“Four Undeniable Testimonies about Jesus”
John 5:30-47
The human heart and mind of man is very skeptical and changeable, and when it comes to matters of faith and believing in Jesus as Savior and Lord, Jesus being equal to the Father in nature and that He is indeed a person of the Triune God, people ask for evidence; they ask for testimony that they can trust. It is the way that we are as human beings. We think that “seeing is believing” when in actuality, having to see in order to believe is UNBELIEF. Believing is TRUSTING and receiving God at His Word WITHOUT seeing and to continuing to follow Him and His Word. Today we examine four undeniable testimonies or witnesses concerning the One and only Lord Jesus Christ.
John 5:30 is a summary of everything we studied from verses19-29 concerning Jesus’ full equality with God the Father, and sent by Him. Jesus’ power to judge was fully dependent on the Father’s will and word. There we read: “By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me.”
Today we read 31-40 and following, demonstrating the true witnesses who testify to the Divine character of the Son: "If I testify about myself, my testimony is not valid. 32 There is another who testifies in my favor, and I know that his testimony about me is valid. 33 "You have sent to John and he has testified to the truth. 34 Not that I accept human testimony; but I mention it that you may be saved. 35 John was a lamp that burned and gave light, and you chose for a time to enjoy his light. 36 I have testimony weightier than that of John. For the very work that the Father has given me to finish, and which I am doing, testifies that the Father has sent me. 37 And the Father who sent me has himself testified concerning me. You have never heard his voice nor seen his form, 38 nor does his word dwell in you, for you do not believe the one he sent. 39 You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life.”
The Father’s Faithful Witness
First we see “The Father’s Faithful Witness of the Only Begotten Son” (found in vs. 31-32, 37-38) Jesus isn’t expecting you to believe ONLY HIS Word about Himself. In the present context of our passage, Jesus has insisted that He and the Father are one in essential NATURE, will and purpose and that He has always lived in perfect obedience to the Father. In verse 32 he says: “There is another who testifies in my favor, and I know that his testimony about me is valid.” Here He is referring to the Father Himself, of whom Jesus reveals to us the heavenly things from the Father. (see that in 3:11-12) He does not testify of Himself but rather He testifies of His Father and the Father testifies of the Son.
Remember at Jesus’ baptism in Matthew 3:17, “a voice out of the heavens said, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased." (Mark 1:11: "You are My beloved Son, in You I am well-pleased.") (Remember John 3:16: For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son.” The Beloved and Begotten Son is the one and only, unique Son sent from the Father’s side who was at the Father’s side continually and eternally. He was with God eternally because He IS God eternally. He is equal to the Father in all respects but distinctive in His Person (Jesus comes as God in the flesh to die for the sins of mankind, that whoever BELIEVES in Him…)
This is what Jesus is referring to in verses 37-38: “And the Father who sent me has himself testified concerning me. You have never heard his voice nor seen his form, 38 nor does his word dwell in you, for you do not believe the one He sent.”
Jacob had seen God’s “form” in Genesis 32 and Moses had heard God’s voice in Exodus 33:11, but no of these Jewish leaders had ever seen His form or heard His voice, and it is clear that as knowledgeable as they were in the “scriptures”, they were totally missing the fact that Jesus was the Word Incarnate, the Promised Messiah, God in the flesh, and so God’s Word was not abiding in them. This is a SERIOUS accusation against the Jews and it remains a serious accusation when it comes to answering that MOST IMPORTANT QUESTION: Who do you say that Jesus is? If you do not believe He is the eternal Son and GOD in the FLESH then He cannot be dwelling in you. THE FATHER HIMSELF TESTIFIES to the “Sonship” and Deity of Christ. Powerful proclamation!
The Human Testimony of John the Baptist
Secondly we see the Human Testimony of John the Baptist (vs. 33-35). Verse 35 says: “John was a lamp that burned and gave light, and you chose for a time to enjoy his light.” The tense of the verbs tell us that either John was now in prison or perhaps had already been beheaded, but John had drawn large crowds of people to a baptism of repentance during his ministry. John was not THE light but was a light-bearer: He was a witness to the Light of Jesus. He had been “the voice of one crying in the wilderness, PREPARE THE WAY OF THE LORD.” The purpose of a lamp is to show light, which John did very well, but the Jewish leadership never understood John’s message either when he said: “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.” They enjoyed John’s message and popularity for a time but their commitment to what John had been preaching was short term and they had no depth of belief as far as responding to God with a repentant heart. People often hear Jesus with their ears but do not respond whole-heartedly to discipleship and self-denial to true saving faith/belief.
