John 5:31, 36-37, 39, 45-46 KJV If I bear witness of myself, my witness is not true. 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. 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. Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father: there is one that accuseth you, even Moses, in whom ye trust. For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me. John 5:31–47 In this section, Jesus speaks of several witnesses who bear testimony concerning him . The Johannine “witness” theme, in turn, is part of the larger “trial motif,” according to which it was not Jesus who was put on trial and condemned by the world but rather the world that was put on trial by Jesus. In order to demonstrate Jesus’ innocence and the world’s guilt, John parades before the reader a multitude of witnesses who bear testimony to Jesus’ true messianic identity and hence establish the world’s guilt in rejecting Jesus. John 5:37 The Father … has himself borne witness refers to the whole of the Father’s witness, including all of Jesus’ miracles and teaching as directed by the Father (3:2; 5:19–20) and all of God’s witness in Scripture (vv. 45–47; Luke 24:27, 44; Acts 13:27; 1 John 5:9). John 5:39 The study of Scripture does not by itself impart life. The Scriptures rather bear witness to the One who gives life, namely, Jesus (. vv. 46–47). Consequently, the study of the Bible ought to result in genuine faith in Jesus, followed by obedient action and transformed lives, not merely acquisition of Bible knowledge. it is they that bear witness about me. People who (like Jesus’ Jewish opponents) read the OT without seeing that it all points to Jesus fail to understand its message.
Posted on: Thu, 28 Aug 2014 01:36:05 +0000