JOHN 5: 33-38
WITNESSES FOR THE DIVINE SON
[Isaiah 35:5-6]
Jesus has just claimed to be equal with God, to give eternal life (18), to be the source of life (26), and to be the judge of life (27). Jesus was claiming to be divine. Are there any other witnesses to support this almost unbelievable claim? There most certainly are. This section stresses testimony supportive of Jesus’ claim.
Jesus’ authority was brought into question by His critics so He refers to collaborating witnesses. Jesus identifies six authenticating witnesses who buttress His claims. The first one we looked at last week was the witness of God the Holy Spirit from verse 32. The next three, the witness of John, the witness of Jesus’ works and the witness of Jesus’ Father we will look at tonight.
I. THE WITNESS OF JOHN, 33-35.
II. THE WITNESS OF WORKS, 36.
III. THE WITNESS OF THE FATHER, 37-38.
[IV THE WITNESS OF SCRIPTURES, 39.]
[ V. THE WITNESS OF MOSES, 46.]
God gave the Jew’s one of their own who bore powerful witness to Jesus. Verse 33 states, "You have sent to John, and he has testified to the truth.
Jesus refers to a delegation sent to John the Baptist (1:19-28) from the Jewish leaders. John told them he was preparing the way for the Messiah and then pointed to Jesus as the Messiah. John the Baptist preceded Jesus, identified Jesus, worked with Jesus, and directed his followers to become Jesus’ disciples. Since the leaders ask for John’s witness they should have paid serious attention to it. The you is emphatic. God did not leave the leaders without a witness, but gave them a highly respected and acclaimed prophet who uncompromisingly proclaimed the truth. The leaders simply chose to disregard God’s revelation to them for their own understanding of truth.
John the Baptist’s function was to bear witness to the way of God and the Son of God. [A good witness tells the truth as best he can.] John’s witness to Jesus is to have an abiding character and value (has testified, Gk perfect tense), it stayed with those who heard it and still speaks to us today. Yet the Jewish leaders did nothing with the truth they heard and it did not bear the fruit of repentance within them. They continued to trust their own perception and wisdom. So many others today still do the same.
In verse 34 Jesus explains that John’s witness was for them not for Him. "But the testimony which I receive is not from man, but I say these things so that you may be saved.
Jesus did not need to rely on human testimony for His own confirmation, but John’s work and witness helped people because he pointed them in their darkness to the light of Christ. John’s work was so that you may be saved. Many heard God’s message and believed and were saved. Jesus wants the leaders to be saved also so He was willing to answer their disbelief with proof of who He was. Jesus still today continues to prove Himself to people that they might be saved, but still today people refuse to bow the knee to Him and service Him as Lord of their life.
In verse 35 Jesus bears witness to John. "He was the lamp that was burning and was shining and you were willing to rejoice for a while in his light.
John was only a lamp, not the true Light (1:9). As a lamp though he was a burning and shining light. He was fervent of Spirit filled with the Holy Spirit in his mother’s womb. In holy zeal he addressed his generation. He was a light to Israel to reveal to them the mind and will of God. They had been in prophetic darkness for 400 years till He came to instruct them. Light is refreshing and stimulating to one who has long lived in darkness.
John’s great popular movement was an anticipatory one, in which he pointed to Jesus as the Lamb of God. For a moment they thought the Messianic Age was dawning. Even though John’s preaching had some stinging rebukes, there was a great popular excitement about his message. The people thought that though Israel might be disciplined, their enemies would be destroyed. Although His ministry was enjoyed for a time, in the end, it was rejected. They had enjoyed John’s preaching and had responded to it but their response was short lived and superficial.
A lamp is given to light the way. We only continue to see it shining if we follow it. [Though God removed the lamp of John, gave them the Light of the World to follow.]
II. THE WITNESS OF WORKS, 36.
Verse 36 refers to the witness of the works of Jesus. "But the testimony which I have is greater than the testimony of John; for the works which the Father has given Me to accomplish—the very works that I do—testify about Me, that the Father has sent Me.
