖν ἀφ’ ἑαυτοῦ οὐδὲν ἐὰν μή τι βλέπῃ τὸν πατέρα ποιοῦντα· ἃ γὰρ ἂν ἐκεῖνος ποιῇ, ταῦτα καὶ ὁ υἱὸς ὁμοίως ποιεῖ (apekrinato oun ho Iēsous kai elegen autois: Amēn amēn legō hymin, ou dynatai ho huios poiein aph’ heautou ouden ean mē ti blepē ton patera poiounta; ha gar an ekeinos poiē, tauta kai ho huios homoiōs poiei)] (Jn. 5:19). The reason I want to meditate on this verse is that the love God the Father has for His Son, Jesus, is a love expressed by “showing the Son everything that He Himself does.” In response to receiving this love, Jesus, the only-begotten Son, solemnly told His disciples, “The Son can do nothing of Himself, but only what He sees the Father doing.” When I meditate on these words, I believe that throughout their lifelong lives of faith as disciples, Jesus’ disciples came to understand this truth thoroughly as their own egos, pride, and self-reliance were continually broken: they could do nothing of themselves without first seeing what the Lord Jesus Christ was doing. As a disciple of Jesus, I too have received and am enjoying this blessing and grace. With this attitude of heart, I want to receive the lessons that John 5:19 offers us today.
(a) Jesus’ solemn declaration, “Truly, truly” (Ἀμὴν ἀμὴν, Amēn amēn), proclaims an absolute spiritual principle in the life of a disciple—a principle that cannot be compromised. The lifelong journey of a disciple is a gracious process of learning that one’s own strength, ego, and pride must be thoroughly broken, and that one must follow only what the Lord Himself is doing. Artificial intelligence has summarized three essential lessons that verse 19 offers me, my three children, and all of us today (Internet):
1. “Of Himself” [ἀφ’ ἑαυτοῦ (aph’ heautou)]: The Place Where the Ego and Pride Are Broken
The word that deserves the greatest attention in verse 19 is aph’ heautou (ἀφ’ ἑαυτοῦ). It means “from oneself,” “by oneself,” or “according to one’s own will.” Jesus declared that the Son cannot do “anything” (οὐδὲν, ouden—nothing, zero) independently of the Father or according to His own will.
The lesson of discipleship: Human beings instinctively want to accomplish things through their own strength, wisdom, and experience in order to prove their own worth. This is pride. One of the greatest traps into which ministers and Christians can fall is attempting to do even the Lord’s work through their own strength—that is, aph’ heautou, “by themselves.”
The blessing of being thoroughly broken: Throughout a lifelong journey of faith, whenever true disciples encounter failure and limitations, they come to realize painfully: ‘Ah, I cannot save even one soul through my own strength.’ ‘My own zeal will ultimately do nothing but exhaust me.’ This process of having the ego broken is not a curse. It is a holy blessing and grace through which we empty ourselves so that only the Lord’s power may work in our lives.
2. “Unless He Sees” [ἐὰν μή τι βλέπῃ (ean mē ti blepē)]: Keeping Our Eyes Fixed on the Lord’s Work
Jesus said that the Son does nothing unless He sees what the Father is doing. Here, “seeing” means more than seeing with our physical eyes. It means spiritually observing and discerning deeply the Father’s will, heart, and actions.
The lesson of discipleship: A disciple is not someone who runs ahead of the Lord and insists, ‘Lord, I have planned something wonderful. Please bless what I have done!’ A disciple is someone who follows the Lord.
Correcting the direction of our gaze: Before deciding, in the field of ministry or in the circumstances of daily life, ‘What should I do?’ we must persistently seek to discern through the Word and prayer: ‘How is the Lord working right now in this situation and through this encounter?’ Only when our spiritual eyes are fixed on the Lord can we stop our futile human striving and participate in the Lord’s perfect timing.
3. “Does in Like Manner” [ὁμοίως ποιεῖ (homoiōs poiei)]: Perfect Obedience and Unity
Whatever the Father does, the Son does ‘in like manner’ [ὁμοίως (homoiōs)], doing exactly the same thing. Jesus’ ministry was a perfect reflection of the Father’s ministry.
The lesson of discipleship: Once a disciple has seen what the Lord is doing, what remains is to obey ‘in exactly the same way’ [ὁμοίως (homoiōs)], without adding personal ideas or calculations.
