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Passage To
Study:
John
5:31-47
[31] “If I bear witness of Myself, My witness
is not true. [32] “There is another who bears witness of Me, and I know
that the witness which He witnesses of Me is true. [33] “You have sent
to John, and he has borne witness to the truth. [34] “Yet I do not
receive testimony from man, but I say these things that you may be saved.
[35] “He was the burning and shining lamp, and you were willing for a
time to rejoice in his light. [36] “But I have a greater witness than
John's; for the works which the Father has given Me to finish—the very
works that I do—bear witness of Me, that the Father has sent Me. [37]
“And the Father Himself, who sent Me, has testified of Me. You have
neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His form. [38] “But you do
not have His word abiding in you, because whom He sent, Him you do not
believe. [39] “You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have
eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. [40] “But you are
not willing to come to Me that you may have life. [41] “I do not receive
honor from men. [42] “But I know you, that you do not have the love of
God in you. [43] “I have come in My Father's name, and you do not
receive Me; if another comes in his own name, him you will receive. [44]
“How can you believe, who receive honor from one another, and do not
seek the honor that comes from the only God? [45] “Do not think that I
shall accuse you to the Father; there is one who accuses you—Moses, in
whom you trust. [46] “For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me;
for he wrote about Me. [47] “But if you do not believe his writings, how
will you believe My words?”
What are the facts of the passage?:
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Jesus is
Continuing the thought of the prior section.
-
He had
said that He speaks only what God has told Him. Here He adds that if
He bears witness of Himself He is not speaking truth. He appeals to
the Spirit as ons who bears witness of Him.
-
He points
out that He is not dependant on man to give Him credability. Christ
preaches as He does in order that men might be saved, not to gain
testimony from them.
-
He cites
the case of John, and says that He is greater and that His works bear
witness to His truth and that He is from the Father.
-
He then
rebukes the Jewish Leaders for having the truth, but not heeding it.
-
They were
seeking a human righteousness that won the praise of men. They were
not interested in a righteousness revealed from heaven that won praise
only for God. He tells them that they do not have the love of God in
them.
-
He then,
in verse 43, clearly ties the issue to a love of human righteousness.
-
Further,
in verse 44 we see Christ the matter to its resulting inability. How can
they believe in light of what is true about them?
- One
could almost accuse Christ of dramatics in verse 45-47. By rejecting
Him, they are rejecting Moses in whom they profess to trust!
What do those facts mean?:
Taken
with the prior section, we see that Christ judges based on what the Father
has set as a standard. He does not set His own standards and judges by
them.
In
a reference back to the healing of the man by the pool, He indicates that
the works that He does are a greater testimony to Who He is than the
testimony of any man.
The
Jewish Leaders had several witnesses to the truth:
All
of these were insufficient because of their unwillingness and their
persistence in sin. The fact is, they were willing to do a great deal,
except to simply come to Christ. This was unacceptable to them because
they wanted to come, but they wanted to come their way, not God's
way.
The
seem of the matter is given to us in verse 42. They do not have the love
of God in them. They are as they are for that reason. It leads us to ask
the question: how does one get the love of God in him and what exactly
does that mean? That is a topic that deserves more of an answer than space
here allows.
The
appeal to Moses at the end of the section is priceless! No better clincher
could possibly be found! The objective nature of the appeal is solid - He
is appealing to an authority they could or no way deny. He has said they
trust in the words of men, yet, they reject the words of the greatest man
in their history. The irony is sweet and powerful!
How do those facts apply to my life?:
Once again we see the Scripture clearly speak to
the inability and to the unwillingness of men to submit to the Gospel.
Most people see the Jewish Leaders as atypical or not demonstrative of all
men. Yet, this is really not the case. It is certainly true that they were
an extreme example; but they were an example of what man, particularly
religious man, is apart from the prevenient grace of God. Far from being
the exception to the rule; they are the epitome of it!
What should I do in response?:
Ponder it and see to of that I follow the example
of the Lord, and not the example of other men.
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