Tonight we are going to take a look at five witnesses that help to prove Jesus’ authority and power as God’s Son. Let’s get right into the Scripture. READ 31.
The first thing Jesus says about a witness for Him is based upon the world’s judicial system. Let’s face it; in our world a man’s own testimony is unacceptable and suspicious. If I were being charged for murder and I testify as a witness for myself, what good is it? What will I say? “Not guilty. I wasn’t there. It was someone else.”
The witness of a person has to be supported by other witnesses and at least two witnesses are required. This is one of the most fundamental laws of society throughout the world. This is the point Jesus is making. So here we see Him stooping down to the level of man. What He had said was true. He was the Son of God. He wasn’t lying. He was precisely who He claimed to be, and the fact should have been known.
If the people were really searching and seeking after God, they couldn’t have missed the fact that He was the Son of God. He was so different from everyone else—so Godly. But to meet their need, Jesus would prove that fact by meeting the demands of justice. He is going to call forth not just two witnesses but five to prove His claim.
The fact that Jesus felt that He had to do this shows the untrustworthiness of man. It shows the poor stuff we are made of. Man’s word can’t be trusted—not even in a court of law.
Something else to be noted thus far is the love of Christ for man. He loved us so much that He stooped to man’s level to convince them so that they might be saved.
READ 32. When I first read this verse I figured Jesus was talking about God. Actually He was talking about the Holy Spirit. So the first witness Jesus brings is the Holy Spirit. Why the Holy Spirit and not God?
1. The HS ha already been given to Jesus without limit. READ Jn. 3:34. The Spirit was empowering Him and doing the works of God through Him.
2. The second reason I feel Jesus was talking about HS here is that the HS is One of the witnesses that bears witness of Christ. READ 1 Jn. 5:6. When John talks about the testimony to Christ, he mentions the Spirit. And if Jesus is not talking about the Spirit in this verse, then the spirit is not listed as one of the witnesses in this passage. And since Jesus is going to mention God as one of the witnesses in verses 37-38, surely He must be talking about the HS here.
3. If we look closely at this verse, Christ seems to be talking about an inner witness, the testimony of a Presence which He senses within His innermost being, a Power that works in and through Him. Yes, He could be talking about God here, but again it could also be the Spirit which fits more naturally.
Jesus says, “I know that this testimony about me is valid.” He meant that He knew the truth of the testimony within His own heart. He had the sense of the Spirit’s witness within His inner being. The Spirit bore witness with Jesus’ own Spirit that He was the Son of God. He knew it was true.
READ 33-35. Jesus’ second witness is John the Baptist. The religionists had sent some men to ask John about his witness, and John bore witness to the truth. John’s witness was not a fly by night testimony that appeared on the scene and suddenly disappeared. His witness continues and still continues today. It was a trustworthy message, a testimony to the truth.
The words “the truth” (v. 33) are not only a reference to the truth of John’s message but also to Christ Himself, who is THE TRUTH. Jesus didn’t need this testimony of a mere man. The testimony of God’s Son should be counted the strongest of witnesses, but tragically men want the testimony of other men. That’s why Jesus uses the testimony of John the Baptist to prove His case. He knew they would probably accept the testimony of a man over whatever else Jesus used.
After all, John’s testimony was as clear and pointed as it could be: “Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.” John’s testimony definitely showed men the way to God, just as a light shows men the way out of darkness.
BUT…even though the people rejoiced in John’s message, it was only for a season. If John said anything that did not allow them to do as they pleased, they rejected it.
READ 36. Jesus’ third witness was His miraculous works. Jesus said four things about these miracles that He performed.
1. He said these words were a weightier testimony than the testimony of John the Baptist.
2. He said these works were given to Him by the Father. He was on a mission for God. So what He did was all for God. He was the One appointed by God to carry out the works of God. He was empowered by God to do so.
3. He said His works were the Father’s works. God was the Originator, the Planner, the Overseer of the works. God was the One who had given the works to be completed. Note that Jesus claimed to have completed the works perfectly.
4. Jesus says that His works proved that the Father had sent Him. They were works which had never been seen before. Surely they could see that these works were unusual—so full of power and wisdom, love and care, glory and honor to God—that all men who failed to see and believe were without excuse. Remember, Jesus had just performed one of the Godly works, healing the paralyzed man.
READ 37-38. Now Jesus brings up the witness of God. God sent Christ into the world, so Christ naturally testified about God. The testimony included ALL that God had ever revealed to man down through the centuries. Everything God did since the beginning of time was to prepare the way for His Son, and every single act bore testimony that God was sending His Son.
If you think about it the way was being prepared for the coming of God’s Son every time God spoke, every time God appeared, every time God acted.
And then Jesus made two charges against the religionists. ( And these same charges can be made against the world today.)
1. In v. 37 he said, “You have never heard His voice nor seen His form (what He is like).” Some may claim to have seen God, but they haven’t. But it’s not because God hasn’t spoken or shown what He is like. One has to know what to look and listen for. God has revealed the truth about Himself and the coming of Jesus in the OT and the NT and still does today. How does God reveal the truth about Himself and the coming of Jesus today?
2. Jesus said, (v.38), “You do not have his word dwelling in you.” They had the OT Scriptures, but they didn’t have the Word of God dwelling in their hearts and lives. Does this say anything to you about how intelligent you are when it comes to Biblical knowledge? It tells me that you can go to every Bible study offered, and never miss a class. You can read your Bible every day and quote it over and over. But in many cases Jesus can still say about you, “You do not have his word dwelling in you.”
READ 39. This fifth witness Jesus uses to back up what He just said. He uses the Scripture as His witness. Basically He says, “You claim to know so much about the Scriptures, I’m telling you that these Scriptures are telling about Me.”
He says, “You diligently study the Scripture thinking that is the way to have eternal life.” Sure, the Scriptures proclaim the message of eternal life and show us how to secure eternal life, but the Scriptures don’t impart or give eternal life. Only Christ can give eternal life.
It almost seems redundant to have to say this but in today’s world it needs to be said:
A person does not secure eternal life:
• By reading the Scripture, no matter how much they read.
• By knowing the Scripture, no matter how much they know.
• By being religious, no matter how religious they are.
• By doing religious works, no matter how much good they do.
So John ends this passage with Jesus stating that a person receives eternal life only by believing and giving his heart and life to Jesus Christ.
That truth still stands today.
