A Search For Magnificence
John 5:31-47
Jesus was the most magnificent person to ever walk this earth. Let that sink in: the most magnificent person. What did that look like? Was there a radiance coming off of Him? No, not usually. Were angels flying around announcing His magnificence? No. Yet, Jesus was magnificent, the most magnificent. What did that look like? Would we have even noticed it?
Have you ever met someone who is magnificent?
One day I was riding my bike to work in Chattanooga, Tennessee. All of a sudden a bunch of police cars flew by. Their lights were flashing. Their sirens were on. Everyone stopped. More police cars came, followed by several black SUVs, then other black SUVs with people hanging out the windows with cameras. It was wild. Then it was all gone. Someone in that motorcade was magnificent. Who was it? Later that day, I found out that it was Al Gore. He was in town and he was running for the U. S. Senate. Magnificence. They don’t do that for you or me.
How do you identify magnificence? When you see someone walking down the street or standing in church, how do you know if they are magnificent or not. They don’t have a police escort. They aren’t in a motorcade. Do you just ask them? “Excuse me. Are you magnificent?” “Jesus, are you magnificent?” Jesus mentioned that in the first verse of our text.
John 5:31 “If I testify about myself, my testimony is not true.
John 5:32 There is another who testifies in my favor, and I know that his testimony about me is true.
Anyone can say that they are magnificent. “I'm wonderful. I'm Mr. Wonderful.” That does not mean that it is true. If you want to know if someone is magnificent, don't ask them. That’s not how you find magnificence.
So how do you find it?
Today we are going to go on a search for the magnificence of Jesus. How will we find it? Where will we look? Finding that will help us find magnificence in other people. This sermon is titled, a search for the magnificence of Jesus. Magnificence is another word for glory, the glory of Jesus. There is a way to find it. First, we look at John.
1. John the Baptist Spoke About It
John 5:33 “You have sent to John and he has testified to the truth.
The Jewish leaders sent priests, Levites, and Pharisees to John the Baptist asking him who he was, if he was the Messiah. He said that he was not. He DID tell them that someone was standing among them that they did not know. This person would come next. He was a person that John was not worthy to even untie His sandals.
He was talking about Jesus. Jesus was much more important than John. This was the testimony of John. Jesus affirms that it is true. Let’s read on.
John 5:34 Not that I accept human testimony; but I mention it that you may be saved.
John 5:35 John was a lamp that burned and gave light, and you chose for a time to enjoy his light.
It is nice when people say good things about you, but what do they know? Do they really know you? No. Do they have some hidden agenda? Is that why they are saying nice things about you? You don't know.
Jesus did not accept human testimony. He says that here. Despite that, He still mentioned John's testimony because it was correct.
At one point the Jewish leaders liked John. They liked that he was convincing masses of people to come to the temple. They enjoyed what he was doing, for a while, until he started saying things they didn't like. John spoke of Jesus' magnificence, but they didn't accept that.
In our search for Jesus’ magnificence, we can listen to what people say, but know that people do not know what real magnificence is. They may point you in the right direction. Or they may not.
John the Baptist spoke and testified of Jesus’ magnificence. But there was a greater testimony than John’s. That’s our second point.
2. The Father Showed It
John 5:36 “I have testimony weightier than that of John. For the works that the Father has given me to finish—the very works that I am doing—testify that the Father has sent me.
There is a weightier, a more valid, testimony to the magnificence of Jesus. It is God the Father Himself. He had allowed Jesus to do supernatural things, things that humans cannot do. These miracles proved that God had sent Him. They were proof that God was with Him. That is something.
These Jewish leaders had seen this. One of the miracles was the healing of the lame man. They saw with their own eyes that he was walking. It was a miracle. It was proof that Jesus was magnificent. Let’s read on.
John 5:37 And the Father who sent me has himself testified concerning me. You have never heard his voice nor seen his form,
John 5:38 nor does his word dwell in you, for you do not believe the one he sent.
The things that Jesus did were not the only proof from the Father. The Father Himself had spoken with His own voice and said that Jesus was His Son, that He loved Him, and that He was well-pleased with Him. That brings with it a bunch of magnificence. That happened when John baptized Jesus in the Jordan River. Where were the Jewish leaders then? They weren't there. They had enjoyed John for a while, but they weren't that dedicated.
Not only did they miss this event, they themselves, the spiritual leaders of the nation, had never heard God's voice, nor seen Him. And God's message, the very message that was in the law that they knew so well, that message did not live in them. They didn’t get the very message of the law. They didn’t know it. They didn’t stay in it. They didn’t live it. Jesus is telling them these things.
That is not all. He also said that they didn't even trust God. Wow. What a condemnation.
John the Baptist testified to Jesus' divinity. God the Father also testified to it. And the spiritual leaders would not listen. But there was one more witness.
3. The Scriptures Told About It
John 5:39 You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me,
John 5:40 yet you refuse to come to me to have life.
Are there any books written about you? Are there any books that maybe are not written about you, but nonetheless mention you? Wouldn't that be something if you could open a book, point to what it says and say that is me. What if you could do that with the greatest book of all?
None of us are in the Bible. But Jesus is. He is mentioned many times in the Old Testament. And they are good things. At this time, He could point to the passages written about Him and say, “That's me.” That is something.
