How Can You Believe?

Recap

Verses 19 - 47 is Jesus’ answer to the Jews because they were upset with Jesus because he was making himself equal with God. Jesus was calling God his Father and was proclaiming to be doing God’s work on the Sabbath. He was doing things that the Jews believed shouldn’t be done on the Sabbath and calling it God’s work, his Fathers work, which angered the Jews to the point of wanting to kill him.

The passages we last looked at and are looking at today contain Jesus’ defense. It is a continuation of the courtroom theme that John employed in the beginning of his gospel when he was talking about witnesses and witnessing for Christ.

In verses 19-29, Jesus made his statement as to where his authority comes from. This is important because it establishes his right to do what he did on the Sabbath, which was heal a man and instruct him to carry his bed, effectively causing him to break the Sabbath rules as well.

The question we were confronted with when we looked at that passage was, “Do I believe Jesus is who he says he is?”

Because if we do, then there is no problem. We have no reason to be angry with Jesus as the Jews were. If we don’t, well then it doesn’t matter what Jesus says because he broke the rules that I believe in. So, it is a fundamental issue of the human heart that Jesus is tackling. Will we trust ourselves over Jesus, or will we trust Jesus over ourselves?

Testimony without Witness

After stating who he is and the authority he has, Jesus continues his defense by giving witnesses who also say that Jesus is who he says he is.