John 5:19

The Lord does not deny, but confesses the charge of the Jews that He "said that God was His own Father," for "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." The Son does the same things as the Father and in the same manner. There was, therefore, absolute equality without independence.

The first thing is that He could do nothing of Himself — or rather, from Himself. This was true in the lowly place He willingly took. His whole mission was to carry out the will of Another. While He was doing it, He could not start a single action of His own. His will was perfect as He Himself was perfect, and yet He never allowed His will to govern Him in what He did. Doing the Father's will was His food, and for that very reason He could do nothing of Himself.

The Son is standing here, in this world, speaking to men of what He sees, and is in contact with, in another world. The Father shows Him, and He sees. It is not that the Son does works of a like nature to the Father, but He does the identical same works. In that way He is doing the works of the Father, just as He is speaking the Father's words.

He was not here, then, to act as God, independently, for He said, "Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of His own accord, but only what He sees the Father doing." He had come only to act in absolute dependence upon the Father; yet only One equal with the Father could have said, "For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise." All His works were the Father's works, showing the Father's nature and will. In His works the Father was revealed.

The Son, having become man, therefore became subject to the Father. He moved and acted with reference to the Father instead of acting on His own initiative. Scriptures like this one describe the position the Son took in relation to the Father when He became man.

This was always true. But He was here on earth, in a new position for Him. Before He became man, He knew nothing of obedience. He did not act on His own. He acted as sovereign, together with the Spirit and the Father. But He became man. He came into our condition and circumstances. He entered a new relationship — one of dependence. So He learned obedience, a new experience for Him.

The Father put all things into His hand, yet the Son would not act on His own. It is impossible for the Son to act apart from the Father. They are one in the fullness of the Godhead, and their bond of love is eternal.

Two things make perfection in a man: dependence and obedience. They were in Christ, the contrast to what was in Adam when he sinned. Christ was ever the dependent and the obedient one. Independence is sin: there is the principle of sin in it... With Christ there was no will but His Father's. This was not a restraint on Him but His motive.