“For neither does the Father judge any one, but has given all judgment to the Son; that all may honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He who honours not the Son, honours not the Father who has sent him.” John 5:22-23

God the Father will not be the judge of men. He has relinquished that right, and now the Son of God alone holds the issue of judgment in His hand. But why? These verses explain why exclusive judgment is given to the Son.

He says of the Jews that “they honour the Father”. In what way did they honor the Father? From the context of these verses we know that the Jews honored the Father – in a certain sense – because they did not deny that the Father was God.

But when Jesus, the Son of Man came, the Jews did not give Him that same honor (v.22). The Son, coming incarnate, “came unto His own and His own received him not”. As a man He was vulnerable to be – and was – personally dishonored, rejected, and despised of men. In a certain sense, the Father was exempt from their injuries because He did not become a man.

But the Father will see to it that His Son is honored as God… by all men. Consequently, all judgment is committed unto the Son, in order that all – even those who have rejected the Son – should be forced to honor him, even as they honor the Father. One day, those who have denied Him will come face to face with the Man Christ Jesus as their judge… and they will know that He is God, and thus honor Him.