Jesus Can Do Nothing?

Did Jesus really say that he can “do nothing”?

Many people who claim that Jesus was not God will use John 5:30 to claim that Jesus said, “I can do nothing on my own.” How can an all-powerful God “do nothing on this own”? Therefore Jesus CANNOT be God!

This is a perfect example of words being taken out of context.

Yes, in John 5:30 Jesus did say “I can do nothing on my own.” However, that is not the whole verse.

The whole verse reads:

“I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just, because I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me. (John 5:30 ESV)

In this verse Jesus is emphasizing his dependence on God the Father, emphasizing that his actions and judgments are not based on personal will but are aligned with the will of the Father who sent him. This highlights Jesus’ unity within the Trinity to God the Father, as well as Jesus’ role as the obedient Son carrying out the divine mission.

For additional context to this verse, earlier on John 5 it states that Jesus is equal to God the Father and was sent by the Father with all the authority of God.

In John 5:17-18 Jesus claims to be equal to God the Father.

But Jesus answered them, “My Father is working until now, and I am working.” This was why the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him, because not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God. (John 5:17-18 ESV)

In John 5:19-23, Jesus emphasizes his unity with the God the Father, highlighting that his actions are a reflection of the Father’s will and authority. Jesus explains that just as the God has the power to give life and judgment, that he shares in these divine roles, asserting his divine authority and mission.

So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise. For the Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself is doing. And greater works than these will he show him, so that you may marvel. For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he will. For the Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son, 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 5:19-23 ESV)