The Witness of Scripture

Lesson #94

In this lesson we will look at the last of four witnesses given in John 5:33 – 47. These four witnesses are the witness of John the Baptist, the witness of works, the witness of the Father, and the witness of Scripture. For the witness of Scripture we will look at John 5:39 – 47: “³⁹ You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me; ⁴⁰ and you are unwilling to come to Me so that you may have life. ⁴¹ I do not receive glory from men; ⁴² but I know you, that you do not have the love of God in yourselves. ⁴³ 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. ⁴⁴ How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and you do not seek the glory that is from the one and only God? ⁴⁵ Do not think that I will accuse you before the Father; the one who accuses you is Moses, in whom you have set your hope. 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?” (NASB).

Jesus understands that the Jews were diligently or anxiously searching the Scriptures. This is something that all people should do, but there is a caution. The Jews thought that by studying the Scriptures they would obtain eternal life, but instead they should have found the way to the source of eternal life. Those Scriptures the Jews studied so diligently testified about a coming Messiah that would suffer and die to purchase them from sin. The Scriptures spoke of a coming Son of God, but when Jesus arrived he was not what they expected and so they rejected him as a fraud. Since they were unwilling to come to him and accept him, they were unable to obtain eternal life. Those Scriptures they so diligently studied predicted his coming and the manner of his life and death, but they could not accept that kind of a Messiah.

Verses 41 through 44 deal with the problem of pride; a problem that each sinful person has to deal with in their daily life. Jesus makes it clear that pride is not a problem for him because what he is telling them is not for the purpose of obtaining glory from others, but to make clear to them the way of salvation. Jesus then associates humility with ones love for God. Because of their pride, the Jews do not have the love of God within them. Jesus told them that he has come in his Father’s name, but because of their pride they are unable to accept him. To accept Jesus and what he taught one had to submit to him and let go of their value of pride. The Jews were willing to listen to others who came in their own name because there was no demand to submit to them. In their state of pride, these Jews are willing to listen to one another and receive glory from one another, but they are not willing to seek glory that is from God. As a result they are unable to believe the truth of who Jesus is and what he came to accomplish.

Jesus made it clear that they didn’t believe what Moses said about the coming Messiah. There is so much said in the Old Testament about a coming suffering Messiah, now standing before them as Jesus, but they were unable or unwilling to believe. Since the Jews would not believe the Scriptures they could not believe Jesus. In their pride they looked for a powerful world leader that would deliver them from the bondage of Rome, not the bondage of their sin. What affect does your pride have on your relationship with God and with Jesus Christ?

Prayer

Father, as you know pride has been an area of struggle in my life and has made life more difficult for me. Continue to work in my heart that I would become more and more humble and meek like Jesus. Thank you for the promise that you will conform me into the image of your Son.