Good morning, church! I’m aware that many of us could be unsettled this morning as we’ve heard the news of a war breaking out in the Middle East. We’ve got loved ones and friends living out there, and there is a concern for their well-being. There could also be a sense of anxiety as we think about all that’s happening in the world around us.
In moments like this, we find strength and assurance not by looking at ourselves, at governments and at the military strength of nations. We look at what God’s Word tells us about our God. That’s how God’s people have always found strength and assurance.
Psalm 46:1-3 ESV
[1] God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. [2] Therefore we will not fear though the earth give way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, [3] though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling.
That’s our God and let’s commit the care of our loved ones and family into the hands of our God who is our refuge and strength.
As we move into our time with God’s Word, we’ve been going through a series titled Believing and Knowing Jesus from the gospel of John. And apostle John who is the writer of the gospel tells us explicitly that this is the reason why he wrote this gospel. He tells us that everything that he’s written was written so that we may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing we may have life in his name. (John 20:31)
Believing and Knowing Jesus is why he wrote this gospel! And so irrespective of where you are in your relationship with Jesus, this gospel has something to say to you. If you’re a believer, know that you’re been called to deeper commitment & knowledge of Jesus today. If you’ve not known Jesus, then this is an invitation to believe in Him and know Him as your Lord and Savior for the first time today.
As we come to Chapter 5, we can see that things have escalated quite quickly. Jesus has just performed his third sign that was recorded in the Gospel of John. An unbelievable miracle has just taken place where a man who was disabled for 38 long years was told by Jesus to get up, take his bed and walk! He actually did that. He instantly sprung up on his feet, took his bed and walked. An astonishing miracle for the man and everyone else who witnessed it that day.
Now you would imagine that a miracle of a kind like this should bring about a positive response towards Jesus. You would imagine that people, especially the religious Jews would be welcoming Jesus with open arms and honoring Jesus. That should have been the expected response. But instead we see them becoming hostile toward Him.
And this hostility had reached such a tipping point that the Jewish leaders were plotting to kill him! They hated Jesus. And why did they hate him? Because they saw him as a rule breaker. In their minds, they thought “how dare Jesus heals a person on the Sabbath? How dare Jesus call God the Father as His Father?”
And so what we’re seeing in this passage is Jesus’ response to their accusations. How is Jesus going to defend His claim of being God’s Son? What proof or evidence is there to show for that? And as Jesus shows the proofs or witnesses, He also diagnoses the real heart issue of the Jews. Until the heart issue gets fixed, none of the proofs will matter.
[30] “I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just, because I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me.
A few verses before Jesus tells the Jewish leaders that God the Father has given Him the authority to execute judgment. In other words, Jesus is the One who is going to sit at the Judgment seat. Jesus is the ultimate Judge.
Oftentimes in our church circles we don’t mention this enough. We focus on Jesus being our Friend, Jesus being our older brother but let’s not forget that He’s also our Judge. Every human being will have to stand before Him and give an account. He is the One who will pass the ultimate verdict – guilty or not guilty on the basis of our trust in His sacrifice. Let that fill our hearts with holy reverence for Him.
And so as Jesus isdefending Himself before these accusations, He’s telling them that they will one day stand before Him and give an account for their lives. And Jesus will pass a judgment – and it’s not a random, arbitrary judgment.
It’s a just judgment because it relies not on His will but His Father’s direction and guidance. Although Jesus has been given the authority as Judge, He’s not doing it independently – He is fully dependent on the Father’s will and direction.
[31] If I alone bear witness about myself, my testimony is not true. [32] There is another who bears witness about me, and I know that the testimony that he bears about me is true.
In these verses, Jesus turns to OT Jewish law to make a case for Himself. According to the OT law, if someone has to be charged guilty for a crime or wrongdoing, it will need to be established by not one witness but at least two or three witnesses. Jesus uses the same legal language to back up His own claims of being God’s Son.
He’s telling them that His claims are not simply self attested. But there is another person who bears witness about Him. There is another person who gives an honest, factual report about Jesus. Who is that person? Let’s find out.
[33] You sent to John, and he has borne witness to the truth.
Jesus references John the Baptist’s witness. As we all know, the Jews took John the Baptist’s words quite seriously because they considered him as a prophet of God. And what did John the Baptist say?
When priests and Levites came to him and asked him if he was the Christ? He said “No. I’m just an ordinary human being who baptizes people with water but among you is someone you don’t know whose sandal straps I’m not worthy to untie”. He is very clear in stating that He is not the Christ but that the Christ was about to make His appearance.
And then later on – on two separate occasions he sees Jesus and says this:
“Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world”. (John 1:29,35)
Nobody can say that John’s preaching and message was ambiguous. It was crystal clear that Jesus was the Christ.
[34] Not that the testimony that I receive is from man, but I say these things so that you may be saved.
[35] He was a burning and shining lamp, and you were willing to rejoice for a while in his light.
Jesus clarifies that this is not the person’s testimony that He was referring to. We will come to that testimony a little later.
