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Joh_5:20. Moral necessity in God for the aforesaid ἃ γὰρ ἂν ἐκεῖνος , etc. Comp. Joh_3:35.
γὰρ refers to the whole of what follows down to ποιεῖ , of which καὶ μείζονα , etc., gives the result.
φιλεῖ ] “qui amat, nil celat,” Bengel. The distinction between this and ἀγαπᾷ (which D., Origen, Chrysostom here read), diligit (see Tittmann, Synon. p. 50), is to be retained even in John, though he uses both to denote the same relationship, but with varying definiteness of representation. Comp. Joh_3:35, Joh_21:15. Φιλεῖν is always the proper affection of love. Comp. Joh_11:3; Joh_11:36, Joh_16:27, Joh_20:2, et al. But this love has its basis in the metaphysical and eternal relation of the Father to the Son, as His μονογενὴς υἱός (Joh_1:14; Joh_1:18), and does not first begin in time. Comp. Luthardt.
πάντα δείκνυσιν ] He shows Him all, permits Him to see in immediate self-revelation all that He Himself doeth, that the Son also may do these things after the pattern of the Father. Description of the inner and essential intimacy of the Father with the Son, according to which, and indeed by virtue of His love to the Son, He makes all His own working an object of intuition to the Son for His like working (comp. Joh_5:17),—the humanly conditioned continuation of what He had seen in His pre-human existence, Joh_3:11, Joh_6:46.[207]
καὶ μείζονα , κ . τ . λ .] a new sentence, and an advance in the discourse, the theme of all that follows down to Joh_5:30 : and greater works than these (the healings of the sick spoken of) will He show Him; He will give Him His example to do them also.
ἵνα ] the divine purpose of this,—not in the sense of ὥστε (Baeumlein).
ὑμεῖς ] ye unbelievers. Jesus does not say πιστεύητε ; He means the surprise of shame, viz. at the sight[208] of His works.
[207] This intimate relationship is to be regarded as one of uninterrupted continuity, and not to be limited merely to occasional crises in the life of Jesus (Gess, Pers. Chr. p. 237), of which there is not the slightest indication in John’s Gospel. Comp. Joh_1:51. This very continuous consciousness depends upon the continuance of the Logos consciousness (Joh_8:29, Joh_8:59, Joh_17:5, Joh_16:32),—a view which is to be maintained against Weizsäcker, who introduces even visions (evang. Gesch. p. 435) in explanation of this passage, in the face of the known history of Jesus.
[208] For the astonishment connected with the θεᾶσθαι is implied in the context. See Nägelsbach, z. llias, p. 200, ed. 3.