Jesus was written about by moses

JESUS WAS WRITTEN ABOUT BY MOSES
EDITED BY GLENN PEASE
John 5:46 If you had believedMoses, you would
believeMe, becausehe wrote about Me.
BIBLEHUB RESOURCES
A SpecialHindrance To Faith
John 5:44
D. Young
Jesus deals with the numerous obstacles to faith one by one, as they rise up.
And observe, too, that Jesus is here dealing, not only with unbelievers, but
with mortal enemies. Some lookedonJesus and listened to him, and then went
away, as little touched by hate as by love; others were so filled with falsehood
and pride, and zeal of God not according to knowledge,that almost every
word of Jesus causeda fresh and violent irritation. Such could do nothing but
oppose Jesus, andmake their unbelief hideously manifest in their works. And
Jesus knows the reasonfor all this violence in unbelief. These opponents of his
have wrong views as to the true glory of human nature. Jesus could never
have a glory that would please them.
I. MAN'S TOUCHING CONSCIOUSNESS THAT HE COMES SHORT OF
HIS GLORY. Forit is glory rather than honour that Jesus is here speaking
about. The word is δόξα, not τιμη. Glory is the manifestation, the full bringing

out of what is inside. Honour is the value, the price, so to speak, which others
put upon us. These enemies ofJesus, according to the judgment he expresses
upon them, were men seeking a glory which would not come by any natural
development. If it came, it had to come by their wishing and seeking. The
glory of the lily in its clothing comes by the mystery of its creation;the glory
of Solomoncomes by what he gathers to himself. Jesus lookedupon men,
every one of whom was conscious he had done something, had achievedfor
himself a position of sanctity and success whichmade it right for others to
honour him.
II. MAN LETTING HIS GLORY BE DETERMINEDBYFRAIL HUMAN
JUDGMENT. Whenambition gets into our hearts, we crave for those
eminences and splendours which the world, in its fondness for the outward
and visible, will readily recognize. Jesus couldnot be recognizedfor what he
was, because he could not be measuredby the standard to which his enemies
habitually appealed. It was not that he came short of the standard; he could
not be measuredby it at all. It was as if a man who had nothing but liquid
measures should be askedto determine the length of a piece of cloth. These
enemies of Jesus could not even understand him. He set at nought the glories,
the aims, and the sanctities they held dearest. Theylet glory be determined by
human traditions and the self-seeking notions of the natural heart.
III. HOW SEEKERS OF GLORYCAN COME TO A REAL FAITH IN
JESUS. They must see how in Jesus there is the real, abiding, everlasting
glory of humanity. In Jesus there was the glory that comethfrom God - the
glory of a pure heart, a gentle spirit, a perfectintegrity; the glory of a life that
best shows forth the glory of God. This was the glory of Jesus, thathe glorified
the Father. In the Son, those who had eyes to discern could see all of the
eternal glory that was within the reachof human perceptions. As long as these
enemies of Jesus remained in the same mind and clung to their cherished
standards, so long Jesus would be impossible to their faith. Our attitude to

Jesus infallibly determines our real worth. We are unconsciouslyjudging
ourselves in judging him. - Y.
Biblical Illustrator
Do not think that I will accuse youto the Father: there is one that accuseth
you, even Moses, in whom ye trust.
John 5:45-47
Christ's testimony to the Bible
J. Parker, D. D.
There is much controversyabout the Book. It will be interesting, amid the din
and tumult, to find out what Christ thought of it. If He makes it out to be a
goodBook, I shall continue my faith in it. If He is hesitant or doubtful, I shall
not hesitate to give it up.
I. IN REGARD TO OTHERS.
1. He commended it as an objectof study.(1) Without one word of caution. He
points to it as you would point your child to a garden, where you give him
liberty to roam where and eat what it may. If there was a pit there, or a
poisonous serpent, and your child came to harm, you would be to blame. So
Christ sends us to the Bible, and takes the entire responsibility.(2)
Authoritatively; not with a polite wish, but with a command. We want to do
awaywith the imperative mood, and are inviting people to be courteous
enough to let the sunlight into their chambers. If you have any doubt about
your Bible, then go like a crouching dog and ask people to kindly listen to
your tale. But if it be in your heart as the life of your life, then speak it boldly
and lovingly.(3) Completely. He does not say, "When you come upon anything
that taxes your fancy, put that into the waste-paperbasket,and go on; when
you meet with a difficulty, pass it by, and acceptwhatyou can accept;when

something appears incredible, rejectit, and pass on to what you can accept."
Had there been anything wrong there I know, because I know His truth and
nobleness, that He would have told me of it.
2. He declaredits absolute integrity, and exactly as a truth-speaking man
would do. Persons came to Him with a difficulty, and in His answerthere is
this parenthesis:"The Scriptures cannotbe broken." This was not special
pleading. The subjecthad no reference to Scripture. The remark is casualand
unstudied, and one on which those who examine witnessesplace great
reliance. He had the opportunity of making annotations, of saying, "I now
refer to the moral parts," or "I am speaking eclectically";but His whole
assumption, on the contrary, broadens out into an infinite confidence in the
integrity of the Scriptures.
3. He taught that it contains the greatanswers to all the greatquestions of the
soul(1) As regards duty. A man came to Him, asking, "Whatshall I do to
inherit eternallife?" Jesus instantly replied, "What is written in the law?"
and showedthat that greatquestion had been answeredfrom the
beginning.(2) As regards destiny. In the parable of the rich man and Lazarus
He showedthat the men of olden time did not go down to hell without
warning. "If they hear not Moses," etc.
II. IN REGARD TO HIMSELF. He was not a mere lecturer about the Bible.
1. He fled Himself to it in the time of His temptation and agony. "It is
written." In His greatcrisis He goes to the Bible; He has it in His heart; He
quotes it as if He had written it.

2. Coming out of the wilderness into society, we find Him even quoting it in
self-vindication. Again and againHe said to learned men, "Have ye never
read?" To His own disciples, "How is it that ye do not understand?" And
when He beganto read, their hearts began to burn. They had been reading
the Scriptures, and yet had made nothing of them, like many to-day. Readit
with Christ, and you will find His person, claims, promises, vindicated
everywhere.
3. Christ found Himself in the whole Bible. "Had ye believed Moses,"etc.
"Beginning at Moses,"etc. And what is the Old Testamenttestimony to Him?
That He is Creator, Preserver, Redeemer, Sovereign, Friend; "the same to-
day, yesterday, and for ever." Then searchthe Scriptures; read them through.
1. This alone will qualify you for criticizing it.
2. This alone will give you solid comfort and eternal life.
(J. Parker, D. D.)
The unity of the Bible an argument for its Divinity
H. Melvill, B. D.
In reading the Bible I seemalways to hear the same voice: whether the volume
is informing me how the unshapen chaos resolveditself at the Creator's
bidding into symmetry and life — or men, who, familiar with the scenes,are
gathering centuries into sentences;or the lawgiveris arranging the
ceremonies ofthe mystic volume; or historians are discoursing of battles and
captivities; or evangelists describing the institutions, and apostles unfolding
the doctrines of Christianity — I seemalways to hear the same voice, as

though the words of John, the exile in Patmos, were the echo of those of
Moses,the leaderof Israel. There is vast difference in the subjects
successively, touchedon; but, notwithstanding, there is a tone which I always
recognize, and which always impresses the feeling that I am hearkening to the
same speaker. There seems no change in the instrument, though continual
change in the sound; as if at one time the whirlwind sweptthe chords, that I
may be astonishedwith the utterance of wrath and devastation, and at
another they were touched by an angel's hand, that I might be soothedby the
melody of mercy. There is the same scheme carried on by the wanderings of
patriarchs, the sacrifices ofpriests, the ambition of kings, and the sufferings of
martyrs. The same style is preservedby the poet in his hymns, by the prophet
in his visions, the lawgiverin his codes, the historian in his annals; so that, as
though the Author never died, but appearedat one time in one character, and
another in another, the Bible comes to me as the dictate of one mind, and the
writing of one pen. Inspiration only accounts for this; but we cannotimagine
any other solution. And if (for it is on this our text bids us fasten) there be
such a sameness betweenthe Jewishand Christian dispensations, that all the
types in the one find exactantitypes in the other, and thus the two have such a
relationship, that they compose one uniform system, we must receive both or
rejectboth. If we believe Moses we must believe Christ, and if we believe
Christ we must believe Moses;and this serves to vindicate what might
otherwise seemdifficult, that no Jew can truly believe his own religion and yet
deny the Christian religion. "Forhad ye believed Moses,ye would have
believed Me; for he wrote of Me."
(H. Melvill, B. D.)
The impossibility of inventing the correspondence betweenMoses'testimony
and Christ's work
H. Melvill, B. D.
We should like to see a company of acute and scientific reasoners, but
ignorant of Christianity, sit down to the study of the books ofLeviticus and
Exodus; they shall be told, "These booksare full of types, and emblems, and

figures, and ceremonies, andyou must strive to devise a simple religious
system, which shall give significance to every item of this symbolic array;
there are mysterious intimations," we will tell them, "in every page, couched
in parabolic language, orunder sacrificialinstitutions, and your endeavour
must be to invent a scheme of theologywhich shall afford a plausible and
rational explanation of all that is thus obscure." Now do you honestly think
that our company of ingenious and intelligent writers would make much way
with their task? Canyou believe that, as the result of their joint labours, there
would be sent into the world any scheme of religion which should fix the plain
meaning, or at leastafford a clue, to all the mysteries of the books ofExodus
and Leviticus? Yet this is preciselywhat is done by the system of Christianity;
done with so unvarying a carefulness, thatyou cannot find a point to which
there is nothing corresponding. The men, moreover, who effectedthis were
ignorant and illiterate; so that the books were compiled when there was none
of those human appliances which at best would but ensure the most limited
success. Whatalternative, then, have we but that of admitting a supernatural
interference, and ascribing to God the whole system of Christianity?
(H. Melvill, B. D.)
Christ in the Old Testamentand in the New
Christ was in the faith of the patriarchs like corn in the ear; in the faith of the
law like corn grown into flower;but since the Incarnation He is in our faith
completely as when corn is made into bread.
( Bernard.).
COMMENTARIES
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(46) Forhad ye believed Moses.—The presentincredulity springs from that of
the past. If they had really believed Moses, theywould have seenin the whole
spirit of the Pentateucha manifestationof God, which would have led them to
the fuller manifestationin Christ. Worship, and sacrifice, and offering, and
priesthood, were all meant to teach. Their very name for “law” (Thorah)
meant “instruction.” But they acceptedwhat the senses couldknow, and never
went down beneath this surface to its true significance—i.e., theynever
believed Moses.We have here, in another form, the thought of John 5:39-40.
For he wrote of me.—See the marginal references;but the thought is not to be
confined to these passages.
Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary
5:45-47 Many trust in some form of doctrines or some parties, who no more
enter into the realmeaning of those doctrines, or the views of the persons
whose names they bear, than the Jews did into those of Moses.Let us search
and pray over the Scriptures, as intent on finding eternal life; let us observe
how Christ is the greatsubject of them, and daily apply to him for the life he
bestows.
Barnes'Notes on the Bible
Do not think that I will accuse you - Do not suppose that I intend to follow
your example. They had accusedJesus ofbreaking the law of God, John 5:16.
He says that he will not imitate their example, though he implies that he might
accuse them.
To the Father - To God.
There is one that accusethyou - Moses might be said to accuse orreprove
them. He wrote of the Messiah, clearlyforetold his coming, and commanded
them to hear him. As they did not do it, it might be said that they had

