PM Home Bible Study Group; August 22, 2012
John 5.31-47
Theme: In this passage, Jesus supports His claims about Himself by calling forth the witnesses.
(Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references are taken from The Holy Bible, New King James Version; copyright 1982, Thomas Nelson, Inc.)
The closing section of the fifth chapter of John’s Gospel is comparable to a courtroom scene. The defendant is the Lord Jesus Christ. The prosecutors are the Jewish leaders who took issue with Him over His having healed a lame man and telling him to take up his bed and carry it on the Sabbath (John 5:1-18). And because of Jesus’ words in John 5:17—”My Father has been working until now, and I have been working”—the case against Him concerned the testimony He bore of His own identity. As we’re told, “Therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill Him, because He not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God” (v. 18).
The events of this ‘courtroom scene’ are very significant. In his commentary on the Gospel of John, F.F. Bruce wrote, “The conflict between Jesus and the religious establishment in Jerusalem, begun in this chapter with the claim to be the Son of God, continues to be waged with increasing intensity throughout the Gospel until it reaches its climax in the passion narrative” (F.F. Bruce, The Gospel of John [Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1983], p. 139). The case made against Him was plainly stated in John 19:7, “We have a law, and according to our law, He ought to die, because He made Himself the Son of God.” Therefore, the telling of this story is crucial to the whole purpose of John’s Gospel—”that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name” (20:31).
Already in our ‘courtroom drama’, the Lord Jesus has set forth His own testimony. As we saw in our last study, Jesus made the case for His identity in John 5:19-30; arguing that (1) He is the imitator of the Father (v. 19); the one to whom the Father reveals all He does (v. 20); the one through whom life is given (v. 21); the one entrusted with all judgment (v. 22); the one whom to honor is to honor the Father (v. 23); the one who is the means of obtaining eternal righteousness (v. 24); the one who has life from the Father in Himself (vv. 25-26); the one who has the right to judge as the Son of Man (v. 27); the one who will literally raise the dead (vv. 28-29); and the one who does the will of the Father (v. 30). In other words, He made it clear in His testimony that He was—indeed—the very Son of God that they accused Him of saying that He was.
* * * * * * * * * *
But just as is true in any courtroom, our Lord did not base His case upon His own testimony alone. He brought forth witnesses. In this passage, then, we find that . . .
I. THE NEED FOR WITNESSES WAS ADMITTED (vv. 31-32).
A. Jesus began by saying, “If I bear witness of Myself, My witness is not true” (v. 31). We shouldn’t take this to mean that, if it stood alone, Jesus’ own testimony would be found false. It simply means that a man’s testimony in a court of law is not ordinarily considered sufficient if it is the only thing being presented. As the New International Version translates it: “If I testify about myself, my testimony is not valid.” Later on, in another situation, He bore testimony of Himself; and the religious leaders said, “You bear witness of Yourself; Your witness is not true” (John 8:13). He responded by saying, “Even if I bear witness of Myself, My witness is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going; but you do not now where I come from and where I am going” (v. 14). Jesus had no concern that His self-testimony would be proven untrue. But He recognized that other witnesses were necessary to validate His own testimony in the sight of men.
B. He goes on, then, to affirm; “There is another who bears witness of Me, and I know that the witness which He witnesses of Me is true” (v. 32). Who is this “other”? The context would suggest that it is the Father. In John 8:17-18, Jesus said to them, “It is also written in your law that the testimony of two men is true. I am One who bears witness of Myself, and the Father who sent Me bears witness of Me.” Other witnesses are about to be brought forth in His defense; but it seems best to see them all as, together, constituting the singular witness of the Father concerning His Son.