The Jewish leaders studied the Old Testament because they knew that it was valuable. It told how to get eternal life. Yet here, standing in front of them, was someone mentioned in it many times, someone that it spoke highly of. What was their response? They refused to come to Him. He could give them that eternal life. But they refused Him. Why? Let’s look at that.
4. Why the Jewish Leaders Missed It
John the Baptist, God the Father, the Old Testament, they all told about the magnificence of Jesus. The Jewish leaders saw all of these, yet they missed it. Jesus explains why in the next few verses.
John 5:41 “I do not accept glory from human beings,
Again let me say that glory is magnificence.
Where are you looking to get magnificence from? Are you looking for magnificence from people? Maybe a pat on the back? A kind word? Someone liking you?
Jesus didn't accept magnificence from people. He wanted magnificence from one place and one place only, God the Father. Did you get that? Jesus wanted magnificence from one place and one place only, God the Father.
Let’s read on.
John 5:42 but I know you. I know that you do not have the love of God in your hearts.
John 5:43 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.
Jesus came in His Father’s name. They didn’t accept Him. Others came in their OWN name. They accepted them.
Have you ever noticed this? A preacher can preach about a certain topic in the Bible, and few want to hear it. But put a fancy name on that topic and take off any mention of the Bible, and books get written on it. Everyone wants to hear it.
Why is that? Because people don’t have the love of God in their hearts and so things from God do not matter to them, especially if you say it is from God.
These Jews were the same way. They did not have the love of God in them and so they didn’t care for the things of God. They didn’t value the man of God.
John 5:44 How can you believe since you accept glory from one another but do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?
The Jewish leaders liked people bragging about them. They liked the glory. They liked the applause. They liked the front seats in the synagogue. They liked greetings in the marketplace. They liked being called rabbi. They liked getting magnificence from people.
Why didn't they want magnificence from God? Why didn't they look for that? Wasn't it because God didn’t do what they wanted Him to do? He had given them magnificence by making them the top religious leaders. They liked that. But God was going a different direction than what they wanted. God was letting some outsider perform miracles, many miracles. God was giving Him the title of Messiah. People were following Him. They didn’t like that. That’s not the way it was supposed to go. They were supposed to get that magnificence.
They forgot one thing. God is God. God is the boss. God calls the shots. God does not conform to the ways of man. He doesn’t ask us what to do. He does what He wants to do. And it usually is not what we want.
They didn’t go looking for magnificence from God because that would force them to conform to these things that God was doing that they didn’t like. They became rebels against God. So they definitely weren’t looking for magnificence from Him.
So what did they do? They went looking for it from humans, from each other. They could control that. You say a nice thing about me, and I will say a nice thing about you. You say a nice thing about me, and I will give you candy. You say a bad thing about me, I’ll throw you in prison.
They missed the magnificence of Jesus because they were looking for magnificence in the wrong place.
John 5:45 “But do not think I will accuse you before the Father. Your accuser is Moses, on whom your hopes are set.
John 5:46 If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me.
John 5:47 But since you do not believe what he wrote, how are you going to believe what I say?”
So does Jesus condemn them for looking in the wrong place for magnificence? For not seeing how magnificent He is? No. Moses does, the giver of the law. The one person they had as their hero. He would accuse them because they did not listen to what he said. One of the last things that Moses said was that a preacher would come who would live among them and be like him. He warned them that they must listen to him. They didn’t. They didn’t even see His magnificence. They came up empty in their search for the magnificence of Jesus.
Conclusion
Will we come up empty in our search? Will we see His magnificence? I would like to encourage you today to start a search for the magnificence of Jesus. This teaching of Jesus has given us instruction on how. This instruction can also be used to find our own magnificence and each other’s magnificence.
Let’s sum up what we have learned. These are not the points of this sermon, but they are principles put out in this sermon. First, we should not put much weight on what people say. Second, we should look at what people do, not what they say. In doing this, we should look at what Jesus did. Examine His miracles. Examine His teachings. Examine His attitude. Examine what he said. In doing so, we will find magnificence, His and ours. Thirdly, look at what the Bible says. The Bible says much about magnificence. The Bible shows us the real magnificence. Then fourthly, look for magnificence from God. Do what pleases God. Obey His message. Do things His way. Desire God’s nod of approval. Become consumed with that. Don’t look for magnificence from people.
You have probably heard stories about someone finding valuable things in a barn. But have you ever looked in a barn? If you look in 9 out of 10 barns, the most interesting thing you will find is a pile of hay. I had a barn once. It didn’t have any hay in it. It had an owl and a pack rat. That’s it.
That did not deter two motorcar specialists. They went around France looking in barns. First they had to find the barns, so they drove down country roads looking for them. When they found one, they would ask for permission to look in it. If the owner wasn’t home. They would come back later. They usually found nothing. There were many, many country roads and many barns. But they were on a search, not for magnificence, but for antique cars. Eventually, they were successful. They found a barn that was full of classic cars. The owner had stored them in his barn for safekeeping and promptly forgotten about them. They were worth 18 million dollars. Their search paid off.
Let me encourage you to go on a search for magnificence. It is out there. Look in the right place. Look at Jesus. See His magnificence. Look at God and do what He wants you to do. If you do, the magnificence will come.