disregardedhis command; and as Moses was divinely commissionedand had
a right to be obeyed, so his command reproved them: they were disobedient
and rebellious.
He wrote of me - He wrote of the Messiah, andI am the Messiah, Genesis
3:15; Genesis 12:3;compare John 8:56; Genesis 49:10;Deuteronomy18:15.
Jamieson-Fausset-BrownBible Commentary
46. he wrote of me—"animportant testimony to the subject of the whole
Pentateuch—'ofMe'" [Alford].
Matthew Poole's Commentary
Had you given a hearty credit and understanding assentto Moses, thatis, to
the writings of Moses,forso the term is oft taken, Luke 16:31 24:27, you
would have received me: as all the law of Moses pointed to and prefigured me,
so he in particular wrote of me, Genesis 3:15 Deu 18:15.
Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible
For had ye believed Moses,.... The doctrine of Moses, and what he says in his
writings:
ye would have believed me; for there is an agreementbetweenMosesand
Christ; Christ is the end of the law of Moses, andin him is the
accomplishmentof his writings:
for he wrote of me; in the books written by him, Christ is spokenof, as the
seedof the woman, that should bruise the serpent's head; as the seedof
Abraham, in whom all nations of the earth should be blessed;as the Shiloh, to
whom the gathering of the people should be; and as that prophet, who should
be like unto himself, to whom the people of Israelshould hearken; and he
wrote many things typically of Christ; and indeed, the whole Mosaic economy

was typical of Christ, as the epistle to the Hebrews shows:and therefore
disbelieving Christ, was disbelieving Moses;who therefore would be an
accuserofthem, and a witness againstthem.
Geneva Study Bible
For had ye believed Moses,ye would have believed me; for he wrote of me.
EXEGETICAL(ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)
Meyer's NT Commentary
John 5:46. Proofthat Moses wastheir accuser. Moseswrote of Christ,
referring to Deuteronomy 18:15, and generallyto all the Messianic types
(comp. John 3:14) and promises of the Pentateuch, and to its general
Messianic import (Luke 24:44;Romans 10:5); in this, that they did not believe
Christ (i.e. that He spoke the truth), is implied that they rejectedthe truth of
what Moses hadwritten concerning Him. This unbelief is the subject-matter
of Moses’accusation. Wellsays Bengel:“Nonjuvit Judaeos illud: Credimus
vera esse omnia, quae Moses scripsit. Fide explicita opus erat.”
John 5:47. δέ] Further conclusionfrom the unbelief with regardto Moses,
pointed out in John 5:46. Thus the discourse ends with a question implying
hopelessness.
The antithesis is not betweenγράμμασινand ῥήμασι (as if the writings were
easierof belief than the words), but betweenἐκείνου and ἐμοῖς (faith in him
being the necessarycondition of faith in Christ); while the distinction of
Moses having written (comp. John 5:46), and Christ spoken, simply presents
the historicalrelation. Were the antithesis betweenγράμμ. and ῥήμ., these
words would have takenthe lead; were it betweenboth, in γράμ. and ῥήμ.,
and at the same time in ἐκείνου and ἐμοῖς likewise, this twofold relationship

must have been shown, thus perhaps: τοῖς γράμμασιντοῖς ἐκείνου … τοῖς
ῥήμασι τοῖς ἐμοῖς.
Note.
The discourse, John5:19-47, so fully embodies in its entire progress and
contents, allowing for the necessaryJohannine colouring in the mode of
representation, those essentialdoctrines which Jesus had to advocate in the
face of the unbelieving Jews, andexhibits, in expressionand practical
application, so much that is characteristic, great,thoughtful, and striking, that
even Strauss himself does not venture to deny that it came substantially from
the Lord, though as to its form he attaches suspicious importance to certain
resemblances withthe first Epistle; but such a suspicion is all the less weighty,
the more we are warrantedto regardthe Johannine idiosyncrasyas developed
and moulded by the vivid recollectionofthe Lord’s words, and as under the
guidance of His Spirit, which preservedand transfigured that recollection.
The reasons whichlead Weisse to see nothing in the discourse but synoptical
matter, and B. Bauerto regard the whole as a reflection of the later
consciousnessofthe Church, while Gfrörer supposes a real discourse,
artificially shapedby additions and formal alterations, consistso much of
arbitrary judgments and erroneous explanations and presuppositions, that
sobercriticism gains nothing by them, nor can the discourse whichis attacked
lose anything. Certainly we have in it “a genuine exposition of Johannine
theology” (Hilgenfeld, Evang. p. 273), but in such a manner, that this is the
theologyof Christ Himself, the miracle of healing at Bethesda being
historically the occasionofthe utterance in this manner of its main elements.
This miracle itself is indeed by Baur regardedas a fictitious pretext, invented
for the delivery of the discourse, so much so that “everyfeature in it seems to
have been intended for this purpose” (p. 159);and this in the face of the fact
that no reference whateveris made (in John 5:19 ff.) to the point in connection
with the miracle at which the Jews took offence,viz. the breaking of the
Sabbath (John 5:16). Nothing whatever is speciallysaid concerning miracles

(for ἔργα denotes a far wider conception), but the whole discourse turns upon
that Messianic faithin the person of Jesus which the Jews refusedto
entertain. The fundamental truths, on this occasionso triumphantly
expressed, “were nevertaught by Him so distinctly and definitely as now,
when the right opportunity presenteditself, at the very time when, after the
Baptist’s removal, He came fully forth as the Messiah, and was calledupon,
quietly and comprehensively, to explain those highest of all relations, the
explanation of which was previously demanded.” Ewald, Gesch. Chr. p. 298 f.;
comp. his Johann. Schr. I. 206 ff. At this crisis of His greatmission and work,
the referencesin the discourse to the Baptist, and the apologetic statements
concerning His life-giving work and the divine witness of Scripture, connect
themselves so necessarilywith His historical position, that it cannot even
remotely suffice to suppose, with Weizsäcker, p. 282, that the discourse was
composedsimply with an eye to the synopticalstatements of Matthew 11.
Expositor's Greek Testament
John 5:46. They will be accusedby Moses becausetheir unbelief in Christ
convicts them of unbelief in Moses, εἰ γὰρ … ἐμοί. Had they believed the
revelation made by Moses andunderstood it, they would necessarilyhave
believed in Christ. “Disbeliefin me is disbelief in him, in the record of the
promises to the patriarchs, in the types of the deliverance from Egypt, in the
symbolic institutions of the Law, in the promise of a prophet like to himself;
for it was of me (the order is emphatic) he wrote,” Westcott.
Cambridge Bible for Schools andColleges
46. had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me] Better, If ye believed
Moses,ye would believe Me:the verbs are imperfects, not aorists. See onJohn
8:19 (where we have a similar mistranslation), 42, John 9:41, John 15:19,
John 18:36. Contrastthe constructionin John 4:10, John 11:21; John 11:32,
John 14:28. This proves that Moses is their accuser.

for he wrote of me] Christ here stamps with His authority the authority of the
Pentateuch. He accepts, as referring to Himself, the Messianic types and
prophecies which it contains. Comp. Luke 24:27; Luke 24:44.
Bengel's Gnomen
John 5:46. Ἐπιστεύετε ἂν, ye would have believed) It did not help the Jews to
say, We believe, that all things, which Moses has written, are true. There was
need of explicit faith.[112]—ἜΓΡΑΨΕΝ, He wrote)There is no part of his
writings where he did not.
[112]And not merely of implicit faith, which took Moses’writings in the mass,
and not in detail.—E. and T.
Pulpit Commentary
Verses 46, 47. - For if ye believed Moses, ye would believe me. The reasonfor
the previous saying is introduced by γάρ. The form of the conditional sentence
shows that the protasis is a supposition of an event contrary to the fact. They
were not believing Moses,though they were putting a vain and illusive
confidence in him; and hence they were not believing in Christ. Here is the
secretof the antagonismto the Lord. A deeperunderstanding of their own
Scripture would involve an acceptanceofthe claims of Christ. For he wrote of
me. The old saying contains Christ's utterance: Novum Testamentumin
Vetere latet, Vetus Testamentum in Novo patet. Reference is made to the
greatplace which Mosesgave to the first promise, to the typical deliverances
of a fallen world, to the hopes of a redeeming Seed. Christ referred to the
Mosaic type involved in the spirit willing to sacrifice the Only Begotten, to the
creationof the birthright blessing, the visions of the dying Israel, to the
blessings on Judah; to the significance ofthe Law, of the tabernacle, of the
Passover, ofthe Dayof Atonement, of prophet, priest, and king, and the very
specialprophecy concerning a Prophet like unto himself. More than this,
Moses hadset forth in the Decalogue the portrait sketchofthe perfect Man, of
the Divine life which the Lord Jesus proceededto fill out, to fulfil. He
awakenedby the Law that sense of sin and sinfulness which the Lord Christ

had come to soothe and obliterate. but if ye believe not his writings, how shall
ye believe my words? "They are easierfor you to understand; you have them
ever on your tongue. If their meaning is missed, the deeper truths of my words
will be more inaccessible to you." The antithesis is rather betweenthe "his"
and "my" than betweenthe "writings" and "words." "This charge ofnot
believing Moses, addressedto people who were put in a fury by the pretended
violation of one of the Mosaic commandments, recalls otherwords of Jesus
(Matthew 23:29-32), 'Ye build the tombs of the prophets, wherefore ye be
witnesses unto yourselves that ye are children of them that killed the
prophets" (Godet).
PRECEPTAUSTIN RESOURCES
WILLIAM BARCLAY
THE ULTIMATE CONDEMNATION(John5:44-47)
5:44-47 How canyou believe when you are out for the glory that you getfrom
eachother, and when you do not searchfor the glory which comes from the
only God? Do not think that it is I who will accuse youto the Father. You
have an accuser--itis Moses I mean--on whom you set your hopes. If you had
believed in Moses, youwould have believed in me, for he wrote about me. If
you do not believe in his writings, how will you believe in my words?
The scribes and Pharisees desiredthe praise of men. They dressedin such a
way that everyone would recognize them. They prayed in such a waythat
everyone would see. Theyloved the front seats in the Synagogue. Theyloved