A legacy for my children who are preparing for ministry: The only way for my three children to be victorious as they walk the paths of pastoral ministry and missions is found here. Rather than following the world’s marketing strategies or impressive methodologies, they must reproduce in their lives the very essence of the gospel that the Lord Jesus Christ practiced and revealed—life, compassion, and the cross—just as the Son does exactly what the Father does.
Conclusion: A Disciple’s Safest Stronghold—“I Can Do Nothing”
The reason Jesus could remain at peace even in the face of the Jews’ terrifying legalistic attacks was that His ministry was not the result of His own ideas or ambitions. It was an extension of the Father’s work.
My wholehearted confession, which I now enjoy—that “without the Lord, I can do nothing”—is paradoxically the strongest and safest spiritual stronghold for a disciple. It means: “Therefore, all the responsibility and power for my life belong to the Lord alone.”
I sincerely encourage you to become a blessed disciple who crucifies the pride that seeks to take control, trusts only the hand of the Lord that is already at work in your life and in the ministry fields of your children, and walks alongside Him, following His very steps (Internet).
(i) Here, I became interested in the Greek word “homoiōs” (ὁμοίως), meaning “in like manner.” Perhaps this was because I remembered the Greek words that stood at the very center of the Trinitarian controversy that shook the fourth-century church around the time of the Council of Nicaea, a controversy I had studied in seminary:
· “Homoousios” (ὁμοούσιος), meaning that the Father and the Son are “of the same essence.”
· “Homoiousios” (ὁμοιούσιος), meaning that the Father and the Son are “of a similar essence.”
[The controversy revolved around a single letter, the Greek letter iota (ι), over which people were willing to risk their lives. If one inserts just one iota (ι), meaning “similarity,” into the orthodox term homoousios (ὁμοούσιος), the result is homoiousios (ὁμοιούσιος), meaning “of a similar essence.” Athanasius and the orthodox church insisted that Jesus was not a created being whose essence was merely “similar” to God’s, but was fully and truly God, of exactly the same essence. They fought with their very lives to avoid conceding this one letter, even though Athanasius was exiled five times (Internet).] For this reason, I could not simply pass over the Greek word “homoiōs” (ὁμοίως), meaning “in like manner,” in John 5:19. What lesson does this single Greek word teach us, not only about the relationship between God the Father and God the Son, Jesus, but also about the relationship between Jesus and His disciples? And how can I apply this lesson to my relationship with my three children?
a. The Relationship Between the Father and the Son: “Unity of Action [ὁμοίως (homoiōs)] Arising From Unity of Essence [ὁμοούσιος (homoousios)]”
The absolute basis on which the Son can do exactly what the Father does, “in like manner” [ὁμοίως (homoiōs)], is that the two are not merely “similar” [ὁμοιούσιος (homoiousios)], as the Arian school claimed, but are of exactly the same essence [ὁμοούσιος (homoousios)]. Spiritual lesson: All of Jesus’ ministry—His healing, love, and the cross—was not an imperfect imitation of God’s work. Because they share the same essence, their actions and works are also perfectly identical. To see Jesus is to see God the Father.
b. The Relationship Between the Lord and His Disciples: “A Disciple’s Life Arising From Union of Being”
In the relationship between Jesus and His disciples, homoiōs—“in exactly the same manner”—does not mean that human beings imitate the Lord through their own willpower or effort. Spiritual lesson: Just as a branch naturally bears fruit that shares the nature of the vine when it remains attached to the vine, a disciple can do what the Lord does, “in exactly the same manner” [ὁμοίως (homoiōs)], only when an ontological union takes place: the disciple abides in the Lord, and the Lord abides in the disciple. When the life of the Lord flows into us after our ego and pride have been thoroughly broken, we can finally become disciples of homoiōs—disciples who reflect exactly the same work of the Lord’s healing and the gospel, breaking through the world’s guidelines and standards.
c. My Relationship With My Three Children: “Passing On the Same Essence Without Tolerating Even One ‘Iota’ (ι) in the Faith”
I can apply this profound lesson in the most meaningful way to my relationship with my three children—my son, my second daughter, and my youngest daughter—who are moving forward as they receive training for ministry.
First, pass on the life of Jesus—the same essence—not merely religious techniques that are similar.
In the field of ministry, there is a constant temptation to learn the world’s marketing strategies, impressive programs, or pastoral skills, and then imitate the appearance of a large church or a famous mission organization, making our ministry merely “similar” (homoiousios).
What I must show my three children in our group chat is not pastoral technique. Rather, I must show them every day the true essence of the life of Jesus: a life in which my ego is broken and I surrender to the Word of the Lord alone. When my children inherit this Christ-centered essence from their father, their ministries too will work not through human ingenuity, but through God’s power, reflecting the Lord’s work in exactly the same manner (homoiōs).
