The World on Trial

Over the Last two weeks we have seen Jesus’ healing of the man at the pool of Bethesda was done both to call this man to live a life of holiness but also to show that Jesus was God himself in the flesh. This led the Jews, specifically the Jewish leaders in the Sanhedrin to desire to put him to death. The charge was blasphemy, specifically that a man had claimed to be God was to show irreverence for the power of God himself, his character, and holiness were insulted by such a claim. Yet they made no such charge at this time. Yet Jesus knowing their hearts and minds makes his defense and in doing so he instead turns the guilt upon them and upon the entire world for rejecting him. Look with me at John 5:31-47 as we consider 5 witnesses that Jesus calls to his defense.

John 5:31–47 ESV

If I alone bear witness about myself, my testimony is not true. There is another who bears witness about me, and I know that the testimony that he bears about me is true. You sent to John, and he has borne witness to the truth. Not that the testimony that I receive is from man, but I say these things so that you may be saved. He was a burning and shining lamp, and you were willing to rejoice for a while in his light. But the testimony that I have is greater than that of John. For the works that the Father has given me to accomplish, the very works that I am doing, bear witness about me that the Father has sent me. And the Father who sent me has himself borne witness about me. His voice you have never heard, his form you have never seen, and you do not have his word abiding in you, for you do not believe the one whom he has sent. You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life. I do not receive glory from people. But I know that you do not have the love of God within you. I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not receive me. If another comes in his own name, you will receive him. How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God? Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father. There is one who accuses you: Moses, on whom you have set your hope. For if you believed Moses, you would believe me; for he wrote of me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words?”

The Testimony of John the Baptist

John 5:31–35 ESV

If I alone bear witness about myself, my testimony is not true. There is another who bears witness about me, and I know that the testimony that he bears about me is true. You sent to John, and he has borne witness to the truth. Not that the testimony that I receive is from man, but I say these things so that you may be saved. He was a burning and shining lamp, and you were willing to rejoice for a while in his light.

You have already heard his statements

Remember back to chapter 1

in vs 22 the priests ask John the Baptist who are you

vs 23 John replies “I am the voice in the wilderness crying out make straight the path of the Lord.

vs24 why then are you baptizing

vs 26-27 I baptize with water but he who comes after me I am not even worthy to untie his sandal

vs 29 Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the World This is he who I said after me comes a man who ranks before me because he was before me

vs 34 I have borne witness this is the Son of God

Again in chapter 3:27-36 John the Baptist says Jesus is the Son of God and He has the power of life and death in his hand He is the Christ He is God

The testimony of John is that Jesus and God are one

The Testimony of Jesus Works

John 5:36 ESV

But the testimony that I have is greater than that of John. For the works that the Father has given me to accomplish, the very works that I am doing, bear witness about me that the Father has sent me.

This calls to mind all the miracles Jesus was doing.

He healed every kind of disease and infirmity

Bleeding stopped, blind could see, deaf could hear, lame could walk, mute could talk, demonic possessed were of sane mind, the dying lived again even those dead and whose spirit had gone on to the Lord will be raised.

Walking on the water, calming of the storm, withered fig, miraculous catches of fish power over nature

Feeding of the 5000 and the 4000 power to create

Each time Jesus is displaying the power of God. Miracles are never for the purpose of simply doing the extraordinary but rather they are to validate the message of the prophet who is doing the miracle.

Essentially when a man of God brought new revelation from God one had to ask how do we know it is from God and not from somewhere else. Thus God would do a miracle to validate the prophet and his message by doing what only God could accomplish.

Jesus says these works may not show that I am God himself in the flesh but I must at least be sent and blessed by God and why would God continue to bless a man with such miracles if he was a blasphemer? The fact that Jesus is still doing miracles must mean that his message is true in which case Jesus is God because he said he was.

The Works of Jesus testify that Jesus must be God

The Testimony of the Father

John 5:37–38 ESV

And the Father who sent me has himself borne witness about me. His voice you have never heard, his form you have never seen, and you do not have his word abiding in you, for you do not believe the one whom he has sent.

Jesus makes reference to his baptism Matthew 3:16-17

Matthew 3:16–17 ESV

And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”

Thus Jesus says God the Father says Jesus is his Son thus they are of one nature one essence

Jesus then accuses them of never having heard the voice of God or seeing his form or having his word abiding in them for you do not believe the one sent

You didn’t believe John you didnt believe the works but you dont even believe God speaking from Heaven. Too many people heard this for the Jewish leaders to argue its happening yet they refused to believe the message.