the deferentialgreetings of men on the street. And just because ofthat they
could not hear the voice of God. Why? So long as a man measures himself
againsthis fellow men he will be well content. But the point is not: "Am I as
goodas my neighbour?" The point is: "Am I as goodas God?" "What do I
look like to him?" So long as we judge ourselves by human comparisons there
is plenty of room for self-satisfaction, andthat kills faith, for faith is born of
the sense ofneed. But when we compare ourselves with Jesus Christ, we are
humbled to the dust, and then faith is born, for there is nothing left to do but
trust to the mercy of God.
Jesus finishes with a charge that would strike home. The Jews believedthe
books which they believed Moses hadgiven them to be the very word of God.
Jesus said:"If you had read these books aright, you would have seenthat they
all pointed to me." He went on: "You think that because you have Moses to be
your mediator you are safe;but Moses is the very one who will condemn you.
Maybe you could not be expectedto listen to me, but you are bound to listen
to the words of Moses to which you attach such value and they all spoke of
me."
Here is the greatand threatening truth. What had been the greatestprivilege
of the Jews had become their greatestcondemnation. No one could condemn a
man who had never had a chance. But knowledge hadbeen given to the Jews;
and the knowledge they had failed to use had become their condemnation.
Responsibility is always the other side of privilege.
-Barclay's Daily Study Bible (NT)

ALBERT BARNES
Verse 45-46
Do not think that I will accuse you - Do not suppose that I intend to follow
your example. They had accusedJesus ofbreaking the law of God, John 5:16.
He says that he will not imitate their example, though he implies that he might
accuse them.
To the Father - To God.
There is one that accusethyou - Moses might be said to accuse orreprove
them. He wrote of the Messiah, clearlyforetold his coming, and commanded
them to hear him. As they did not do it, it might be said that they had
disregardedhis command; and as Moses was divinely commissionedand had
a right to be obeyed, so his command reproved them: they were disobedient
and rebellious.
He wrote of me - He wrote of the Messiah, andI am the Messiah, Genesis
3:15; Genesis 12:3;compare John 8:56; Genesis 49:10;Deuteronomy18:15.
BRIAN BELL
FIFTH WITNESS, MOSES!(45-47)
Q. Jesus now turns the courtroomtables & points His finger at His accusers.
1. Jesus pulls His trump card, His ace from the deck of Jewish
heroes...MOSES!

2. Why Moses?-One of the founding fathers of Judaism; spearheadedthe
Exodus; gave them the Law; was lookedup to w/reverence.
R. (45) Accuse - a legaltechnicalterm to bring charges in court.
S. (46) When did Moseswrite of Jesus? - Deut.18:15,19 The Lord your God
will raise up for you
a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren. Him you shall
hear...And it shall be that
whoeverwill not hear My words, which He speaks in My name, I will require
it of him.
1. Peterbacks up, it was speaking about Christ, in Acts 3:18-23.
CALVIN
Verse 46
46.Forif you believed Moses,you would also believe me. He shows why Moses
will be their accuser. It is because they do not rejecthis doctrine. We know
that it is impossible to offer a greaterinsult to the servants of God than when
their doctrine is despisedor reproached. Besides, those whomthe Lord has
appointed to be ministers of his word, ought to be ready to defend it against
despisers;(117)and therefore, he gave to all his prophets a twofold
commission, that they might teachand instruct for the salvationof believers,
and that, one day, they might confound the reprobate by their testimony.
For he wrote concerning me. When Christ says, that Moseswrote concerning
him, this needs no long proof with those who acknowledge thatChrist is the
end and soulof the Law. But if any person be not satisfiedwith this, and

desire to have the passages pointedout to him, I would advise him, first, to
read carefully the Epistle to the Hebrews, with which also agrees Stephen’s
sermon, in the seventh chapter of the Acts of the Apostles; and, next, to
observe the quotations which Paul applies to his purpose. I acknowledge,
indeed, that there are few in which Moses expresslymentions Christ; but what
was the use of the tabernacle, and sacrifices, and all the ceremonies,but to be
figures drawn in conformity to that first pattern which was showedto him in
the mountain ? (Exodus 25:40; Hebrews 8:5.) Thus, without Christ, the whole
ministry of Christ vanishes. Again, we see how he continually reminds the
people of the covenant of the Fathers which had been ratified in Christ, and
even how he makes Christ to be the principal subjectand foundation of the
covenant. Nor was this unknown to the holy Fathers, who had always their
eyes fixed on the Mediator. To treat the subject more largely, would be
inconsistentwith the brevity at which I aim.
Taking pride in your outward religious performance rather than letting God’s
law drive you to Christ will keepyou from faith in Christ (5:45-47).
John 5:45-47:“Do not think that I will accuse you before the Father;the one
who accusesyouis Moses, in whom you have set your hope. For if you
believed Moses,you would believe Me, for he wrote about Me. But if you do
not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?” (By the way, note
that Jesus, unlike many liberal Old Testamentscholars, believedthat Moses
wrote the Pentateuch[Genesis-Deuteronomy]!To attack the Old Testamentis
to attack Jesus, becauseit all points to Him.)
Ironically, these Jews claimedto believe in Moses and they studied Moses
extensively, but they missed what Moses waswriting about! Jesus says that
Moses wrote aboutHim (see John 1:45; Luke 24:27, 44). As we saw last time,
God’s promise in Genesis 3:15 that the seedof the womanwould crush the

serpent’s head was about Jesus conquering Satanat the cross. God’s clothing
Adam and Eve with animal skins was a picture God covering our sins through
the death of His Lamb. God’s promise to Abraham that in his seed, all the
nations would be blessed, was aboutChrist. His command for Abraham to
sacrifice Isaac andthen providing the ram was a picture of Godsacrificing
His own Sonas our atonement. The Passoverwas aboutChrist. The
tabernacle is an elaborate picture of Christ. The rock that provided waterin
the wilderness and the manna for food were pictures of Christ (1 Cor. 10:3-4;
John 6:31-35). We could go on and on.
The Law of Moses,in which these Jews professedto believe, should have
convictedthem of their sins and causedthem to long for the Savior who would
be pierced through for their transgressions andcrushed for their iniquities
(Isa. 53:5). It should have served as a tutor to lead them to faith in Christ
(Gal. 3:24). As Paul wrote (Rom. 10:4): “ForChrist is the end of the law for
righteousness to everyone who believes.” But because theyfocusedon their
outward performance of only certainaspects ofthe law rather than on the
essenceofthe law, which was to love God from the heart, they missed Jesus.
The very Law, which was one of their greatestprivileges (Rom. 9:4) and in
which they took greatpride, became the source oftheir condemnation at the
judgment.
If you take pride in your Christian performance, rather than glorying in
Christ Jesus and putting no confidence in the flesh (Phil. 3:3), you will miss
faith in Christ. John Calvin puts it (Calvin’s Commentaries [Baker], p. 222):
“He who in reality presents himself before God as his Judge, must, of
necessity, falldown humbled and dismayed, and finding nothing in himself on
which he canplace reliance.” All our hope must be in Christ, not in our
religious performance.
Conclusion

I don’t know your heart, but God does. I do know that the sin of pride resides
in us all and it often seeksto contaminate the spiritual life. So, as Paul put it (2
Cor. 13:5), “Testyourselfto see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves!Or
do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you—unless
indeed you fail the test?” Here are four tests:
Examine how you use the Bible: Is it to impress others or is it causing you to
grow in humility and in love for God?
Do you gladly embrace who God is as revealedin all of Scripture, rather than
who you may want Him to be?
Ask yourself whether you’re seeking gloryfrom others as opposedto seeking
to please God on the heart level.
And, examine whether you take pride in your outward religious performance
rather than boasting in Christ and the cross.
All of these things can keepus from genuine faith in Christ.
Application Questions
I have heard some argue that studying theologyleads to spiritual deadness. Is
there any validity to this? Why/why not?
Why is it important to read and rereadthe whole Bible and not just your
favorite parts (see Ps. 119:160)? Whaterrors have you encounteredfrom
Christians who avoid reading all the Bible?
How honest should we be in sharing our spiritual struggles? Are we being
hypocrites if we restrict sharing our problems to certain trusted friends or
mentors and not to everyone?
What are some subtle ways that we cantake pride in our religious
performance (Bible reading, prayer, church attendance, etc.)? What does it
mean to boast in the cross (Gal. 6:14)?

Copyright, Steven J. Cole, 2013,All Rights Reserved.
THOMAS CONSTABLE
Verse 45-46
These critics" mostsevere indictment would not come from Jesus but from
Moses whomthey so strongly professedto follow but did not. Moses never
taught that the Law was an end in itself. He pointed the people to the coming
Prophet and urged them to listen to Him ( Deuteronomy18:15-19). Theyhad
refused to do this. Moreoverthese Jews hadbroken the law that Moses had
urged them to follow. Furthermore Jesus" primary function was to save, not
to judge ( John 3:17). The Jews typically hoped that they could earn salvation
by keeping the Law and believed that their relationship to it as Jews gave
them a specialadvantage with God. They had settheir hope on Moses inthat
respect. They foolishly hoped in Moses ratherthan in the One to whom Moses
pointed. If they had paid attention to Moses,they would have felt conviction
for their sin and would have been eagerto receive the Savior. If they had
really believed Moses, theywould also have believed Jesus.
Verse 47
Jesus" critics did not believe Moses"writings or they would have accepted
Jesus. Since they rejectedMoses"writings it was natural that they would
rejectJesus" words. Bothmen spoke the words of God, who was their
authority. The Jews rejectionofMoses"writings was essentiallya rejectionof
God"s Word. Jesus believedthat Moseswrote the Torah(Pentateuch),
something many critical scholars deny.