The Divine Witness of the Works of Jesus Himself
Thirdly, we see the Divine Witness of the Works of Jesus Himself in verse 36: "I have testimony weightier than that of John. For the very work that the Father has given me to finish, and which I am doing, testifies that the Father has sent me.” Although John’s witness was great and powerful, the witness of Jesus is far greater and superior than John’s. The works and signs that Jesus performs point precisely and powerfully to God the Father as the mighty Divine power behind these works; they also demonstrate the supernatural divine relationship between the Jesus Christ of the New Testament and the Jehovah God of Israel throughout the Old Testament.
Jesus’ extraordinary works and miracles recorded in the Gospel of John were far superior to any works of John the Baptist because Jesus is God in the Flesh, Fully God and Fully Man and John was merely man. John’s body went to the grave at his death and stayed there, waiting for the return of Jesus at the end of time; Jesus’ life AND death (HIS WORKS for us, if you will!) continue to save people by the Power of God, those whom God has chosen before the foundations of this finite world to be been born by a living faith from above. Jesus is alive and well today, ascended and reigning at the right hand of God, and also reigning in THIS world by His Spirit in the hearts and lives of those who have been born again, the true Israel of God, those who love Him and serve Him with their whole hearts and beings, because they believe IN HIM and follow Him. They KNOW that HE IS KING over ALL kings and LORD over ALL Lords, because He is LORD of their lives! Sovereign over all!
The Infallible Witness of the Entire Bible, God’s Word
They know this, fourthly, on the witness of the Infallible Word of God in the Entire Bible, which alone is God’s HOLY and inspired Word. In verses 39-40, Jesus tells the religious leaders, those who would be seeking to KILL HIM: “You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life.” The Jewish Leaders had studied the Scriptures fervently. Most could recite by memory the books of Moses, yet because their hearts were HARD against God, they had not uncovered scriptures true intent or meaning. To them, THEIR HARD AND TEDIOUS STUDY and memorization of Scriptures, was a way to eternal life. A Rabbi named, Hillel, once wrote this as an example: “The more study of the Law, the more life…If a man has gained a good name he has gained a good name (somewhat) for himself; or if he has gained for himself words of the Law, he has gained for himself life in the world to come.” (Pirke Abboth, 2:7)
That is far from the truth! The Old and New Testaments are God-inspired writings and must always be studied with the view of discerning Christ within them. All prophecy and prophets, all “types of Christ” in the Old Testament, the sacrifices, the law itself, ALL point to Christ Jesus, His ministry,
teaching, death and resurrection. The purpose of the written revelation of God to man is to reveal God’s Holy nature, our totally depraved and sinfully dead natures, and our total inability to do ONE THING to save ourselves; and in the scriptures God reveals His solution to our eternal separation from Him and it is IN the work and person of Jesus CHRIST ALONE by the God-given faith, all because of His amazing grace! To “MISS” this is to miss Christ and to miss Christ means you miss eternal life. The scriptures do not point to themselves but to the Son. “In him was life, and that life was the light of men.” That’s what it says in John 1:4. (One of the teens who slept on the floor here at the church 2 weeks ago quoted that verse to me as a verse which goes along with my little penlight illustration.) “In him was life, and that life was the light of men.”
Jesus’ Compelling Conclusion
Look at Jesus’ compelling conclusion in verses 41-47 of John 5; Jesus says to the religious leaders: "I do not accept praise from men, 42 but I know you. I know that you do not have the love of God in your hearts. 43 I have come in my Father's name, and you do not accept me; but if someone else comes in HIS OWN name, you will accept him. 44 How can you believe if you accept praise from one another, yet make no effort to obtain the praise that comes from the only God? 45 But do not think I will accuse you before the Father. Your accuser is Moses, on whom your hopes are set. 46 If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about Me. 47 But since you do not BELIEVE what he wrote, how are you going to believe what I say?"
Jesus has no NEED to accept or “receive” glory, praise or honor from mankind. He NEVER had that need. His only need is to please the Father. He knows that if He were to please men, He would stop pleasing His Heavenly Father. (That will be seen in Chapter 6: When Jesus refused to perform another FOOD miracle for the crowds, they all left Him.) The praise and adulation of mankind is always unpredictable and fickle at best. If we are to follow the example of our Lord Jesus, our one and only goal in life should be to Love, Honor, and Serve the only true God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit with EVERYTHING that we have and do! With our whole being! We would do as Jesus did and Honor God alone! God gives a new heart that desires that, but we still fight our old sinful nature in our attempts and we rely on His grace to forgive every day.