You don’t know God because if you did you would believe the one whom he sent namely myself.

If they really knew God they would recognize what he is doing and then accept the message of the one who was sent by him.

He has the personal stamp of approval from God.

The Testimony of Scripture

John 5:39–40 ESV

You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life.

Notice what Jesus says here the Jews have searched the Scriptures for eternal life yet when Scriptures say that it is the Christ the Messiah who would bring eternal life. Instead of studying every detail of how the Christ would come and who he would be they cultivate their own concepts of the Christ. Let us be careful to find our concepts of God from Scripture and not our own self made ideas. After all Scripture is God’s self revelation of himself who else can reveal God to us better than God himself.

One of the most powerful examples of Jesus being God based upon scripture is found in Matthew 21:41-46

Matthew 22:41–46 ESV

Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question, saying, “What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is he?” They said to him, “The son of David.” He said to them, “How is it then that David, in the Spirit, calls him Lord, saying, “ ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand, until I put your enemies under your feet” ’? If then David calls him Lord, how is he his son?” And no one was able to answer him a word, nor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions.

If the Scriptures did not say the Christ was God then why does David call him Lord. The Pharisees understood his argument. They also knew he called himself the Son of Man, another title for the Christ. Yet they could not find anyway to argue with him.

The number of phophecies fullfilled by Jesus in scripture also show he is God.

A professor at Westmont College demonstrates the testimony of Scripture though mathematical probability. He took 8 prophecies about Christ and conservatively estimated the probability that one man could have fulfilled just these 8 prophecies. The professor had his work reviewed by other scientists and a committee at the American Scientific Affiliation to ensure that his calculations were both accurate and dependable. His conclusion set the odds at 1 in 10^17th power. That is the equivalent of piling silver dollars all across Texas 2 feet deep. marking one and hiding it somewhere in the pile then telling a blindfolded man that he can walk as far as he desires in any direction but he must pick out the marked silver dollar in one try. The odds against it are the same as Jesus fulfilling 8 prophecies but even the most conservative estimates are closer to 100 prophecies. that Jesus fulfilled in the first coming.

Scriptures testify that Jesus is God himself

The Testimony of Moses

John 5:41–47 ESV

I do not receive glory from people. But I know that you do not have the love of God within you. I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not receive me. If another comes in his own name, you will receive him. How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God? Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father. There is one who accuses you: Moses, on whom you have set your hope. For if you believed Moses, you would believe me; for he wrote of me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words?”

Moses is the final witness and for the Jewish Leaders it is the most damning of all.

The hope of the Jews was on Moses and the Law.

I am good enough to enter the gates of heaven because I have upheld the Law.

Yet even Moses said

Deuteronomy 18:15–19 ESV

“The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers—it is to him you shall listen— just as you desired of the Lord your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly, when you said, ‘Let me not hear again the voice of the Lord my God or see this great fire any more, lest I die.’ And the Lord said to me, ‘They are right in what they have spoken. I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers. And I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him. And whoever will not listen to my words that he shall speak in my name, I myself will require it of him.

A prophet like me who speaks to God face to face

A prophet like me who intercedes on behalf of the people

A prophet like me who says nothing that God has not told him to say

A prophet like me who is Defended by God

Moses here is saying that Jesus will be unlike all other prophets.

Yet these same Jews who claimed to be following Moses and placing their faith in Moses did not believe his words about the Messiah. For when Jesus came they believed him not.

Moses testified of Jesus

Invitation

So why did they not believe

because they were seeking their own glory rather than God’s

It was about power for them.

Remember their words when they decide to arrest Jesus

John 11:48 ESV

If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.”

In the end they will be judged by the very thing they put their faith in their own ability to uphold the Law. And they will be found Guilty. For all have sinned and fallen short of the perfection of God. No mere man can uphold every letter of the law, in fact I would propose that no mere man could even keep the 10 commandments perfectly. but Jesus was no mere man. He was God in the flesh. God being perfect could perfectly keep the law. Jesus is the source of our salvation and our life. It is he who has chosen to show us grace and mercy for our sins. The only question is whose glory will you seek will you seek to say I am great look at me, or will you acknowledge your own unworthiness and point to the greatness of God and say O how marvelous oh how wonderful is the saviors love for me.