This discourse constituteda condemnation of Jesus" critics and an invitation
to believe on Him. Jesus citedmuch testimony that God the Father had given
that identified Jesus as the divine Messiah. Thesewitnesseswere, beside God
the Father, John the Baptist, all of Jesus"works, allthat the Father had
previously revealedthat pointed to Jesus, the Old Testament, and specifically
the witness of Mosesin the Torah(Pentateuch).
John omitted many events in the life of Jesus that the Synoptic evangelists
recordedas happening betweenJohn 5:47; John 6:1. These include the
resumption of Jesus" Galileanministry ( Matthew 5-7; Matthew 8:5-13;
Matthew 8:18; Matthew 8:23-34;Matthew 9:18-35;Matthew 10:1 to Matthew
13:53;Matthew 14:1-12;Mark 2:23 to Mark 6:30; Luke 6:1 to Luke 9:10 a).
Why the Jews Are Against Jesus (John 5:31-47)
Introduction13
For two years, I have been troubleshooting a problem with one of my
daughter’s cars.14Everytime the caris put into forward or reverse, the
automatic transmissiongives a substantial “thud.” Having given this a lot of
thought over the past two years, I finally replacedthe transmission. With the
new transmission, I was sure my problems would be solved. After laboring for
a number of hours, the new transmissionwas in place, and I startedup the
engine for a test drive. That exactsame “thud” was still there! I could hardly
believe it. But yesterday, I found the trouble. When the transmissionwas
previously overhauled, a repairman left one of the bolts out of the rearmotor
mount, and the other bolt was loose.Everytime the car was put into gear, it
jerked and made a noise as the transmissionliterally rockedin its mounts.

Certain problems simply cannotbe ignored. On July 17, 1996, Flight800
suddenly exploded in mid-air and crashedinto the Atlantic Oceanoff the
coastofLong Island, killing all 230 passengersand crew. Thousands of hours
and millions of dollars have been spent retrieving the wreckage and
reassembling the plane—all in an effort to explain what causedthis tragedy.
As we read the Gospelof John, we know that everything happened according
to God’s plan. Jesus came as Israel’s Messiah, andHe was rejectedand
crucified by the Jews. What“went wrong”?15 How could the Messiahcome
and Israelmiss His coming? What causedthe Jewishreligious leaders to resist
and rejectJesus as the Messiah? Thesemen had spent much of their time in
the Old TestamentScriptures. They heard John the Baptistand knew he had
identified Jesus as the Messiah. These menpersonally witnessedour Lord
healing the sick, casting out demons, and even raising the dead. How could
they possibly fail to getthe message? Ourtext in the Gospelof John may be
one of the most informative passagesin the New Testamentconcerning this
matter. Here, our Lord not only defends Himself, but diagnoses the problem
which prevents the religious leaders from trusting in Him as the Messiah.
The Setting
Jesus made His way once againto Jerusalemwhere, at the pool of Bethesda,
He came upon a large crowdof the physically afflicted, hoping for a
miraculous healing from the “angel-troubled” waters. Selecting a fellow who
had been disabled for 38 years, Jesus askedhim if he would like to be healed.
At our Lord’s command, the man not only gotup and walked, but took up his
mattress and went on his way. It happened to be the Sabbath, so the Jews
promptly stopped the man. These “Sabbathpolice” saw it as their calling to
insure that the Sabbath was observedin accordancewith Jewishtraditions.
When challengedfor carrying his mattress on the Sabbath, the man explained
that “the One who made him welltold him to take up his mattress and walk.”
The Jews wantedto know who this man was, but the paralytic had to plead

ignorance because he did not find out who our Lord was before He slipped
away.
Later, Jesus found the man in the temple and warned him that continuing in
sin might result in even worse troubles. This seems to be all it took for the
former paralytic to turn againstJesus and give His name to the Jews. The
Jews then focusedtheir attention on Jesus, accusing Him of breaking the
Sabbath. Our Lord’s answerappears to produce mixed emotions:they are
greatly distressedto hear Jesus explain His Sabbath-breaking by claiming to
be the Son of God, but they also seemgrateful to have such a serious offense
with which to charge Him. Already intent on putting Jesus to death, this
statementonly prompts them to redouble their efforts in this direction.
Jesus responds to these serious accusations in verses 19-30.He declares what
everyone should know:He cannotact as He does on His own initiative,
authority, or power. The Father loves the Sonand shows Him all that He is
doing. Jesus only does what He sees the Father doing. Concerning the charges
made againstHim, the Father works on the Sabbath and therefore, so does
the Son. In fact, He has works yet to perform that will be even more amazing.
The Son is going to give life to the dead. In the future, when the dead are
raisedby the Son, some will be raisedto eternallife and the others to divine
condemnation. This, too, is a work the Father has given to the Son. The one
who does not honor the Son also dishonors the Father, who sent Him. Those
who charge Jesus with making an illicit (even blasphemous) claim to be equal
with God are treading on very dangerous ice.
Jesus’TestimonyConcerning Himself
(5:31)
“[So far as you are concerned]If I testify about myself, my testimony is not
true.16

We need to understand what our Lord is saying here in the light of John
chapter 8:
13 So the Pharisees objected, “Youtestify about yourself; your testimony is
not true!” 14 Jesus answered, “Evenif I testify about myself, my testimony is
true, because I know where I came from and where I am going. But you
people do not know where I came from or where I am going. 15 You people
judge by outward appearances;I do not judge anyone. 16 But if I judge, my
evaluation is accurate, becauseIam not alone when I judge, but I and the
Father who sent me do so together. 17 It is written in your law that the
testimony of two men is true. 18 I testify about myself and the Fatherwho sent
me testifies about me” (John 8:13-18).
Our Lord knows what His opponents are thinking and so in John 5:31, at the
outsetof His testimony, He informs them He knows they will not acceptHis
testimony alone. The Old Testamentlaw required two or three witnesses(see
Deuteronomy 17:6; 19:15)for a man to be found guilty of an offense. Jesus
has much more testimony than this, but it doesn’tmatter since the Jewish
authorities are determined not to acceptit. The reasonbecomes apparentby
the end of our passage, and as the Gospelof John continues. In both our text
in chapter 5 and in chapter 8, Jesus says He does not bear witness alone, but
that the Father bears witness with Him. Once again, the unity of Fatherand
Son is declared.
Perhaps a parenthetical comment would be helpful here to point out the
hypocrisy of the Jews who oppose Jesus and His claims. They will not accept
His testimony (5:31; 8:13), yet they acceptothers who come with only their
own testimony: “I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not acceptme.
If someone else comes in his own name, you will accepthim” (John 5:43).

While the Jewishauthorities seek to give the impression that they are sticklers
for observing the letter of the law, actually they are not. When our Lord
stands trial for His life, they employ false witnesses who give conflicting
testimony, and yet no objectionis raised (Matthew 26:60). The high priest
illegally demands that Jesus give testimony about (against)Himself, and then
condemns Him on the basis of His testimony (Matthew 26:63). These Jews
seek neither justice or truth.
The Testimony of John the Baptist
(5:32-35)
32 There is another who testifies about me, and I know the testimony he
testifies about me is true. 33 You have sentto John, and he has testified to the
truth. 34 (I do not accepthuman testimony, but I say this so that you may be
saved.)35 He was a lamp that was burning and shining, and you wanted to
rejoice greatlyfor a short time in his light.
It is possible that here in verse 32 Jesus is talking about John the Baptist, but I
am inclined, along with others, to conclude that in this verse our Lord is
referring to the witness of His Father. In verse 34, Jesus indicates that He does
not acceptthe testimony of men. Our Lord refers to John’s testimony for the
benefit of men, while He does not personallyneed such testimony (see John
2:25). Remember our Lord has justified His “Sabbath-breaking” (healing the
paralytic on the Sabbath) by claiming to be equal with God. He is doing what
His Fatheris doing (working on the Sabbath). It is our Lord’s identity that is
being questioned. Jesus persists in claiming to be One with the Father. Thus,
the most important testimony to our Lord is the testimony of the Father.
John the Baptistis a very popular fellow, a man many believe to be a prophet
(Matthew 11:9; 14:5; 21:26, 46). Jesus reminds the Jewishauthorities of their

own high regardfor John, when they “sentto John” (John 5:33). Initially, I
read John 1:19-28 as an interrogationof John by the Jewishauthorities, one
carried out with considerable suspicion. Jesus seems to sayotherwise. His
words in our text seemto indicate that their “sending men” to John is their
own “testimony” concerning John’s authority. In John 1, the Jews are really
trying to “put words into John’s mouth.” They want John to admit that he is
Messiah, orElijah, or the Prophet. John is the one insisting otherwise.
If I understand Jesus (and John 1:19-28)correctly, for a short time the Jews
actually wanted John to be the Messiah. This would explain our Lord’s words
in Matthew regarding the Jews andJohn: “Fromthe days of John the Baptist
until now, the kingdom of heavenhas been forcefully advancing, and forceful
men lay hold of it” (Matthew 11:12, NIV).
The Jews are literally trying to force the kingdom into existence, andfor a
time they try to force John to become their Messiah. In the very next chapter
of John’s Gospel, the Jews wantto force Jesus to become their king:
14 So when the people saw the miraculous sign that Jesus performed, they
beganto sayto one another, “This is certainly the Prophet who is to come into
the world.” 15 Then Jesus, because he knew they were going to come and seize
him by force to make him king, withdrew againup the mountainside alone
(John 6:14-15).
Late in our Lord’s earthly ministry, the Jews challengeJesus to prove His
authority. Our Lord’s answer, and the Jews’response, demonstratesthe high
regard the people have for John:

27 They came againto Jerusalem. While Jesus was walking in the temple
area, the chief priests, the experts in the law and the elders came to him 28
and said, “By what authority are you doing these things? Or who gave you
this authority to do these things?” 29 Jesus saidto them, “I will ask you one
question. Answer me and I will tell you by what authority I do these things. 30
John’s baptism, was it from heaven or from men? Answerme.” 31 They
discussedwith one another, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’he will say,
‘Then why did you not believe him?’ 32 But if we say, ‘From men—’” (they
fearedthe crowd, for they all consideredJohn to be truly a prophet). 33 So
they answeredJesus, “Wedo not know.” And Jesus saidto them, “Neither
will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things” (Mark 11:27-33;see
also Matthew 11:25;Luke 20:4).
Early in John’s ministry, the Jews are eagerfor John to be the Messiah. In
our Lord’s words, they “rejoicedgreatlyfor a short time in his light” (John
5:35). But when it becomes apparentthat John rejects their religious system
(Matthew 3:7-10; 21:32; Mark 3:15), and worse yet, identifies with Jesus as
the Messiahhe promised would come (John 1:29-36), just as quickly they
abandon him (Luke 7:29-30). Although initially they respectedJohn’s
testimony, they now refuse to accepthis testimony. Nevertheless, Jesus
reminds them, John, whom they once regardedas a prophet and a candidate
for Messiah, bears testimony that He is indeed the promised Messiah.
Weighty Witnesses
(5:36-40)
36 “But I have a testimony greaterthan that from John. For the deeds that
the Fatherhas assignedme to complete—the deeds I am now doing—testify
about me that the Father has sentme. 37 And the Father who sent me has
himself testified about me. You people have never heard his voice nor seenhis
form at any time, 38 nor do you have his word residing in you, because you do
not believe the one whom he sent. 39 You study the scriptures thoroughly

