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John 5:27–47 The Resurrection of the Dead 5:28–29 Do not be amazed at this, because a time is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and will come out — the ones who have done what is good to the resurrection resulting in life, and the ones who have done what is evil to the resurrection resulting in condemnation. Later, in John 11, Jesus calls Lazarus by name and raises him from the dead. But here Jesus assures his hearers that there will be a future time when all the dead shall be raised from their graves at the sound of his voice. Many Jews already believed in the idea of resurrection, but here Jesus connects that belief directly to himself; just as elsewhere he links the eternal destiny of the resurrected to their acceptance or rejection of him during this life (John 3:16, 36). Hence, those who have ‘done what is good’, are those who have obeyed the truth and accepted Jesus Christ as their Saviour (John 3:18), and these will (according to other scriptures) be raised with a body like his glorious body, and enter eternal of life—this is called the first resurrection (1 Thess 4:16–17; 1 Cor 15:51–54; 1 John 3:2; Rev 20:6). Those who have ‘done what is evil’, who have rejected the truth and decided to continue in sin shall by contrast take part in the resurrection which leads to punishment (Rev 20:11–15). 5:30 I can do nothing on my own initiative. Just as I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just, because I do not seek my own will, but the will of the one who sent me. Here Jesus continues his statement of verse 19, that he and the Father work in unison, not independently. In context, verse 30 continues the thought at the end of verse 29—that of judgment, (that is, the end of time judgment, following the resurrection). Jesus repeats the statement of verse 27, that this judgment is his prerogative, and that it will be just, for since the both knowledge he receives and the judgement he decides come from his Father. This perfect union is maintained as the result of Jesus’s absolute desire to do the will of his Father who ‘sent him’ (that is, in this context, ordained him to be judge of the living and the dead— see Acts 10:42; Rom 2:16; 2 Tim 4:1).