II. THE WITNESSES WERE BROUGHT FORTH (vv. 33-40).
A. The First Witness: The Forerunner (vv. 33-35). This speaks of John the Baptist. Jesus tells the religious leaders who were opposing Him, “You have sent to John, and he has borne witness to the truth” (v. 33). As it says in John 1:6-9; “There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.” John was not the Light. He was simply a lamp that bore witness to it. The Pharisees asked John why he did what he did; and he told them, “I baptize with water, but there stands One among you whom you do not know. It is He who, coming after me, is preferred before me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose” (1:26-27). It wasn’t that the Son of God needed the testimony of a mere human to validate Him; but rather that John’s testimony was necessary for the sake of other men. “Yet I do not receive testimony from man,” Jesus said, “but I say these things that you may be saved” (v. 34). The religious leaders recognized John as a prophet and respected his word. And it was John that bore witness that “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him. I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God” (John 1:32-34). John, then, is the first great witness that Jesus calls forth in defense of His own identity. As Jesus told the religious leaders concerning John; “He was the burning and shining lamp, and you were willing for a time to rejoice in his light” (v. 35). They did indeed delight to come to John the Baptist. Surely they should accept His witness concerning Christ!
B. The Second Witness: The Works (v. 36). Jesus didn’t rely on the witness of John alone. John was, after all, a man speaking to mere men. Jesus went on to call forth a witness that was greater than that of any mere man—greater than even so great a man as John. He said, “But I have a greater witness than John’s; for the works which the Father has given Me to finish—the very works that I do—bear witness of Me, that the Father has sent Me” (v. 36). In a negative sense, no one could accuse Jesus of unrighteousness based on His works. He once challenged them by saying, “Which of you convicts Me of sin?” (John 8:46). And of course, no could give an answer! And in a positive sense, His works testified of His identity. In Isaiah 29:18, it says concerning the times of the coming Messiah; “In that day the deaf shall hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity and out of darkness.” And was not Jesus giving sight to the blind and hearing to the deaf? Isaiah 35:5-6 says, “Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then the lame shall leap like a deer, and the tongue of the dumb sing.” And were not these things being done before their very eyes by Jesus? Isaiah 61:1 has the Messiah saying, “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, because the Lord has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound . . .”. And weren’t these the very things that Jesus Himself was doing? Weren’t His works an effective witness of His identity— He who cleansed lepers, gave sight to the blind, gave hearing to the deaf, gave life to the dead; who commanded the storms of the sea, and who exercised authority over demons? As He would later tell these leaders, “If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; but if I do, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him” (John 10:38). How could they— who saw these works with their own eyes—not believe Him to be who they clearly testified Him to be?
C. The Third Witness: The Father (v. 37). Not only did the works testify that He was of the Father; but the Father Himself testified. Jesus said, “And the Father Himself, who sent Me, has testified of Me” (v. 37a). The Bible records three times in which the Father audibly spoke from heaven concerning His Son. At His baptism, we’re told that “the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, ‘This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased'” (Matthew 3:16-17). On the mount of transfiguration, when He was alone with Peter, James and John, we’re told that “a bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, ‘This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!'” (Matthew 17:5). And once again, when He rode into Jerusalem at the time of His triumphal entry, we’re told that Jesus said, “Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose I came to this hour. Father, glorify Your name.’ Then a voice came from heaven, saying, ‘I have both glorified it and will glorify it again.’ Therefore the people who stood by and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said, ‘An angel has spoken to Him.’ Jesus answered and said, ‘This voice did not come because of Me, but for your sake'” (John 12:27-30). Not all where privileged to hear or understand the Father’s own audible testimony concerning His Son. Jesus told the religious leaders who did not believe, “You have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His form” (v. 37b). But others clearly did hear the voice of God the Father testifying of His Son. What a witness this was!