because you think in them you possesseternallife, and it is these same
scriptures that testify about me; 40 but you are not willing to come to me so
that you may have life.
THE WORKS OF JESUS
Set John’s testimony aside. Jesus doesn’tneedit anyway(John 5:34). He has
much weightier testimony; He has the testimony of His own works. Jesus is
doing the works His Father assignedHim. These works testify to His identity,
to His equality with the Father:
18 John’s disciples informed him about all these things. So John calledtwo of
his disciples 19 and sent them to Jesus to ask, “Are you the one who is to
come, or should we look for another?” 20 When the men came to Jesus, they
said, “Johnthe Baptist has sent us to you to ask, ‘Are you the one who is to
come, or should we look for another?’” 21 At that very time Jesus curedmany
people of diseases, sicknesses, andevil spirits, and granted sight to many who
were blind. 22 So he answeredthem, “Go and report to John what you have
seenand heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are
cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have goodnews
proclaimed to them. 23 And blessedis anyone who takes no offense at me”
(Luke 7:18-23).
Now while Jesus was in Jerusalemat the feastof the Passover, many people
believed in his name because they saw the miraculous signs he was doing
(John 2:23).
1 Now there was a man of the Phariseeswhose name was Nicodemus, a
member of the council. 2 He came to Jesus at night and saidto him, “Rabbi,
we know that you are a teacherwho has come from God. For no one could

perform the miraculous signs that you do unless God is with him” (John 3:1-
2).
30 The man replied, “This is a remarkable thing, that you don’t know where
he comes from, and yet he causedme to see!31 We know that God doesn’t
listen to sinners, but if anyone is devout and does his will God listens to him.
32 Never before has anyone heard of someone causing a man born blind to
see. 33 If this man were not from God, he could do nothing” (John 9:30-33).
30 Now Jesus performed many other miraculous signs in the presence ofhis
disciples that are not recordedin this book. 31 But these are recordedso that
you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing
you may have life in his name (John 20:30-31).
Nicodemus and the formerly blind man had it right: no one cando the things
Jesus does on their own. They must be “connected.”Jesusis “connected” to
God. The only other explanation (to which our Lord’s opponents are finally
forced) is that Jesus is “connected” to Satan:
20 Now Jesus went home, and a crowd gatheredso that they were not able to
eat. 21 When his family heard this they went out to take control of him, for
they said, “He is out of his mind.” 22 The experts in the law who came down
from Jerusalemsaid, “He has Beelzebul,” and, “Bythe ruler of demons he
casts out demons.” 23 So he calledthem and spoke to them in parables:“How
can Satancastout Satan? 24 If a kingdom is divided, that kingdom will not be
able to stand. 25 If a house is divided againstitself, that house will not be able
to stand. 26 And if Satanrises againsthimself and is divided, he is not able to
stand and his end has come. 27 But no one is able to enter the house of the
strong man and remove his goods unless he first ties up the strong man. Then
he can thoroughly cleanout his house. 28 I tell you the truth, all the sins and

blasphemies people may speak will be forgiven them. 29 But whoever
blasphemes againstthe Holy Spirit will never be forgiven. They are liable for
an eternal sin 30 (because they said, ‘He has an unclean spirit’)” (Mark 3:20-
30).
Our Lord’s response is simple. If He is “connected”with Beelzebul, then why
would He oppose Satanand his kingdom by casting out demons? Jesus’works
are indeed a powerful witness concerning His identity.
THE WORD OF THE FATHER
Indirectly, Jesus’works are the witness of the Father, who assignedthese
works to the Son (5:36). But the Father even more emphatically testifies that
Jesus is His Son. The Father has testified17 aboutJesus (verse 37). Just when
and how did this take place? We see from the Gospels that the Fathergave
His testimony concerning the Sonat the baptism of Jesus:
16 After Jesus was baptized, as he came up from the waterthe heavens
opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming on
him. 17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is the Son I love, in whom I have
greatdelight” (Matthew 3:16-17).
Jesus tells His accusers, “Youpeople have never heard his voice nor seenhis
form at any time” (John 5:37b). By inference, He claims otherwise. It seems
that Jesus is referring, in part, to the time of His baptism, when John the
Baptist and perhaps others saw the Spirit of God present (and abiding on
Jesus)in the form of a dove. They heard the voice of God, identifying Jesus as
His Son, in whom He took greatdelight. Here, the Father is bearing witness to
Him as His Son, the Messiah.

Even beyond this, the Fatherhas borne witness through the Son. Jesus is God
manifested in human flesh. Jesus is the voice (the “Word”) of God:
Now the Word became flesh and took up residence among us. We saw his
glory—the glory of the one and only full of grace and truth, who came from
the Father(John 1:14).
1 After God spoke long ago in various portions and in various ways to our
ancestors throughthe prophets, 2 in these last days he has spokento us in a
son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he createdthe
world. 3 The Son is the radiance of his glory and the representationof his
essence, andhe sustains all things by his powerful word, and so when he had
accomplishedcleansing forsins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty
on high (Hebrews 1:1-3).
19 So Jesus answeredthem, “I tell you the solemn truth, the Son can do
nothing on his own initiative, but only what he sees the Father doing. For
whateverthe Fatherdoes, the Sondoes likewise. 20 Forthe Fatherloves the
Son and shows him everything he does, and greaterdeeds than these he will
show him, so that you may be amazed” (John 5:19-20).
“I can do nothing on my own initiative. Just as I hear, I judge; and my
judgment is just because I do not seek my own will, but the will of the one who
sent me” (John 5:30).
God is bearing witness through His Son. Here is the irony. The Jewish
authorities will not acceptJesus as the Sonof God; they simply will not heed
His testimony. Yet, He is the voice of God, the visible manifestation of God to
men. They have never seenor heard Godin person. God is now standing

before them, being accusedby them. They are accusing the very One they
claim to worship and serve. They do not have God’s Word abiding in them
because they do not believe in Jesus, the One whom the Father sentto
“declare” or“explain” Him (John 1:18). Is this not a “catch22”? How can
anyone be saved? If people need to trust in Jesus to grasp the Word of God,
and they need to graspthe Word of God to see that Jesus is the One to whom
the Scriptures bear witness, then no one canbe saved. The solution the Bible
gives us is that men most certainly cannotbe saved on their own; they can
only be saved by means of God’s sovereignand gracious intervention, which is
exactly what John has been telling us in his Gospel:
10 He was in the world, and the world was createdby him, but the world did
not recognize him. 11 He came to what was his own, but his own people did
not receive him. 12 But to all who have receivedhim—those who believe in his
name—he has given the right to become God’s children 13 —children not
born by human parents or by human desire or a husband’s decision, but by
God (John 1:10-13).
3 Jesus replied, “I tell you the solemntruth, unless a personis born from
above, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” 4 Nicodemus said to him, “How
can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter his mother’s womb and be
born a secondtime, can he?” 5 Jesus answered, “Itell you the solemn truth,
unless a person is born of waterand spirit, he cannotenter the kingdom of
God. 6 What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is
spirit. 7 Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must all be born from
above.’8 The wind blows whereverit will, and you hear the sound it makes,
but do not know where it comes from and where it is going. So it is with
everyone who is born of the Spirit” (John 3:3-8).
Jesus Turns the Tables on His Accusers
(5:37b-47)

“You people have never heard his voice nor seenhis form at any time, 38 nor
do you have his word residing in you, because you do not believe the one
whom he sent. 39 You study the scriptures thoroughly because youthink in
them you possesseternallife, and it is these same scriptures that testify about
me; 40 but you are not willing to come to me so that you may have life. 41 I do
not acceptpraise from people, 42 but I know you, that you do not have the
love of God within you. 43 I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not
acceptme. If someone else comesin his own name, you will accepthim. 44
How can you believe, if you acceptpraise from one another and don’t seek the
praise that comes from the only God? 45 Do not suppose that I will accuse you
before the Father. The one who accusesyouis Moses, in whom you have
placed your hope. 46 If you believed Moses, youwould believe me, because he
wrote about me. 47 But if you do not believe what Moses wrote, how will you
believe my words?”18
Up to this point, it may appear as though Jesus is on the defensive, defending
His claim to be equal with God. In a sense, this is true, but our Lord is equal
with God because He is the Son of God. It is not Jesus who needs a good
defense, but His adversaries, the Jewishreligious authorities. In verse 37, the
tone of our Lord’s “defense” changes, andwe see our Lord now taking the
offensive, challenging those who oppose Him. Here, He not only admonishes
them for not receiving God’s witness, He informs all as to the real reasonthey
rejectHim as the Messiah.
The Jewishauthorities are accusing our Lord of blasphemy and Sabbath-
breaking. They have never seenGod’s form, nor have they heard God’s voice.
Yet both of these were evident at our Lord’s baptism. Jesus has seenthe
Father and heard His voice (5:19-20, 30). Mostimportant of all, Jesus Himself
is the form of God (see John 14:9) and the voice of God. It is He who came to
make God known to men: no one has ever seenGod. The only One, Himself
God, who is in the presence of the Father, has made Godknown (John 1:18).

The Jews are those to whom, and through whom, the Old Testament
Scriptures were revealed(see Romans 9:4). They studied the Scriptures
diligently, thinking this was the way to eternal life.19 Ironically, these same
Scriptures testify about Jesus, the Christ, the Messiah. How could these men
possessthe Scriptures and study them, and yet miss the main point of their
teaching? Jesus tells them and us: they do not have the Word abiding in them.
They are “in the Word,” but the Word is not abiding in them. This is so
because Christis not only the centraltheme of the Word, He is the keyto the
Word. Christ is the key that unlocks the message ofthe Word. The Jews are
not willing to come to Him so that they may have life. Thus, they are blind to
the centralmessage ofthe very Scriptures they possess andregard so highly.
I remember teaching world history and psychologyto a high schoolclassin a
medium security prison in WashingtonState. Somehow the conversation
drifted to the subject of evolution one day, and an inmate saidsomething I will
never forget: “I’ll tell you why I believe in evolution,” he blurted out,
“because Iwon’t believe in God!” The Jewishauthorities will not believe in
Messiah, andthus they cannot see Him in the Scriptures they study. Listen to
how the Apostle Paul explains the “blindness of the Jews”:
12 Therefore, since we have such a hope, we behave with greatboldness, 13
and not like Moses who usedto put a veil over his face to keep the Israelites
from staring at the end of the glory that was fading away. 14 But their minds
were closed. Forto this very day, the same veil remains when they hear the
old covenantread. It has not been removed because only in Christ is it taken
away. 15 But until this very day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their
minds; 16 but wheneveranyone turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. 17 Now
the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is present, there is
freedom. 18 And we all, with unveiled faces reflecting the glory of the Lord,
are being transformed into the same image from one degree ofglory to
another, which is from the Lord, who is the Spirit (2 Corinthians 3:12-18).

