Equal to the Father
John 5 records that Jesus healed a lame man - on the sabbath day. When accused of violating the sabbath, He said: "My Father worketh hitherto, and I work. Therefore, the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, MAKING HIMSELF EQUAL WITH GOD.
While such a statement to US does not have that meaning, to the Jews it was spoken to it DID. How did Jesus respond to the accusation that He was making himself EQUAL with GOD? He said:
"Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do; for whatever things he (the father) doeth, these also doeth the Son in the same manner." Our expression today is often 'Whatever He can do, I can do" - but Jesus statement is even stronger - 'in the same manner'. He did not DENY the equality - he affirmed it!
Next, He gives some particular illustrations of being EQUAL with the Father.
21 - God can raise the dead (physical) -
Jesus can raise the dead (and did so on several occasions).
22 - God has the right to judge -
The Son now has the right to judge all men.
23 - All men should HONOR God -
even so, all men should HONOR the SON - EVEN AS THEY HONOR THE FATHER.
24 - God can give spiritual life -
even so the SON gives spiritual life through His word..
26 - The Father has 'life in Himself' -
even so the Son has life 'in Himself'
27 - The Father can execute (carry out the sentence of) judgment -
even so the Son will execute judgment upon men.
A principle of 'judgment' in the Old Testament was that 'at the mouth of 2 or 3 witnesses shall every word be established.' If you have only ONE witness, it doesn't mean he is lying, it only means that you can not draw a binding judgment upon their testimony.
Jesus therefore introduces several 'witnesses' to His claim of being equal with the Father.