D. The Fourth Witness: The Word (vv. 38-40). The reason that the religious leaders did not hear the testimony of the Father is what led Jesus to bring forth His fourth witness. He said to them, “But you do not have His word abiding in you, because whom He sent, Him you do not believe” (v. 38). They were not receptive to what God’s own word said to them concerning His Son. As proof of this, Jesus went on to say, “You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life” (vv. 39- 40). All the Old Testament Scriptures—which the religious leaders said that they honored and believed—testified of Jesus. Dr. Luke tells us that, after Jesus rose from the dead, He appeared to two disciples walking along the road; and “beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself” (Luke 24:27). He later told the disciples; “’These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me” (v. 44). In describing the gospel he preached, Paul wrote to the Corinthians and said, “For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures
. . .” (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). In Revelation, when the apostle John fell down in awe and worshiped an angel, the angel told him, “Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy” (Revelation 19:10). The very testimony of the Scriptures concerning themselves is that they are the testimony of Jesus—the testimony of who He is and what He would come to do. And they—along with the voice of the Father, the works that Jesus performed, and the testimony of John the Baptist—serve as a powerful witness in defense of His testimony of Himself.
III. REJECTING THE WITNESSES RESULTED IN CONDEMNATION (vv. 41-47).
A. Sadly, the religious leaders did not accept the testimony that was given them concerning Jesus. They trusted neither His own testimony, or the witnesses that irrefutably validated that testimony. And this fact testified to much—not of Him—but of them! It showed that they did not have the love of God in them. He told them, “I do not receive honor from men” (v. 41). It didn’t make any difference to Him whether they believed His testimony or not. His honor came from God; and the absolute truth of His witness of Himself as one honored by God could neither be validated nor invalidated by men. But He went on to say, “But I know you, that you do not have the love of God in you” (v. 42). He knew what was in the heart of men (John 2:24-25); and knew that the fact that they did not receive Him—whom the Father had sent—bore witness that they did not have the love of the Father in them.
B. What’s more, their rejection of the witness concerning Him meant that they would end up accepting ‘another’. He said, “I have come in My Father’s name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, him you will receive” (v. 43). They rejected the one God sent to them; and in the decades that followed, they ‘received’ many false christs instead. Many students of the Bible believe that this is ultimately a warning that they will one day embrace the the Antichrist—the ‘king’ who will do ‘according to his own will’ (Daniel 11:36); who will be a ‘shepherd’ who will ‘not care’ for them (Zechariah 11:16); the ‘lawless one’ whose coming is “according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved” (2 Thessalonians 2:9-10).
C. Furthermore, it showed that they did not seek the honor which comes from God. Jesus said, “How can you believe, who receive honor from one another, and do not seek the honor that comes from the only God?” (v. 44). They were more concerned with the ‘honor’ that came on the ‘horizontal level’ than that which comes from the ‘vertical level’. They were mere sinful, unbelieving men who—out of a lust for honor from one another—failed to honor the one that God honored them by sending to them! They feared man more than God; and thus rejected the plain testimony of the one who God sent to save them. “He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him” (John 1:11).
D. Finally, it meant that Moses—whom they said they trusted—would accuse them. In response to their rejection of Him, Jesus said, “Do not think that I shall accuse you to the Father; there is one who accuses you—Moses, in whom you trust. For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote about Me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?” (vv. 45-47). Moses—in the very law that they said that they loved—had said; “The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren. Him you shall hear, according to all you desired of the Lord your God in Horeb in the day of the assembly, saying, ‘Let me not hear again the voice of the Lord my God, nor let me see this great fire anymore, lest I die.’ And the Lord said to me: ‘What they have spoken is good. I will raise up for them a Prophet like you from among their brethren, and will put My words in His mouth, and He shall speak to them all that I command Him. And it shall be that whoever will not hear My words, which He speaks in My name, I will require it of him'” (Deuteronomy 18:15-19).
* * * * * * * * * *
Our faith in Jesus is a profoundly credible one. It is based not only on Jesus’ testimony of Himself; but on the testimony that God the Father bears of His Son. As the apostle John wrote, “If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater; for this is the witness of God which He has testified of His Son. He who believes in the Son of God has the witness in himself; he who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed the testimony that God has given of His Son. And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life” (1 John 5:9-12).
Jesus made a reliable case for His identity—fully validated by the most credible witnesses possible. Truly, the defense rests.