Christ is a “blind spot” for the Jews, and yet He is both the centralfigure and
the keyto the Old TestamentScriptures. Becausethe Jews are blind to Christ,
they read the Old Testamentas though a veil were over their faces. Onlyby
trusting in Jesus Christ is that veil removed. Then the Scriptures become
clear, and the glory of the Lord is revealedand reflected, transforming those
who believe into His image. Those opposing Christ in our text do so with
“veiled faces,”so to speak. Theyare blind to who Jesus is, and rather than
come to Him for eternallife, they seek to take His life.
Our Lord presses further in verses 41-44,explaining even more thoroughly
the reasonthe Jews are opposedto Him. Why are they so unwilling to come to
Jesus for salvation? It is because theyseek glory and praise from men, rather
than from God. Jesus does notseek the praise of men; He seeks to please the
Father. This is because of His love for the Father, just as His Father loves Him
(5:20). Jesus has come in His Father’s name, and the Jews have rejectedHim.
Others come to them in their own name, and they gladly welcome them. How
can this be? It is really quite simple. Those who come and are quickly received
tell their audience what they want to hear. Their messageflatters the listener,
so that the messageis easilyand quickly embracedas true, simply because it
“tickles the ears” of the audience. Neither John the Baptist nor our Lord are
willing to do this. They boldly proclaim the truth of the gospel.
Those who seek acceptancefrom men rather than from God cannot believe in
Jesus becausethey are not willing to come to Him. To be saved, a personmust
admit that he or she is a sinner, deserving of God’s eternalwrath and
unworthy of His favor. To be saved, one must humble himself, and accept
God’s grace as a gift. The self-righteous find this highly offensive and
abhorrent. The false teachercomes with a flattering message, one that
diminishes sin and demeans grace. Theyassure the listener he can obtain
eternal life by his own doing, by his own merits. This is the messagethe self-
righteous love to hear, because it seems to offer them a salvationof their own

making. Seeking the praise of others turns us awayfrom seeking praise from
God, and thus we seek to please men rather than God.
Once again, the Apostle Paul takes up this theme and applies it to the church
at Corinth:
12 For we would not dare to classifyor compare ourselves with some of those
who recommend themselves. But when they measure themselves by
themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are without
understanding. 13 But we will not boast beyond certain limits, but will confine
our boasting according to the limits of the work to which God has appointed
us, that reaches evenas far as you. 14 For we were not overextending
ourselves, as though we did not reachas far as you, because we were the first
to reachas far as you with the gospelabout Christ. 15 Nor do we boastbeyond
certain limits in the work done by others, but we hope that as your faith
continues to grow, our work may be greatlyexpanded among you according
to our limits, 16 so that we may preachthe gospelin the regions that lie
beyond you, and not boastof work already done in another person’s area. 17
But “The one who boasts must boastin the Lord.” 18 Forit is not the person
who commends himself who is approved, but the person the Lord commends
(2 Corinthians 10:12-18).
If you remember the situation at Corinth in Paul’s day, it was Paulwho led
many of the Corinthians to faith. It was he who had invested a goodpart of his
life in this church. Yet some false teachers came along who seemedso wise, so
persuasive, so impressive. The Corinthians beganto look down their noses at
Paul and the other true apostles. The messageofthese “false apostles”
appealedto the Corinthians. Paul calls attention to the fact that these are men
(and women?)who care much about their status and standing with men, and
all too little about the praise of God. They compare themselves with other
men. They are puffed up with pride and arrogance, andthey seek to

undermine the authority of the “true apostles.”Theyare just like the Jews of
our Lord’s day, aren’t they?
The Apostle John will have evenmore to sayabout such folks in his epistles.
There he warns about false teachers and their message.Today, we callthis
temptation of seeking the approval of men rather than God “peerpressure.”
John speaks ofit as “loving the world.” That is what it is—seeking approval
from our peers, rather than from God. When we seek the world’s approval,
we abandon our desire to please God.
15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world,
the love of the Father is not in him; 16 because allthat is in the world (the
desire of the flesh and the desire of the eyes and the arrogance producedby
material possessions)is not from the Father, but is from the world. 17 And the
world is passing awaywith all its desires, but the personwho does the will of
God remains forever. 18 Children, it is the last hour, and just as you heard
that Antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have appeared. We know
from this that it is the last hour. 19 They went out from us, but they did not
really belong to us, because if they had belongedto us, they would have
remained with us. But they went out from us to demonstrate that all of them
do not belong to us. 20 Nevertheless youhave an anointing from the Holy One,
and you all know. 21 I have not written to you that you do not know the truth,
but that you do know it, and that no lie is of the truth. 22 Who is the liar but
the personwho denies that Jesus is the Christ? This one is the Antichrist: the
person who denies the Fatherand the Son. 23 Everyone who denies the Son
does not have the Father either. The personwho confesses the Son has the
Father also. 24 As for you, what you have heard from the beginning must
remain in you. If what you heard from the beginning remains in you, you also
will remain in the Son and in the Father. 25 Now this is the promise that he
himself made to us: eternallife. 26 These things I have written to you about
those who are trying to deceive you. 27 Now as for you, the anointing that you
receivedfrom him resides in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach

you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things, it is true and is not a lie.
Just as it has taught you, you reside in him (1 John 2:15-27).
The Jewishauthorities rejectJesus. Theynot only rejectHis testimony
concerning Himself, they set aside the testimony of John the Baptist, of our
Lord’s works, ofthe Father, and of the Scriptures. Becauseofthis, they are
the ones who should be accused. Those who are accusing Jesus willbe
accused, but not by Jesus. Theiraccusationwill come from Moses, the one
they revere, whose law they impose on themselves and others—as they
interpret it. Their devotion to Mosesis seenin the dialogue betweenthe Jews
and the blind man to whom Jesus gives his sight:
28 They heaped insults on him, saying, “You are his disciple! We are disciples
of Moses!29 We know that God has spokento Moses!We do not know where
this man comes from!” (John 9:28-29)
This Moses,so reveredby the Jews, will be their accuserbecausehe, too,
testified of Jesus. Theydid not believe Moses, andneither will they believe
Jesus. Jesusdoes not specifyany particular passagesin which Moses wrote of
the Messiah, but we know there are many. For example, Jesus is “the
Prophet” of whom Moses spoke:
15 “The LORD your God will raise up for you a Prophetlike me from your
midst, from your brethren. Him you shall hear, 16 according to all you
desired of the LORD your God in Horeb in the day of the assembly, saying,
‘Let me not hear againthe voice of the LORD my God, nor let me see this
greatfire anymore, lestI die.’ 17 And the LORD said to me: ‘What they have
spokenis good. 18 I will raise up for them a Prophet like you from among
their brethren, and will put My words in His mouth, and He shall speak to
them all that I command Him. 19 And it shall be that whoeverwill not hear

My words, which He speaks inMy name, I will require it of him’”
(Deuteronomy 18:15-19, NKJV).
Conclusion
Our text in John chapter 5 is crucial to the argument to the Gospelof John,
and indeed crucial to the gospelof Jesus Christ. No words can more clearly
communicate our Lord’s claim to be the Son of God, Israel’s Messiah. No one
who hears our Lord speak or who reads the Gospelof John has any doubt
about who He claims to be (see John 1:14-18, 29-34,41, 45, 49;2:14-22;3:26-
36; 4:25-26, 29, 42;5:17ff.). The question is not whether Jesus everclaimed to
be the Messiah, orwhether His opponents understand Him to do so. The
question is whether Jesus is right in what He claims. If He is right, then He
does speak for God. If He is right, we had better listen well to what He says:
7 Then a cloud surrounded them, and a voice came from the cloud, “This is
the SonI love. Listen to him!” 8 Suddenly when they lookedaround, they saw
no one with them any more, exceptJesus (Mark 9:7-8).
1 After God spoke long ago in various portions and in various ways to our
ancestors throughthe prophets, 2 in these last days he has spokento us in a
son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he createdthe
world. 3 The Son is the radiance of his glory and the representationof his
essence, andhe sustains all things by his powerful word, and so when he had
accomplishedcleansing forsins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty
on high (Hebrews 1:1-3).
1 Therefore we must pay closerattentionto what we have heard, so that we do
not drift away. 2 For if the messagespokenthrough angels proved to be so
firm that every violation or disobedience receivedits just penalty, 3 how will
we escape if we neglectsuch a greatsalvation? It was first communicated

through the Lord and was confirmed to us by those who heard him, 4 while
God confirmed their witness with signs and wonders and various miracles and
gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will (Hebrews 2:1-4).
16 For we did not follow cleverly concoctedfables when we made knownto
you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ; no, we were eyewitnesses
of his grandeur. 17 For he receivedhonor and glory from God the Father,
when that voice was conveyedto him by the Majestic Glory: “This is my dear
Son, in whom I am delighted.” 18 When this voice was conveyedfrom heaven,
we ourselves heard it, for we were with him on the holy mountain. 19
Moreover, we possess the prophetic word as an altogetherreliable thing. You
do well if you pay attention to this as you would to a light shining in a murky
place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts (2 Peter
1:16-19).
Jesus not only claims to be the Messiah, the Sonof God, He claims to be the
only source of eternallife. He says that to rejectHim is to rejectlife, to reject
the Father, and to sealour eternal condemnation. It is not enough to revere
the Word of God, or even to diligently read and study it. The Jewish
authorities did all this, yet they missedthe main point of the Scriptures—the
promise of a Messiahexactlylike Jesus, in fact who was Jesus. The Word of
God must abide in our hearts by faith. We must look for Christ in the
Scriptures, and having found Him, we should love and obey Him. The Bible is
not given so that we may amass knowledge aboutGod. The Bible is given so
that we may know, love, and serve God.
Witnesses to the fact that Jesus is the Son of God are many, and they are
compelling. Men do not reject the claims of Christ for lack of evidence. They
rejectHim because sinful men do not wish to submit to Him as God, nor do
they wish to come to Him as unworthy sinners, seeking grace. This is the
reasonthe Jews rejectJesus. Itis why the Gentiles rejectHim as well.