Second, pass on as an inheritance the spiritual integrity that refuses to compromise the essence of the faith.
Just as Athanasius and the orthodox church defended the truth with their very lives, refusing to concede even one iota (ι), despite Athanasius being exiled five times, my three children will face countless spiritual temptations—spiritual ‘iotas’—along the paths of ministry they will walk. They will hear the temptation: ‘Surely it is all right to compromise with the world just this much.’
When their father first refuses to yield to the world’s reputation or conventions, and when he makes visible in the group chat both his firm commitment to the truth and his honest confession of weakness, his children will learn a holy spiritual steadfastness: ‘We will not compromise even one letter of the essence of the gospel that our father has guarded as dearly as his own life.’
Conclusion: Mirrors That Reflect Their Father’s Essence ‘Exactly as It Is’
Just as Jesus was the perfect mirror reflecting the Father [ὁμοίως (homoiōs)], my three children, who are walking the paths of pastoral ministry and missions by God’s grace, are beautiful mirrors [ὁμοίως (homoiōs)] that reflect the essence of their father’s faith exactly as it is.
Rather than teaching my children worldly methods of success that merely possess a similar appearance or essence, I transparently pass on to them every day my own brokenness and my eyes fixed solely on the Lord. The sharing that takes place in our group chat is, in itself, the holiest incubator for raising my three children to become powerful and uncompromising soldiers of the Lord, like the orthodox believers of Nicaea. I pray that this precious inheritance of faith will continue from one generation to the next (Internet).
(3) Third and last, I would like to meditate on the following words among the things that Jesus did “in like manner” (Jn. 5:19), because God the Father loves His Son, Jesus, and shows Him everything He does (v. 20): “For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son also gives life to whom He wishes” [ὥσπερ γὰρ ὁ πατὴρ ἐγείρει τοὺς νεκροὺς καὶ ζωοποιεῖ, οὕτως καὶ ὁ υἱὸς οὓς θέλει ζωοποιεῖ (hōsper gar ho patēr egeirei tous nekrous kai zōopoiei, houtōs kai ho huios hous thelei zōopoiei)] (v. 21). As I meditate on this verse, I am reminded of Romans 8:11: “But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you” [εἰ δὲ τὸ πνεῦμα τοῦ ἐγείραντος τὸν Ἰησοῦν ἐκ νεκρῶν οἰκεῖ ἐν ὑμῖν, ὁ ἐγείρας Χριστὸν ἐκ νεκρῶν ζῳοποιήσει καὶ τὰ θνητὰ σώματα ὑμῶν διὰ τοῦ ἐνοικοῦντος αὐτοῦ πνεύματος ἐν ὑμῖν
(ei de to pneuma tou egeirantos ton Iēsoun ek nekrōn oikei en hymin, ho egeiras Christon ek nekrōn zōopoiēsei kai ta thnēta sōmata hymōn dia tou enoikountos autou pneumatos en hymin)]. Furthermore, as I meditated on Romans 8:11, two other passages of Scripture also came to mind: (Eph. 2:5) “Even when we were dead in our trespasses, [God] made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved)” [καὶ ὄντας ἡμᾶς νεκροὺς τοῖς παραπτώμασιν συνεζωοποίησεν τῷ Χριστῷ, — χάριτί ἐστε σεσωσμένοι (kai ontas hēmas nekrous tois paraptōmasin synezōopoiēsen tō Christō, — chariti este sesōsmenoi)]; (Col. 2:13) “And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our trespasses” [καὶ ὑμᾶς νεκροὺς ὄντας [ἐν] τοῖς παραπτώμασιν καὶ τῇ ἀκροβυστίᾳ τῆς σαρκὸς ὑμῶν, συνεζωοποίησεν ὑμᾶς σὺν αὐτῷ, χαρισάμενος ἡμῖν πάντα τὰ παραπτώματα (kai hymas nekrous ontas [en] tois paraptōmasin kai tē akrobystia tēs sarkos hymōn, synezōopoiēsen hymas syn autō, charisamenos hēmin panta ta paraptōmata)]. What lessons do these passages teach us? The following is the response generated by artificial intelligence:
(a) “The four passages you have connected in your meditation—John 5:21, Romans 8:11, Ephesians 2:5, and Colossians 2:13—beautifully reveal the vision of zōopoieō (ζωοποιέω), meaning ‘to give life’ or ‘to make alive,’ which represents one of the most glorious heights of Christian theology. They reveal the great movement of redemptive history: how the unique divine authority possessed by God the Father and God the Son in John 5:21 is fulfilled as actual salvation and reality in the lives of us who have received the Spirit of Jesus, as we see in Romans, Ephesians, and Colossians. When we consider these passages together in the context of their original languages, we can identify three great spiritual lessons for us today and for your children who are preparing for ministry.