One of the ways the Father appointed for the world to recognize the Messiah or the Christ was His works. The "signs" were specific works which God had assigned for the Son to do. These miracles were predicted in the Old Testament (Isa. 35:5-6). Jesus’ works (erga) were a clear manifestation that God was with Him and that He worked through Him. Nicodemus’ words in John 3:2 recognize this truth. Jesus’ works point to something beyond themselves. The miracles of Jesus testify to who He is and to His divine mission (10:25).
[Jesus pointing to His own works may need some explanation. These are not simply powerful miracles, but signs, which culminated with the great works of the cross and the resurrection. These works point to Jesus’ identity and to the Father, who alone can enable such signs.] By doing the works of the Father, Jesus proved Himself the Son of God. These work’s of God were also rejected.
III. THE WITNESS OF THE FATHER, 37-38.
From the works of the Father Jesus turns to the Father Himself in verse 37. "And the Father who sent Me, He has testified of Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time nor seen His form.
The Father has borne witness concerning the divine Son (1 Jn. 5:9). The past tense verb has testified states this witness is no new thing (Heb. 1:1; Rom. 1:19-22). All of life, when rightly understood has prepared mankind for the Son of God. (Morris, John, 328-329). This witness is vital not only to us, but to Jesus. Because He has the witness of God the Father He is not worried about the disbelief and opposition of man.
[When and how did or does the Father give this witness? The possibilities include the three times the Father spoke to Jesus directly from heaven: (1) at Jesus’ baptism (Mt. 3:17, "This is My beloved Son with whom I am well-pleased"), (2) at the transfiguration (Mt. 17:5), (3) at the Triumphal Entry (Jn 12:28). It also could mean the witness (4) in Jesus’ works (3:2), (5) in people’s minds or hearts (6:45). Most likely Jesus was referring to the inner work of God in which He impresses on people’s consciences that Jesus is the Truth (6:45; 1 John 5:9-12).]
Jesus’ goes on to say that His opponents are ignorant of God. They have no openness to God that lets their understanding see Him nor any communication with Him. They have failed to connect with God because of unbelief at His testimony.
In verse 38 we learn that the Father’s witness comes from His word. "You do not have His word abiding in you, for you do not believe Him whom He sent.
Jesus does not deny that the Jews have the word of God, or even heard the word, they just do not have His word in their hearts. They had no continuous commitment to the totality of the message of God. If they had believed the preparatory revelation of the Law and the Prophets they would have recognized Jesus as the incarnate Word of God. [His Word is His message that leads to salvation. God’s word had not been received by them (does not dwell [menonta, from meno, "remain, abide"] in them). If they had received God’s Word, if they had heard God voice, they would not have rejected Jesus. Jesus is the fulfillment of the Word of God. Since they had not taken the Word of God to heart, they would not invite the incarnate Word, God’s Living Word into their heart.
The reason they didn’t receive the truth is indicated also. Openness to belief must precede the reception of truth (Tenny, Expositor’s Bible Commentary, 68). We must say to God, if this is Your truth, If this is Your word, I am willing to believe it.
The evidence is plain and simple. They do not believe Him whom the Father sent. If they had truly hid God’s Word in their heart so that they might not sin against Him, they would have believed Jesus (Ps. 119:11). [They were not able to see Jesus as divine because the veil of unbelief was over the eyes of their heart.]
CONCLUSION
The Jews did not receive these witnesses, but Jesus made it clear that they, like any one else, could have. What about you, is you heart open, receptive to the Word of God? If not you too will miss seeing Jesus and the world through the eyes of God.
To receive is to take hold of, to seize. Far too often we passively let God’s Word go and not only are not benefitted by it, we are the worst because it’s lessons did not transform us.
There are radio and TV waves all around us sent out by transmitters. Only a receiver properly set can catch them. If you don’t tune your radio or TV to the waves of the transmitter you’ll never understand what the speaker is saying. If we don’t tune our heart to receive God’s word will never know what God is saying to us either. Don’t try in your unbelief to understand and know God. It’s impossible. You must believe before you can receive either Him or His Word. John 1:11 & 12 says, He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, the them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believed on His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
Believe in Jesus and receive peace of soul and joy of heart that you have never known before.
Next week we will look at the sixth confirmation to Jesus’ testimony, the Witness of the Scripture.
