To this very day
The phrase emphasizes continuity and the ongoing nature of God's work. The Greek word "ἕως ἄρτι" (heōs arti) suggests an unbroken timeline. Historically, this counters the Jewish leaders' understanding of the Sabbath. While they saw the Sabbath as a day of rest, Jesus points out that God's sustaining work in creation never ceases. This challenges their interpretation and invites them to see the Sabbath in a new light.

My Father
By referring to God as "My Father," Jesus makes a radical claim about His unique relationship with God. The Greek word "πατήρ" (patēr) is used here, which in Jewish culture was a term of intimacy and authority. This statement is significant because it asserts Jesus' divine sonship, a central theme in John's Gospel. It also implies equality with God, which was a provocative claim to His audience.

is at His work
The phrase indicates continuous action. The Greek verb "ἐργάζεται" (ergazetai) is in the present tense, suggesting ongoing activity. This reflects the Jewish understanding that God sustains the universe at all times, even on the Sabbath. Jesus is aligning His actions with the Father's, indicating that His work is a continuation of God's divine activity.

and I too am working
Here, Jesus aligns His mission with the Father's work. The Greek word "ἐργάζομαι" (ergazomai) is used again, reinforcing the idea of active, purposeful labor. This statement is a declaration of Jesus' divine authority and mission. It underscores the unity between the Father and the Son, a key theological point in John's Gospel. Jesus is not merely a human teacher; He is participating in the divine work of redemption and restoration.

(a) The claim of special relation with the Father. Verse 17. - But Jesus answered them (ἀπεκρίνατο; here and ver. 19 are the only places where the author uses this aorist, My Father worketh hitherto; i.e. until now; has not, has never, ceased from working. Some critics, eager for disparaging comment, have said "this is point blank denial of the sabbath rest of the Creator as exhibited in Genesis 1, 2, and Exodus 20. But, on the contrary, it is the true exposition of those grand utterances. God through his Logos, the Father through his Son, did bring his strictly creative works to an end with the six days; but then he entered on the seventh day, the rest of his preserving, protective, reproductive energy; then he began to pursue his redeeming and quickening operations in all regions of his dominion. My Father worketh, energizes, until now. His "rest" is an infinite activity of wisdom and power, of righteousness and mercy. The true sabbath is this rest of God. Man has to enter into this rest, and cooperate with and utterly abandon himself to the will of God. Sabbath keeping is the great symbol of such entire satisfaction with God. The activities from which man has to cease on the holy day are man's own, man's self-centred labours; but he, too, may combine the highest activity with profound repose. "My Father worketh until now, and I work - I, who am his Instrument, his Word, his Manifestation, his Messenger, abstaining from all mere self-originated, self-poised, self-centering toil, I work with him for him. I work obviously and visibly that you may see for yourselves what he has ever been doing silently and unobserved." Philo had said ('Leg. All.,' 1:3) "that God never ceases to create, nor takes a holiday from his works;" and the author of the Epistle to the Hebrews

(4) had grasped, as an echo of Christ's own teaching, the perpetuity of Divine rest through all the ages of work; but the naked thought here soars far above them both. The dawning of every clay, the opening of the flowers, the flowing of the rivers, the sustenance of vegetable, animal, and human life, reveal through every moment of the agelong sabbath rest, and on every sabbath day, his intense and constant activity.

Parallel Commentaries ...