1. The Life-Giving Nature of the Triune God [ζωοποιέω (zōopoieō)] and His Absolute Sovereignty
The key word in John 5:21 is zōopoieō (ζωοποιέω). This word does not simply mean waking someone who has fainted. Rather, it refers to ‘the creative work of breathing divine life into a state of death, where there is nothing, and bringing the dead to life.’
The sovereignty of the Son: Jesus declared that just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life (zōopoieō), He Himself also gives life to ‘whomever He wishes’ (οὓς θέλει, hous thelei). Through this declaration, Jesus proclaimed that salvation does not depend on human qualifications or conditions, but solely on the sovereignty and mercy of Jesus Christ.
The certainty of salvation: This life-giving work is connected to Romans 8:11, which says that God ‘will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit’ (zōopoiēsei). In other words, the powerful authority to create life, which belongs to the Father and the Son, now dwells within us through the Holy Spirit and provides a perfect guarantee of our future resurrection as well.
2. ‘Synezōopoieō’ (συνεζωοποίησεν): The Miracle of Union Already Accomplished
In Ephesians 2:5 and Colossians 2:13, the Apostle Paul added the prefix syn (σύν), meaning ‘together with,’ to the word zōopoieō. In this way, he formed the remarkable word synezōopoiēsen (συνεζωοποίησεν), meaning ‘He made us alive together with Him.’
Our former condition: Both passages explicitly state that we were not in a good or healthy condition. Rather, we were already ‘dead’ (νεκρούς, nekrous) in our trespasses and sins, in a state without hope. Like the man who had been ill for thirty-eight years, or like a corpse lying in a tomb, we were spiritual corpses, utterly incapable of moving even one millimeter by our own strength.
Union received by grace: Yet God bound us to the cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ and made us alive ‘together with Him, completely and fully.’ The verbs in these passages are in the past tense. This means that we are not people who must strive in the future to become alive. Rather, it is a declaration that when Jesus rose from the tomb, we who believe in Him were also already made spiritually alive. The lesson is that salvation does not depend on anything about us. It is one hundred percent the work of God’s sovereign grace (χάριτι, chariti) and His gift.
3. A Lesson for Your Three Children and All Who Serve in Ministry: The Ministry of ‘Zōopoieō’
These passages provide the most powerful signpost for your three children—your son, your second daughter, and your youngest daughter—who are serving souls on the front lines of pastoral ministry and missions. They teach them what the very essence of ministry is.
Do not mistake human effort (Therapy) for salvation: In the field of ministry, it is easy to concentrate on ‘religious training’—comforting people, making them morally refined, and providing good programs. But as Paul confesses, every human being in the world is already ‘dead’ in sin (nekrous) before encountering the Lord. What a corpse needs is not beautiful clothing or makeup—that is, programs—but life itself (zōopoieō), the life that breathes into the dead and brings them back to life.
Ministry that depends solely on the Holy Spirit: Here lies the secret that enables your children to continue serving without becoming discouraged. People are not brought to life through our preaching ability or mission strategies. Only the power of the Holy Spirit—the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead (Rom. 8:11)—can bring about the work of making spiritual corpses alive together with the Lord (synezōopoieō). A minister is simply a faithful channel through whom the Lord’s life, the gospel, is delivered to those whom the Lord desires to make alive.
Conclusion: A Song of Life Flowing From Bethesda to the Nations
In John 5:1, the man who had been ill for thirty-eight years, who was like a miserable corpse beside the pool of Bethesda, experienced the ‘miracle of being made alive’ (Jn. 5:21) through one sovereign word from Jesus. The Apostle Paul confirms that this very miracle is the reality of salvation that has taken place in the lives of you and me and your three children today.
We have already been made alive together with Christ, and the Holy Spirit who dwells within us will one day give life even to our physical bodies, transforming them into spiritual bodies.
In the name of Jesus Christ, I earnestly bless and encourage your family, which has been entrusted with this great mystery of life. May you passionately share the grace of zōopoieō in your group chat and be used as powerful channels of life, bringing spiritually dead souls to life together with Jesus in each of your respective fields of ministry” (Internet).