The Claims (5:19-47) - part 3 of 3

[30] I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and My judgment is just; because I seek not Mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent Me.
[31] If I bear witness of Myself, My witness is not true.
[32] There is another that beareth witness of Me; and I know that the witness which He witnesseth of Me is true.
[33] Ye sent unto John, and he bare witness unto the truth.
[34] But I receive not testimony from man: but these things I say, that ye might be saved.
[35] He was a burning and a shining light: and ye were willing for a season to rejoice in his light.
[36] But I have greater witness than that of John: for the works which the Father hath given Me to finish, the same works that I do, bear witness of Me, that the Father hath sent Me.
[37] And the Father Himself, which hath sent Me, hath borne witness of Me. Ye have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen his shape.
[38] And ye have not His word abiding in you: for whom He hath sent, Him ye believe not.
[39] Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of Me.
[40] And ye will not come to Me, that ye might have life.
[41] I receive not honour from men.
[42] But I know you, that ye have not the love of God in you.
[43] I am come in My Father's name, and ye receive Me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive.
[44] How can ye believe, which receive honour one of another, and seek not the honour that cometh from God only?
[45] Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father: there is one that accuseth you, even Moses, in whom ye trust.
[46] For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed Me: for he wrote of Me.
[47] But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe My words?

This historical beginning in Jesus' public ministry has a third and final act that I will call Jesus' claims. 

Third Claim: He said that there are credible witnesses who back up His claim to be God (vv. 30–47).

In John's gospel, the word "witness" is very important; it is used forty-seven times. Jesus did testify on His own behalf, but He was aware that they would not accept it, so He summoned three additional witnesses.

The first witness was John the Baptist (John 5:30–35), who the religious leaders had questioned thoroughly (John 1:15ff.). Our Lord actually pointed the rulers back to the testimony of John the Baptist right before He died (Matt. 21:23–27). John knew who Jesus was and told the people of Israel what he knew. John said that Jesus was the Lord (John 1:23), the Lamb of God (John 1:29, 36), and the Son of God (John 1:34).

John was a "burning and shining lamp" (Jesus is the Light, John 8:12), and the Jewish people were very interested in what he was doing. But their excitement faded, and no one tried to save John when Herod arrested him. The leaders considered John to be a "local celebrity" (Matt. 11:7–8), but they didn't want to hear his message of repentance. The publicans and sinners accepted John's message and changed their ways, but the religious leaders did not (Matt. 21:28–32).

When God raises up a spiritual leader who attracts a lot of attention, there is always the risk of drawing people who want to be around him but don't want to follow his orders. A "mixed multitude" followed Moses and Israel out of Egypt. These were people who were impressed by the miracles but didn't give in to the Lord. The prophets, apostles, and great church leaders all had to confront people who were shallow and followed the crowd but didn't follow the truth. We have them in churches now.

The second witness to our Lord was His miracles (John 5:36). You will remember that John chose seven of these "signs" to show that Jesus is the Son of God (John 20:30–31). Jesus said clearly that the things He did were the same as the things the Father did (John 5:17–20; 14:10). Nicodemus had to agree that the miracles our Lord did showed that He was "sent from God" (John 3:2).

The Bible also tells of miracles done by regular people like Moses, Elijah, and Paul. Do these miracles show that they are also sent by God? Yes, they do (see Heb. 2:3–4), but none of these men ever said they were the Son of God. No servant of God who could do God's wonderful works would ever say that they were God. The fact that Jesus said this, along with His outstanding works and perfect life, shows that what He said is true.

Jesus said that the Father gave Him a certain job to do while He was on earth. "I have finished the work which thou gavest Me to do." (John 17:4). He was not only on a divine schedule; He also followed a divine plan. He had certain tasks to complete in accordance with the Father's will. The Old Testament law said that there had to be two or three witnesses (Num. 35:30; Deut. 17:6). The Lord met that requirement by giving three reliable witnesses.

The Word of the Father (John 5:37–47) was the third and last witness our Lord called. The Jews held the written Word of God in great esteem, especially the law given through Moses. Moses heard God's voice and saw God's glory, but we can hear and see that same voice and glory in the Bible (see 2 Peter 1:12–21). People who received and kept the Old Testament Scriptures were blind to their Messiah, even though those Scriptures testify to Jesus Christ. Why?

For one thing, they did not let that Word abide in them (John 5:38). John 5:39 is likely a factual assertion telling them that they examine the scriptures, for in them you think you possess eternal life. The Jewish scribes wanted to know the Word of God, but they didn't know the God of the Word. They counted the letters in the text, but they didn't see the spiritual truths that were there.

These Jewish leaders' minds were not right because they could not see Christ in their Scriptures (see 2 Cor. 3:14–18; 4:3–6). But their wills were also wrong: they wouldn't put their faith in the Savior. They refused to accept Christ because they lacked the Word in their hearts. They thought they were virtuous Christians, but they weren't.

These leaders had another problem: they didn't care about anyone. They did not have the love of God in their heart (John 5:42). This behavior means that they only feel God's love for them and show their love for God. They said they loved God, but the way they treated Jesus Christ showed that their love was fake.

Their attitude toward God's Word hurt their faith, but so did how they felt about themselves and each other. The Pharisees liked it when people honored them (see Matt. 23:1–12), but they didn't look for the honor that comes only from God. They did not respect the Son (John 5:23) because He did not respect them! They turned down the real Son of God, who came in the name of the Father. One day, they will accept a false messiah, the Antichrist, who will come in his name (John 5:43; see also 2 Thess. 2; Rev. 13). If we turn down what is true, we will eventually acquire what is false.

Our Lord ended this powerful sermon by telling the Jewish leaders that Moses, whom they respected, would be their judge, not their savior. One day, the same Scriptures they used to defend their faith would speak out against them. The Jews were aware of what Moses wrote, but they didn't truly believe it. We may possess the Word in our minds or in our hands, but it is an entirely different matter to have it in our hearts. The written Word testifies to the Incarnate Word, which is Jesus (John 1:14). "And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, He expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning Himself." (Luke 24:27).

John the Baptist's testimony, the divine miracles, and the Word of God all confirm that Jesus Christ is one with the Father and the Son of God.

The religious leaders' accusations didn't scare our Lord. You can see that after the events in John 5, Jesus broke the Sabbath deliberately again if you look at a harmony of the Gospels. He let His followers pick grain on the Sabbath and healed a man with a withered hand (Matt. 12:1–14). These things probably happened in Galilee, but the leaders in Jerusalem and Judea would have heard about them.

The healing of the man on the Sabbath would be brought up again (John 7:21–23). The leaders would keep protecting tradition instead of trying to understand the truth (see Mark 7:1–13). Maybe we should look at our lives and churches before we judge them. Are we letting our religious traditions keep us from seeing the truth in God's Word? Are we so focused on "Bible study" that we can't see Jesus Christ in the Word? Does knowing the Bible make us feel "big-headed" or "burning-hearted"?