May the Spirit of God give us eyes to see Christ in the Word, and ears to hear
what He says to us. May His Word be not just a source for scholarly study;
may it be a love letter to us.
13 This same issue is takenup later in John. In chapters 5 and 6, why people
don’t believe in Jesus is dealt with from a human perspective (“but you are
not willing to come to me so that you may have life,” verse 40). In later
chapters, it is againtaken up from a divine perspective (see John6:44, 65;
8:43).
14 My wife Jeannette and I have five lovely daughters, and as “Dad” I have
built or rebuilt nearly all of their cars.
15 I speak of things “going wrong,” not in the sense that God’s plan failed, but
that men failed to respond to our Lord as they should have. This “failure” on
Israel’s part was in accordancewith God’s eternal plan. Nevertheless, itis
goodfor us to considerthe causes ofIsrael’s failure, because there are lessons
for us to learn from the failures of the people of old.
16 The NET Bible has rendered this verse literally, but in the process leaves
the appearance ofa contradictionwith John 8:13-18. I have thus added the
words in brackets. Ibelieve this is the sense of what John meant to conveyto
the reader. The NASB attempts to do something similar: “If I alone bear
witness of Myself, My testimony is not true.” There is a marginal note in the
NASB which informs the reader that “true” should be understood as
“admissible as legalevidence.” The New English Bible renders verse 31: “If I
testify on my own behalf, that testimony does not hold good.” J. B. Phillips
paraphrases:“You may saythat I am bearing witness about myself, that
therefore what I say about myself has no value, …” Our Lord’s testimony is

true on its ownmerits, but not in the eyes of the Jewishreligious authorities. I
like what Calvin has to say here: “He does not here take any thing awayfrom
the credit due to his testimony, which he elsewhere asserts in strong terms, but
he speaks by way of concession;for Christ, having been in other respects most
abundantly supported, consents that they should not believe his word. ‘If my
testimony concerning myself,’ says he, ‘is suspectedby you according to the
ordinary custom of men, let it go for nothing.’ Now we know that what any
man asserts abouthimself is not reckonedto be true and authentic, although
in other respects he speak truth, because no man is a competent witness in his
own cause. Thoughit would be unjust to reduce the Sonof Godto this rank,
yet he prefers to surrender his right, that he may convince his enemies by the
authority of God.” John Calvin, Calvin’s Commentaries, Volume 7: The
Gospels (Grand Rapids: AssociatedPublishers and Authors Inc., n.d.), p. 684.
17 Notice the past (more precisely, the perfect) tense here. This is testimony
the Fatherhas already given regarding the Son, a testimony given in the past
with lingering effects.
18 There is a certain overlapping of argument in these verses, and thus the
repetition of verses 37b-40 above.
19 “Cf. The saying attributed to Hillel: ‘the more study of the Law the more
life … if he has gained for himself words of the Law he has gained for himself
life in the world to come’(Ab. 2:7). There are severalsayings like Baruch
4:1f., ‘This is the book of the commandments of God, and the law endureth
for ever: all they that hold it fastare appointed to life.’” Morris, p. 330.
https://bible.org/seriespage/why-jews-are-against-jesus-john-531-47

MARCUS DODS
Verse 46
John 5:46. They will be accusedby Moses becausetheir unbelief in Christ
convicts them of unbelief in Moses, εἰ γὰρ … ἐμοί. Had they believed the
revelation made by Moses andunderstood it, they would necessarilyhave
believed in Christ. “Disbeliefin me is disbelief in him, in the record of the
promises to the patriarchs, in the types of the deliverance from Egypt, in the
symbolic institutions of the Law, in the promise of a prophet like to himself;
for it was of me (the order is emphatic) he wrote,” Westcott.
Verse 47
John 5:47. The converse is true, and true with an a fortiori conveyedby the
contrastbetweenγράμμασινand ῥήμασι. If the writings you have had before
you for your study all your life, and which you have heard read in the
SynagoguesSabbathafter Sabbath, have not produced faith in you, and
enabled you to see Godand appreciate His glory, how shall ye believe the once
heard words of one whose coming was prepared for, and His identification
made easyby all that Moses wrote?
A Seven-FoldTestimony to Christ
John 5:31-47

Dr. S. Lewis Johnsonexpounds Jesus'additional words after the healing of
the impotent man. Dr. Johnsonoutlines sevenevidences ofJesus'messiahship.
SLJ Institute > Gospelof John > A Seven-FoldTestimonyto Christ
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[Message]We are turning to John chapter 5 againfor our Scripture reading
and reading verse 31 through verse 47. Our subject for this morning is the
sevenfoldwitness to Christ and five of the testimonies are found right here in
this sectionthat we are going to be reading. John chapter 5 verse 31 and
following the Lord says in his sermonthat is explanatory of the healing of the
impotent man.
“If I bear witness of myself my witness is not true. There is another that
beareth witness of me and I know that the witness which he witnessethof me
is true. Ye sent unto John and he bore witness unto the truth. But I received
my testimony from man, by things I saythat ye might be saved. He was a
burning and shining light and ye were willing for a seasonto rejoice in his
light, but I have greaterwitness 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 who hath sentme hath
born witness of me. Ye have neither heard his voice at anytime nor seenhis

shape. And ye have not his word abiding in you for whom he hath sent him ye
believe not. Searchthe Scriptures for in them ye think ye have eternallife and
there are they which testify of me.”
The word searchin this particular context is in a form in the Greek language,
which may be rendered in two ways. It may be an imperative and may be
rendered as it is here as a command, “searchthe Scriptures”. But it also
might be rendered as an indicative expressing a declarative thought and that
is the more likely way it should be rendered.
“Ye searchthe Scriptures for in them ye think ye have eternal life and there
are they which testify of me. And yes will not come to me that ye might have
life. I receive not honor from men but I know you that ye have not the love of
God in you. I am come in my Father’s name and you receive me not. If
another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive. How canye believe
who receive honor one of another and seek notthe honor that cometh from
God only? Do not think that I will accuse youto the Father. There is one that
accusethyou, even Mosesin whom ye trusts (Or as the original text says, “In
whom ye have hoped.”)For had ye believed Moses ye would have believed me
for he wrote of me. But if ye believe not his writings how shall ye believe my
words?”
It’s most interesting that our Lord links the testimony to him with the
testimony that Moses gave and affirms that if an individual does not believe
Moses he cannotbelieve the words of our Lord, and that may accountfor
many of the severe attacks thatmodern scholarshiphas attempted to make
upon the book of Genesis whichtells us about the creation, creationof all
things, the creationof man. It speaks ofthe fall of man and the results of the
fall of man. It also speaksofthe messianic promises. And our Lord says if you
don’t believe the things that Moseswrote you cannot accepthis words. It is
impossible for us to sayI believe the Lord Jesus Christbut I don’t accept

those sagas andmyths that are found in the Book of Genesis. OurLord does
not give us that alternative.
We are turning to John chapter 5 and verse 31 through verse 47. And the
subject for today in the ministry of the word is “The SevenfoldWitness to
Christ.” Five of those sevenwitnesses are here in the chapter and I’ve added
two, which come from the GospelofJohn but are not specificallystated here
in this fifth chapter.
Last week I made reference to a book written by Neils F.S. Farray who was
professorof philosophicaltheologyat the Vanderbilt University’s Schoolof
Religiona few years back. He wrote a book called“The Sun and the
Umbrella” which is really one of the most blasphemous books that was
written at that time by a professing Christian man concerning the Lord Jesus
Christ. Essentiallythe parable of the sun and the umbrella as setout by
ProfessorFarraywas that one of the difficulties with the understanding and
seeing of God as he is, the only true God, is the factthat the Christian chapter
has been responsible for inserting Christ and the Bible betweenus and the
Lord. And he likened the father to the sonand he likened us to individuals
who were walking around under an umbrella, and the umbrella prevented the
rays of the sonfrom reaching us. And one of the umbrellas was the person of
Jesus Christ and anotherwas the Bible so that by putting ourselves under the
umbrella we were preventing ourselves from coming to know the glory of the
one true God. Among the things that ProfessorFarraysaid were that theology
did “presenthim (Jesus)as sinless and thereby robbed him of his humanity”.
In other words, the Bible is responsible for telling us that Jesus Christis the
sinless Sonof Godand by so doing has erectedan umbrella betweenus and
the true God. Furthermore, his ownhumanity has been robbed by the fact
that we have called him sinless.

The Bible plainly teaches the sinlessnessofChrist among the texts of
Scripture the Apostle Paul writes, “Forhe hath made him to be sin for us who
knew know sin that we might become the righteousness ofGod in him.”
ProfessorFarraymade the common mistake that because men are sinners
today and because Jesus Christlives in the midst of us that therefore he was a
sinner to. But we should remember that sin is not a necessaryfactorof human
nature. It is only necessarysince fall. Adam in the Garden of Eden was a
sinless man until he fell. Sin is not necessaryforhumanity to be humanity. In
fact, we ourselves shallone day be delivered from the sin principle and shall
also at that time be sinless.
Other things that ProfessorFarraysaid included the prayer which he shared
with his disciples acknowledgedhis need for forgiveness. Our Lord never said
that he had need for forgiveness. He askedthe disciples to pray and
acknowledge theirneed of forgiveness but himself never prayed that so called
Lord’s Prayer. In fact, he did just the opposite in the Gospelof John. He said,
“Which of you convinceth me of sin?” and of course intended and receivedno
answer.
Mr. Farray went on to saythe doctrine of the secondcoming denied the
conceptof God’s being love. It seems doubtful that Jesus evertaught such a
doctrine as the doctrine of the SecondAdvent. Well, one only has to read a
few pages in the New Testamentto realize that our Lord taught very plainly
the factof the SecondAdvent and that is something for which we as believers
look forward.
He said also to call Jesus Godis to substitute an idol for the incarnation. That
is, that we are not to think of our Lord as God and if we do callhim God than
we are guilty of worshipping a false God. We have made him God. One
wonders what would be said concerning texts such as when Thomas saw that
he had truly been raised from the dead cried out as he fell down before him

saying, “My Lord and my God.” The writer of the epistle to the Hebrews
obviously had never read ProfessorFarray’s book becausein the first chapter
of his letter he gives a number of texts pointing to the true deity of the Lord
Jesus Christ. And among them is this plain text in chapter 1 in which he cites
Psalm45. And in the citation these are the words that are found. “And of the
angels he saith, ‘Who maketh his angels spirits and his ministers a flame of
fire’. But unto the sonhe saith, ‘Thy throne O God is forever and ever a
septure of righteousness is the septor of thy kingdom.” Know the Bible
testifies without any equivocations whatsoeverto the true and full deity of the
Lord Jesus Christ.
It’s rather significant, I think, that in this fourth Gospel — the Gospelof John
— the Lord Jesus said“my father”. He also spoke of“your father”. But never
once did Jesus say“ourfather”. In other words, he always claimedto have a
sonship that was different from the sonship of you and me. We are sons of
God but he is the Sonof God. We are the children of God but he is the unique
secondpersonof the trinity, the eternally begottenSon of God. We are sons
by the new birth, by generationin time the Lord Jesus is the Sonof Godby
eternal generation. He is the only person who stands in that relationship to the
father.
Well, the Lord Jesus has been affirming things that are just as significantand
just as unique in the fifth chapter. He has healed the man who had the
lameness and in the course of his discussionof things after the healing of the
impotent man he’s been giving a sermon, a message. And in the midst of it he
has just affirmed his authority to make alive the human spirit. He saidin
verse 24, “Verily, Verily I say unto you, he that heareth my word and
believeth him that sent me hath everlasting life and shall not come into
judgment but is passedfrom death unto life. Verily, Verily I say unto you, the
hour is coming and now is when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of
God and they that hear shall live.” He claims to have authority to make alive
the human spirit. Now, that is something that only God can do as we saw

