Four Witnesses to Jesus Gospel reading: John 5:30-47 Video clip: None Available 30 “I can do nothing on My own. I judge only as I hear, and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. 31 “If I testify about Myself, My testimony is not valid.[a] 32 There is Another who testifies about Me, and I know that the testimony He gives about Me is valid.[b]33 You have sent messengers to John, and he has testified to the truth. 34 I don’t receive man’s testimony, but I say these things so that you may be saved. 35 John[c] was a burning and shining lamp, and for a time you were willing to enjoy his light. 36 “But I have a greater testimony than John’s because of the works that the Father has given Me to accomplish. These very works I am doing testify about Me that the Father has sent Me. 37 The Father who sent Me has Himself testified about Me. You have not heard His voice at any time, and you haven’t seen His form. 38 You don’t have His word living in you, because you don’t believe the One He sent. 39 You pore over[d] the Scriptures because you think you have eternal life in them, yet they testify about Me. 40 And you are not willing to come to Me so that you may have life. 41 “I do not accept glory from men, 42 but I know you—that you have no love for God within you. 43 I have come in My Father’s name, yet you don’t accept Me. If someone else comes in his own name, you will accept him. 44 How can you believe? While accepting glory from one another, you don’t seek the glory that comes from the only God. 45 Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father. Your accuser is Moses, on whom you have set your hope. 46 For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me, because he wrote about Me. 47 But if you don’t believe his writings, how will you believe My words?” **Verse 5:30 Jesus again tells them that he can do nothing on His own, characterizing Himself as God’s authorized messenger. This echoes Moses, “…the Lord sent me to do all these and that it was not of my own will”. (Nm 16:28) **Verse 5:31 Jesus was not making a statement denying His own reliability, but was indicating to the significance of having multiple witnesses. (Dt. 17:6; 19:15) **Verse 5:32 Jesus was speaking here of God the Father (avoiding using His name was a common way of shoeing reverence). **Verse 5:33 Jesus as the truth echoes that he only is the true and only way of salvation and any claim otherwise is false. **Verse 5:35 John the baptizer was a lamp established and sent by God for “His Anointed One” (Ps 132:17). John was not the “Light” and his witness was comparatively small and temporary. **Verse 5:37 Here Jesus speaks of “The Father…has Himself testified”, which is likely a reference to the voice at Jesus’ baptism. The reference to His hearers had not heard God’s voice or seen Him, is alluding to the Israelites receiving God’s law at Mount Sinai, without seeing Him or hearing His voice. **Verse 5:38 “Have His word living in you”… portrays the God fearing person who has the word of God living in his heart. (Jos. 1:8-9; Ps 119:11) **Verse 5:39 Jesus speaks to the misunderstanding many have that Scripture does not impart life, but rather Scripture points to and witnesses to the “One” who does – Jesus. **Verse 5:43 Jesus speaks of others making claims and being accepted. Josephus (first-century Romano-Jewish scholar and historian, who was born in Jerusalem) reported multiple messianic imposters during the years before A.D. 70. **Verses 5:45-47 Jesus reference to Moses prepares us for Chapter 6 whereby He (Jesus) is presented as the new Moses who will provide new “bread from heaven”. The reference to Moses as the accuser is probably referring to Dt. 31:26-27 where the law was invoked as a witness testimony against the Israelites. The reference to Moses writing about Jesus may be alluding to the Pentateuch (the first 5 books of the Bible which has been attributed to Moses) or the prediction of the coming of a “prophet like” Moses in Dt. 18:15. ***The witness theme in John, while bringing a multitude of witnesses testifying about Jesus as the Christ, actually becomes an indictment of the world which rejected Him.*** HCSB Study Bible; Holman Christian Standard Bible
Posted on: Fri, 19 Dec 2014 13:40:59 +0000