John 5:31-40

Jesus understands that the Jews want to hear more than just His own claims. To them, His testimony is not sufficient. So Jesus offers other witnesses.

 

Witness #1 – John the Baptist. Everything John said about Jesus was true. They ought to believe in Jesus because of what John said.

 

Witness #2 – the works Jesus did. These works were greater testimony than John's testimony. They were the works the Father had given to Jesus to complete. We've seen several of them so far. Good news is preached to the outcasts, and miracles restore the dying.

 

Witness #3 – the Father. Jesus says that it is clear that the Jews do not have the Father's words living in them, because they do not accept Jesus. This is ironic, for they study God's words diligently as they seek eternal life, but they refuse to come to Jesus to have life – the refuse to accept the very One to whom the Father has been testifying all along!

 

Father, how can we believe the Scriptures to be Your words and yet choose to reject them? Certainly, we can't! If we reject Your words and refuse to obey them and believe them, then we have deceived ourselves into believing we see the Bible as Your words! Pull the deception off of our eyes and teach us to hear YOU. Teach us to see more than symbols written on pages. Teach us to realize that the Creator of the world is talking to us. Teach us to listen. Teach us to respond. Help us in our weakness. May we not reject the testimony that You have sent to reveal Jesus as our way to eternal life.