when Namon went down from Syria to the land of Israelin order to be healed
of his leprosy and when the king of Israel was askedto do something about it
he said as he tore his clothes thinking that this was an occasionforthe king of
Syria to come and war againsthim. He said, “Am I God to kill and to make
alive?” He recognizedthat to bring life, or to quicken, or to make alive a
spirit, or to cleanse from leprosy is a prerogative of God alone. But the Lord
Jesus claims that prerogative. He is one who when men hear his voice;they
hear his voice, they shall live. He communicates life to those who hear his
word. Not only does he quicken the spirits of men but he also makes alive
their bodies.
Verse 28 contains these words, “Marvelnot at this for the hour is coming in
which all that are in the grave shall hear his voice and shall come fourth. They
that have done goodunto the resurrectionof life and they that have done evil
unto the resurrectionof judgment.” So the Lord Jesus Christis able to make
alive the human spirit and he also has the authority and will execute it to
make alive the human body in resurrection.
Someone might sayat this point to him, and I think he has anticipated this
possible objection, “You’re affirmations are supported only by your words so
how can we believe them.” And so our Lord now will give some testimonies to
him and to his person and power. He begins with something of an
introduction by saying that, “I will condescendin effectto human law. Notice
verse 31 and verse 32. “If I bear witness of myself my witness is not true.
There is anotherthat beareth witness of me and I know that the witness which
he witnessethof me is true.”
That raises an interesting question. “If I bear witness of myself my witness is
not true.” If our Lord Jesus Christ is the Son of God is not his witness true?
Well, of course his witness is true. And if he is as he claims to be this
individual who canmake alive the human spirit and canmake alive the

human body and resurrectionthen the things that he speaks theyare true. In
what sense could our Lord possibly say, “If I bear witness of myself my
witness is not true?” Well, the only way in which he can do this is to do it out
of his mediatorial relationship to the father. Foryou see though he was the
eternal sonof God, eternally the secondpersonof the trinity and the eternal
son by eternal generationhe took upon himself human nature and for a time
became a mediator in order by his life, and ministry and preeminently by his
death to make it possible for the saints of God to be restoredto relationship to
the Lord God. And in taking that relationship he took upon himself the
necessityofcomplete obedience to the father.
In everything he must obey the father. He saidin verse 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 who sent me.” So the Lord Jesus
committed himself to a life of obedience. That obedience was anobedience
even to the death of the cross. And when he had finished his ministry of
obedience in the flesh he ascendedto the right hand of the father and
continues his obedience to the father in his resurrection glory until his whole
program is finished. And when it is finished Paul tells us he will turn over the
kingdom to the father that God; Father, Sonand Holy Spirit maybe all in all.
Our Lord Jesus is the mediant. If he were to have thoughts of his own and
depart in actions and ways that were contrary to the will of the father in any
way the of course it would be the same as any of us becoming sinners. He
would have turned aside from the will of God. He would have become the lie
instead of the truth. And so he speaks ofhimself as being in complete
subservience and submission to the father during the whole time of his
mediatorial ministry. Therefore, if he bore witness of himself as a separate
testifier apart from the direction of the father his witness would be not true.
Now, I think that we also may sayif I bear witness of myself my witness is not
true in your estimation. That might be also involved. In other words, you
might think that my witness is not true if I bore it of myself, but I think that

problem the sense that I’ve just explained is the sense in which this is to be
understood. Now, to show you that his testimony is always true even when he
speaks individually turn over to chapter 8 verse 14.
The Lord Jesus there speaking in a different context says, the text reads John
8:14, “Jesusansweredand said unto them, ‘Though I bear witness of myself
yet my witness is true for I know from where I came and where I go but ye
cannot tell from where I come and where I go.'” So far as our Lord’s
testimony is concernedit is true and it is true because he is the Son of God,
but he has committed himself to subservience and submission for a time. And
therefore he says, “If I bear witness of myself apart from that relationship of
complete dependence upon the Father my witness would not be true.”
Well, that’s something that someone might want to use to show that the Bible
really does contradict itself. But I think that when you read the Bible carefully
you will see that that is not true at all. In fact, if someone wantedto be sure
that the Bible, being a deceptive book and being a forgery, would not have
unnecessarycriticisms an author would never put two texts like that in the
same book. But John has done it because he sees no contradiction betweenthe
statementin chapter 5, “If I bear witness of myself my witness is not true. If I
bear witness of myself my witness is true.” It’s the context that determines the
meaning in eachparticular place. Well, that’s the first testimony to our
Lord’s greatnessand it comes from him himself. “If I bear witness of myself
my witness is true.”
Now the witness of John the Baptist is given next in verse 33 through verse 35.
Jesus saidto the men about him, “Ye sent unto John and he bore witness unto
the truth.” That reminds us of the Jews who came to see John the Baptist
describedin the first chapter of the Gospelof John, and they askedhim who
he was. “Are you the Messiah?”Johnsaid, “No, I’m not the Messiah.”“Are
you Elijah or one of the prophets?” “No. I am simply the voice of one crying

in the wilderness and I’m giving testimony to someone who is coming after
me, someone’s whose shoes’latchetI am not worthy to unloose.” So he gave a
cleartestimony to the dignity of the king who would come and claimed himself
simply to be the ambassadorofthe king.
He makes some comments about John that are interesting for he says, “But I
receive not testimony from man but these things I say that ye might be saved.”
He, John, was a burning and shining lamp. Not light — the light is our Lord.
He was the lamp that held that light; the Lord Jesus Christ. He said he was a
burning and shining lamp and ye were willing for a seasonto rejoice in his
light. Isn’t that interesting that the Lord Jesus saidyes John the Baptist came
and he bore witness to the truth. But he was a burning and shining lamp and
you were willing to for a seasonrejoice in his light. It is striking but
nevertheless true that Josephus the Jewishhistorian in his antiquitous tells us
sometime after this that when John the Baptist came the people were
“arousedto the highest degree by the ministry of John the Baptist”. So there
was a greatresponse to John the Baptist’s ministry among the Jewishpeople.
But notice our Lord said it was for a season. Theyrejoicedin John. They went
out to hear him. Many did respond and receive forgiveness ofsin signifying
that they were waiting for the king to come. But the greatmass of the people
who responded to him later turned awayfrom him. In fact, the Bible says that
Herod heard him gladly. You see it’s possible for people to really rejoice in
spiritual things but for it not to be a deep down reality. It’s possible to be
responsive to the word of God for a time and for it not to be a genuine
response.
“He was a burning and shining lamp and ye were willing for a seasonto
rejoice in his life.” But it wasn’tlong before John’s head was on a platter. You
know you often see this even in Evangelicalismwhen we are so plagued with
the fads. And people are extremely interestedfor a while, they get all excited
about this thing or that thing, or perhaps even this preacheror the other
preacher. And sometimes for months, sometimes even for years there is

responsivenessbut then things become different and it’s not long afterwards
well some even of those preachers might find their heads on a platter too,
speaking in a spiritualized way of course.
But it is nevertheless true. It’s true to our human nature. You see, a lamp not
only attracts people who want light but it attracts the moths as well. And there
are many moths who gather around the preaching of the word of God who do
not have any real ultimate true response within to the things of the word of
God. I think one of the saddestthings is that individuals know the Bible so
little that they become easilyconfusedand fooledby the fads of the day.
About 25 years ago one of the professors atthe schooloftheologyin this city
associatedwith a university here, one of the men who was ProfessorofNew
Testamentthere in the Mustang student paper wrote, “The Bible is a parcel of
historicaluncertainties, a compendium of outmoded, outdated, obsolete, and
senseless rules, a tissue of legends, curious and bizarre arguments, fantastic
and outlandish figures of speech.” And then he said discerning the signs of the
times for he seemedto sense, he said that there is a turning of the tide back to
a more conservative approachto the Bible. He said that he had discernedthat
and the institution had discernedthat, and therefore that he and the faculty
were determined to ride in on them. That is, those who representeda change
of attitude toward the Scriptures and advancedbeyond both fundamentalism
and modernism. Oh, how easilyfooledwe are by the men of the cloth. The
Lord Jesus said, “Johnwas a burning and shining lamp. You were willing for
a seasonto rejoice in his light. But now things are different.”
Bengalthe old German commentatorsaid, “Theywere attracted by his
brightness but now by his warmth. They were attractedby the fact that he
was an interesting new characterwho came out of the wilderness dressedas
he did and eating the things that he ate. And people were naturally attracted

to him but not to his essentialmessage. Well, that’s the witness of John the
Baptist.
Jesus then refers to the witness of his works in verse 36. He said, “But I have
greaterwitness 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 Fatherhath
sent me.” Nicodemus saw that from he said remember as he came to the Lord,
“We know that thou art a teachercome from Godfor no man can do these
miracles that thou doestexcept Godbe with him.” And so he sensedthat
because ofthe mighty works that the Lord Jesus Christ was doing, the mighty
miracles, that Godwas with him. Our Lord refers to that as his third witness.
And then the witness of the Father follows. He says in verse 37 and 38, “And
the Fatherhimself who hath sent me hath born witness of me. Ye have neither
heard his voice at any time nor seenhis shape. And ye have not his word
abiding in you for whom he hath sent, him ye believed not.” Now, it is clear
that when he says here, “You have neither heard his voice at any time nor
seenhis shape and the fact that the Father has born witness of me,” the Lord
is referring back to the Old Testamentand on up to the present time and the
testimony that the father has given in the Scriptures. In other words, “that has
born witness” distinguishes the past and the present. He has born witness in
the pastand the effects ofthat witness are still with us. But Israel has rejected
him. Well, in the Old Testamentthey did not have divine revelations in the
sense that they have now for now they have the Lord Jesus incarnate before
them and he is declaring who God is and what he is like.
In the Old Testamentonly Moses was able to hear his voice. And then also
Jacoband a few others had experiences with the theophonies. Jacobwrestled
with the angelwho turned out to be the Son of God as a theophony. He spoke
about the fact that this place at Geboc where he had wrestledwith the angel
that was going to be called Kanal, face of God, because he recognizedthat he

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