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The Gospel of John, The Period of Controversy, The Claims of Jesus Christ, The Witnesses for Christ, Part IV, John 5:30-36 - Lesson 34
Verses 5:30-32, 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. If I bear witness of myself, my witness is not true. There is another that bear witness of me: and I know that the witness which he witnesseth of me is true.
Here again Jesus reminds us that he does nothing of himself.
Nothing he does is self-determined.
All that he does is in harmony with the Godhead.
In all that he did, he obeyed the Father.
God the Father has no one to obey.
But the Son, as we remember in Hebrews 5:8, "learned obedience."
When the Son of God became the Son of man he learned to do what God the Father had never done.
He learned to obey.
This too is our challenge as the Holy Spirit conforms to the image of the Son.
The child of God must learn to obey the Father.
Jesus is the perfect example of one who always obeyed the Father.
He says, "As I hear, I judge and my judgment is just."
His judgment is identical with the judgment of God because he does his Father's will.
Therefore his judgment is flawless, and just.
He does not deal in grace here.
He deals in justice, not mercy.
And he has no will in the matter of judgment, apart from the will of the Father.
Perfect agreement and perfect unity.
Jesus says that if he witnesses of himself, this kind of witness is not valid.
A testimonial to oneself is no testimony.
It may be true but in law it must be supported by other evidence.
No one can witness his own signature.
Jewish law requires at least two witnesses other than the person witnessed about.
He is talking here about the witness of the Father and the witness of the Holy Spirit.
These witnesses are true.
Do you not know the witness of the Holy Spirit when you are born again?
Does not your spirit and the Holy Spirit witness to each other?
Those who are born from above, those who are born again attest to this witness.
Jesus continues with other witnesses to himself as he claims equality with the Father.
He does not back off but continues to press the Jewish critics with his deity.
In verses 33-47 we are witness to the the Deity of Christ as expressed by four witnesses.
We will see:
The Witness of John vv. 33,34 The Witness of Christ's Works v.36 The Witness of the Father vv. 37,38 The Witness of the Scriptures v.39
We also see Christ's Witness to John in v.35 and Christ's Witness against the Jews vv.40-47
Continuing then we see John the Apostle, present the glories of Jesus Christ.
We will hear Jesus say that although his witness is not a legally acceptable witness there are other witnesses that prove his diety.
Looking at Jesus Christ through human eyes he appears to be an ordinary man.
Born in humble surroundings, working without fame in his human father's footsteps as a carpenter, with nothing outwardly to show that he was the Lord of Glory.
He begins his public ministry, not with some great public relations explosion but instead he appears meek and lowly without the ostentation and pomp that the great and mighty of this world would exhibit.
He gathers around him, not the high and lifted up ones of this world, but a few unknown poor and uneducated fishermen.
For a time the crowds acclaim him but soon turn against him and cry for his death.
But here in this passage Jesus reminds the Jews that there are other witnesses to his deity.
He reminds them of what John said after they sent their emissaries to him.
THE WITNESS OF JOHN THE BAPTIST
Verses 5:33-35, Ye sent unto John, and he bare witness unto the truth. But I receive not testimony from man: but these things I say, that ye might be saved. He was a burning and a shining light: and ye were willing for a season to rejoice in his light.
John the Baptist bare witness to the truth.
John told them that he was not the Christ, but simply the voice of one crying in the wilderness.
He said that he was not worthy to untie the shoe lachet of the Christ.
Jesus goes on further to say that he does not receive (or seek) testimony from man but only tells the Jews these things for their benefit.
The sun certainly does not need the moon to announce the sunrise.
He does not tell them this witness in order to lift himself up and make himself important in their eyes or to affirm his claims but he tells them these things so that they may be saved.
Jesus did not need the witness of John to uplift him.
God sent John in order for Israel to repent and to be saved.
He sent John to prepare the way for Christ for the ultimate benefit of Israel.
John's ministry was designed to arouse men and to produce in them a knowledge of their deep need of the one who was to come.
He was sent to call a nation to repentance.
He was sent to ready a nation to receive their king and to receive a kingdom.
Jesus is gracious to John here.
He testifies to his faithfulness in doing his duty as a faithful servant of God.
Jesus bears witness to him and calls him a burning and shining light or lamp.
Burning inwardly and shining outwardly.
His lamp had shined before men.
He did not hide his lamp but shined it up for men so that the true light, the Lord Jesus Christ would be seen in his fullest.
He reminds the Jews that they were willing for a season to rejoice in his light.
Note the word "rejoice."
The joy of the Jews was because of his promise that a messiah was soon coming.
They were looking for a militant messiah, someone made of their own imagination.
Jesus did not fit that imagination.
He did not fit their specifications for a Messiah.
Their joy soon faded.
They were soon disillusioned.
Note the same reaction that they had to the reaction of the stony ground hearers of the parable of the Sower that Jesus later relates.
They received the word with joy, not with faith and soon because they had no root in themselves, they did not endure.
He that endures to the end shall be saved.
Those that are saved will continue! And they shall live by faith, and that faith will express itself in joy.
THE WITNESS OF HIS WORKS
Verse 5:36, 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.
The Father gave to Jesus Christ certain works, which should to reasonable men, testify to his deity.
The miracles that Jesus Christ performed were his credentials.
These were his credits. His works were his resume'.
The works that he did was God the Father's stamp of approval and endorsement of him.
They were samples selected to show all aspects of his divine power and to establish his claims as the Son of God.
Nicodemus saw this when he said, "no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him."
He exhibited his divine power over the elements,
He exhibited his divine power over inanimate objects and the forces of nature,
He exhibited his divine power over demons, disease, and over death itself.
He healed thousands of the sick, the demented, the crippled.
John records seven signs to show that Jesus Christ is God manifest in the flesh.
Three of these signs show his power as the creator, three of the signs reveal his power to heal the sick, and the seventh sign presents his power to raise the dead.
Each sign was carefully selected by the Holy Spirit through John, that "ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name."
In John 14:11, John tells us that his works alone are sufficient for anyone to believe in him.
He says, "Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works sake."
His works declare that unbelief is without excuse!
Jesus says, just examine my works with a sincere heart and you will conclude that I am worthy of your belief or trust.
By doing these works, Jesus showed himself to be the Son of God. His works bare witness of him.
When you see his works you see who he is.
Likewise with any man or woman.
A man's work reveals the man.
A woman's work reveals the woman.
A child's work reveals the child.
You can likewise say, "the works that I do, bear witness of me."
What is the quality of your work?
Do you just do enough to get by?
The quality and character of Jesus' work testifies to his deity.
Does the quality of your work testify to your connection to that deity?
Does your work bare witness to your salvation?
Does your work declare that Jesus Christ is who you trust in?
The many works of Jesus were all part of the main work of the Son; that is to seek and to save that which was lost.
All of the miracles were preparation for his main work as the Savior.
His work was to die and to shed his blood so that salvation was activated, so that salvation was made possible, for without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sins. |