But Jesus uses John the Baptist’s testimony so that the Jewish leaders might be saved. He’s basically telling them “I know you are struggling to believe in me, but listen to John the Baptist. Take him seriously”.
I find it so interesting that Jesus uses John’s testimony so that they would be saved. But why does Jesus want to save those who are plotting to kill Him?
And this should help us understand that Jesus’ conversations with his most hostile enemies were not to school them or troll them or just win an argument. A lot of our online debates are just about that.
But that’s not what Jesus was doing. Jesus was laying down the facts and witnesses so that even his most hostile and bitter enemies could be saved. Even in the midst of a very tense conversation, it’s filled with grace.
John 3:17
[17] For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.
Jesus knew why He came into the world. To save people – even those who hated and persecuted Jesus. Case in example – the apostle Paul who in own testimony said this:
1 Timothy 1:12-16
[12] I thank him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful, appointing me to his service, [13] though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, [14] and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. [15] The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. [16] But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life.
[36] But the testimony that I have is greater than that of John.
Jesus is building a case from lesser to greater. John the Baptist’s testimony is already there, but there is a greater testimony than that of John.
Whose testimony is Jesus talking about? God the Father. And God the Father uses different ways, different channels, different proofs to bear witness about His Son? What are these?
1. Witness of Jesus’ works (v36)
For the works that the Father has given me to accomplish, the very works that I am doing, bear witness about me that the Father has sent me.
Themiracles that Jesus performed while He was on earth were astonishing! These were not illusions. There were not magic tricks. These were never seen before, life-changing miracles that pointed to the divinity of Christ.
As we look through the Gospels, we see miracles of all different kinds performed by the Lord. We read about blind people beginning to see with their eyes, deaf people beginning to hear, mute people beginning to speak, crippled people beginning to walk and use their limbs. People with skin diseases and leprosy being healed. People with bleeding issues being healed. People with seizures being healed. People who have been possessed by demons being healed. People who were at the point of death being healed. People who were dead being brought back to life!
These by no description and definition can be qualified as ordinary cures. These are unbelievable miracles! And in fact Isaiah prophecied that this would be one of the markers of the Messiah.
Isaiah 35:5-6 ESV
[5] Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; [6] then shall the lame man leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute sing for joy. For waters break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert;
You couldn’t witness these miracles with your eyes andstill conclude that Jesus hadn’t come from God. It was plainly obvious!
That’s the first channel that the Father used to bear witness about His Son. The second one is:
2. Witness of Scripture (v37-39)
[37] And the Father who sent me has himself borne witness about me. His voice you have never heard, his form you have never seen, [38] and you do not have his word abiding in you, for you do not believe the one whom he has sent. [39] You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me,
And then Jesusmoves on to showing how God has testified about Jesus. Although they’ve not audibly heard his voice, although they’ve not seen him, yet God has clearly testified about His Son. How did he do that?
Through His Word. The written Scriptures which were given to them.
And then Jesus makes a very direct charge at them. V38 – Jesus tells these Scriptural learned, trained Jewish leaders that God’s word doesn’t abide in them. Because if it did, they would believe (entrust themselves, commit themselves, surrender themselves) in the One that God has sent. All the spiritual knowledge that they had gained didn’t translate into genuine faith in Jesus Christ.
V39 – They search the Scriptures – these were people who didn’t just read the Scriptures from the surface. They studied it. They went into depth. They thoroughly investigated Scripture. These were not ordinary lay people here. These were theologically skilled and knowledgeable people. If we were there at that time, we would’ve been amazed at the sheer wealth of spiritual knowledge that these people had.
And yet all of this didn’t help them to come to Jesus. It just remained at a head knowledge level. Which should tell us something. Spiritual resources don’t guarantee a relationship with Jesus. Spiritual biblical resources are now more accessible to us than it has been for any other age, but yet with all of that it doesn’t guarantee a relationship with Jesus.
Sometime back I had the chance of listening to a brother in Christ who shared his testimony of how he went through 3 years of Bible seminary while he was still an unbeliever. It was after that that he understood the Gospel, filled with the conviction of the Lord and turned to God in repentance and faith.
And then Jesus goes on to diagnose the real heart issue?
First heart issue:
[40] Yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life.
The real problem wasn’t the lack of spiritual resources. They had all of them and more. The real problem was a refusal – a stubborn unwillingness to come to Jesus and have life.
Second heart issue:
[41] I do not receive glory from people. [42] But I know that you do not have the love of God within you. [43] I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not receive me. If another comes in his own name, you will receive him. [44] How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?
[45] Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father. There is one who accuses you: Moses, on whom you have set your hope. [46] For if you believed Moses, you would believe me; for he wrote of me. [47] But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words?”
Deuteronomy 18:15-18 ESV[15] “The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers—it is to him you shall listen— [16] just as you desired of the Lord your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly, when you said, ‘Let me not hear again the voice of the Lord my God or see this great fire any more, lest I die.’ [17] And the Lord said to me, ‘They are right in what they have spoken. [18] I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers. And I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him.