Secondly, Jesus knows the heart of Sinful man which seeks human approval. Sinful Hearts hate God and have no, so-called, “spiritual sympathy” with the One TRUE JESUS who came from God the Father; Those hearts are self-centered and have NO spiritual empathy or sympathy for those who truly believe, receive, and follow the Savior Jesus. We see that in our world more vividly today than any time in recent history. A heart that has NOT been born of God cannot love God or others in a way that God loves. We saw back in John 2:24-25: “But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all people. He did not need any testimony about mankind, for he knew what was in each person.” (vs. 42-43a.) And so it is: Jesus has no need for the approval or opinion of human beings and He alone is the discerner and Savior of human hearts and lives. To receive the popular vote means nothing to the LORD Jesus.
Verse 43 says: “I have come in my Father's name, and you do not accept me; but if someone else comes in HIS OWN name, you will accept him.” Jesus is stating a warning for the future based on the history of mankind. Pseudo-saviors, “men-pleasers”, pretenders, false teachers and false prophets have appeared and will appear in their own power, character and personality. They will be very humanly persuasive and pleasing but they only have a form of religion because they are people-pleasers. They do not represent and reveal the name and nature of God in the same way that Jesus does because Jesus is the one and only Son of God sent to save those who are born from above and who will follow their Savior…and will continue to follow Him by His grace and power, not by the will or power of Man.
Jesus continues in verse 44: “How can you believe if you accept praise from one another, yet make no effort to obtain the praise that comes from the only God?” Since God is the discerner of the human heart, the issue at heart is the glory of self or the glory of God. Paul later would write so clearly in Romans 2:29: “A person is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a person's praise is not from other people, but from God.”
The Jewish leaders were always concerned about their reputations among men. For this reason, they were often open to the values of their audiences instead of pursuing the Glory of God alone. They were more interested in the praise of their peers than the praise of God: They were People-Pleasers, not God-Pleasers! They were self-seekers not God-Pleasers and Jesus knew it.
Verse 45, Jesus continues: “But do not think I will accuse you before the Father. Your accuser is Moses, on whom your hopes are set.” Jesus has been given all judgment by the Father but He did not come to earth in judgment. He is not as it were, “a heavenly prosecutor”; He doesn’t need to bring charges because the written word of God convicts, even by the words of Moses. This is a process that continued in Jesus’ day and continues today. Remember that God gave the law and made a covenant to Israel through God’s servant, Moses. Moses was the most honored prophet among Israel and so their expectation was that Moses would be the mediator, but rather than being their advocate, the words Moses spoke would stand to accuse them before the Holy God. In their hearts, their hope was set on Moses as their great deliverer when in actuality, the Law and Moses only pointed TO the MESSIAH who was to come…and Here He IS!
Verses 46-47 end chapter 5: “If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about Me. But since you do not BELIEVE what he wrote, how are you going to believe what I say?" Jesus states that when Moses spoke God’s words, he was speaking about Jesus, the Word in the Flesh who stood before the Jewish people. Jesus is standing in the very place of God and since that is so, to reject Jesus as the very Son of God who comes as the Servant Savior is to reject God’s revelation to Moses as well as reject God Himself. Jesus is saying that He is the focus of the Father and the Spirit, who are the authors of God’s Holy Word. To reject Jesus’ Words is to reject the Word of God and to reject the words of Jesus who is THE Word of God in the Flesh is to reject the Yahweh or Jehovah of the Old Testament. “Today if you hear His voice, harden not your hearts.”
Let’s pray: Sovereign Lord and Savior, we know that you scrutinize the hearts of men and women. Thank you for your gift of salvation to us. We thank you for convicting us of the gods of self-glorification and self-serving by your Spirit and by your Word so that we are free from the bondage to serve the One True Living God. Thank you, Lord Jesus, for living in perfect obedience ALWAYS before the Father and for being our sin substitute in your body on the cross and being raised to victory… Thank you Father, for loving us, for choosing us in Christ, and pursuing us. To God alone be the Glory. Amen
Outline: Four Undeniable Testimonies about Jesus
I. The Father’s Faithful and Unfathomable Witness of the Only Begotten Son (vs. 31-32, 37-38)
II. The Human Testimony of John the Baptist (vs. 33-35)
III. The Divine Witness of the Works of Jesus Himself (vs. 36)
IV. The Infallible Witness of the Entire Bible, God’s Word (39-40)
V. Jesus’ Compelling Conclusion (vs. 41-47)
A. The Praise of People is Unpredictable: Honor God alone! (vs. 41)
B. Jesus knows the heart of Sinful man which seeks human approval.(42-43a)
C. Pseudo-saviors, “men-pleasers” appear in their own power, character and personality.(43b)
D. “Carnal people” or Carnal Christians are more interested in the praise of their peers than the praise of God: (44)
E. To reject God’s Servant is to reject God: Do you Glory in SELF or Glory in GOD?
