A Study of John's Gospel. Pt 27 Christ: The Righteous Judge & Obedient Son

Good morning to all...

We are coming to the end of John 5 in this post. Jesus is pointing to the various ways that show He is indeed who He claimed to be: Christ, the Son of God!

Christ a Righteous Judge & Obedient Son!

John 5:30  I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.

Jesus reemphasized that He will do 

only what the Father in heaven wants 

Him to do. He is a just judge who 

always makes correct judgment 

because He and His Father are one.

Jesus sought to fully implement the will of His Father rather than His own will. It could be said that the will of the Father was always the will of Jesus. 

Testimony for Jesus Christ by many credible witnesses.

John 5:31-32  If I bear witness of myself, my witness is not true. 32)  There is another that beareth witness of me; and I know that the witness which he witnesseth of me is true.

Jesus is always talking about people and works that bear witness of Him. The people and the works have a clear, consistent testimony that Jesus is Christ, the Son of God. Jesus does not bear witness of Himself since that was not permitted under the law. (See Deuteronomy 17:6 & 19:5). 

The witness of John the Baptist

John 5:33-35  Ye sent unto John, and he bare witness unto the truth. 34)  But I receive not testimony from man: but these things I say, that ye might be saved. 35) He was a burning and a shining light: and ye were willing for a season to rejoice in his light. 

Jesus pointed to the testimony of John the Baptist on His behalf. John called the people to repentance and he pointed Christ out so that his own disciples could follow the Messiah.  John saw Jesus walking nearby one day and proclaimed for all to hear that Jesus Christ was the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. 

Jesus told them that John the Baptist was a witness to the truth about Christ. He also let them know He was telling them so that they might be saved instead of dying in their sins.

The Father is the greatest witness for His Son, Jesus Christ. 

John 5:36  But I have greater witness than that of John: for the works which the Father hath given me to finish, the same works that I do, bear witness of me, that the Father hath sent me. 

The works that Jesus did are a powerful witness that the Father in heaven indeed sent His own Son into this world to secure salvation for all mankind who will put their trust in Christ and believe on Him. The Father's witness is larger, stronger and rooted in eternity. His testimony about His Son is perfect, truthful and gracious since it is given to help people believe. 

Those who deny His witness are under eternal condemnation. 

Only Jesus Christ can show us the heavenly Father. 

John 5:37-38  And the Father himself, which hath sent me, hath borne witness of me. Ye have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his shape. 38)  And ye have not his word abiding in you: for whom he hath sent, him ye believe not. 

The Father in heaven sent Jesus Christ His Son into the world for the specific mission of being the Lamb of God slain for our sins on the cross. The Father worked all the multitude of details out in space, matter and time to make salvation through Christ possible.

The Father has given a consistent and powerful testimony of the deity of Christ. 

Yet, in spite of all the grace and truth coming to them from Christ, the religious leaders refused to believe. Jesus reminded them that they had never seen the Father even though they claimed God as their father. They had never heard His voice even though they had the inspired Old Testament in their hands. 

The proof that they were unbelievers is that they did not believe on Jesus Christ who was sent by the Father. 

John 5:39-40  Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. 40) And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life. 

What a rebuke of the religious leaders. Jesus commanded them to search the scriptures because they viewed them as the source of eternal life. Then Jesus dropped a bomb on them! Those same scriptures "testify of me."

Jesus specifically stated that the writings of Moses, the Wisdom Literature and the writings of the prophets all spoke of Him. Imagine the impact of hearing Jesus tell you that Genesis through Deuteronomy bear witness to Jesus Christ, the Messiah. 

If you have followed this blog for a while you know that there are "pictures" that contain a preview of Jesus Christ woven into the books that Moses wrote. In the New Testament they are called shadows, patterns, types, figures, forms or examples. 

Jesus knew their darkened hearts.

John 5:41-43  I receive not honour from men. 42) But I know you, that ye have not the love of God in you. 43) I am come in my Father's name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive. 

Jesus did not seek or need any honor from men because the Father, John the Baptist and His works loudly proclaimed that Jesus was God manifest in the flesh. He came to them in the Father's name but they were not willing to receive Him. These people did not have the love of God shed abroad in their hearts like a New Testament believer has (Romans 5:5). The sad aspect is that the Jewish religious leaders were likely to follow the anti-Christ. 

Moses' writings will accuse them in the day of judgment.

John 5:44-47  How can ye believe, which receive honour one of another, and seek not the honour that cometh from God only? 45) Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father: there is one that accuseth you, even Moses, in whom ye trust. 46) For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me. 47) But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my words? 

The religious leaders only cared about receiving praise from other men like themselves. They were disinterested in seeking the honor from God in the day of judgment. The words of Jesus  connect back to His teaching about the two resurrections. 

The writings of Moses will judge them in the last day. Again, Jesus made it clear that if they really believed what Moses wrote, they would have believed Jesus. Why? Because Moses wrote about Christ!

Their unbelief made it impossible for them to believe the words Jesus spoke. 

Thoughts to Ponder...

Have we been absorbing the witness of the Father in Jesus Christ through John's gospel? We need to see the fullest possible expression of the Father in the person of the Son, Jesus Christ. If we sit and learn from the lips of Jesus we will learn about our Father. As we read about the powerful miracles performed, we see what the Father is up to. 

Have we been searching out the Old Testament scriptures to find their testimony of Christ? Jesus said that Moses wrote about Him. Studying the Old Testament has fallen out of favor in many places today and yet, those scriptures are the solid foundation that supports the New Testament. Studying the types of Christ from the Old Testament has also been largely ignored and yet we need to see and understand these pictures of our Lord. They show us the heart of God toward man and His intent to save us. They show us what God has for us and what He did to make salvation available for all who will believe. 

May the Spirit of God give us understanding of Divine truth and may He open our hearts and minds to see the beautiful pictures of Jesus Christ found in the Old Testament. May the Spirit of God use our efforts to search the scriptures to know Christ through the lens of the Old Testament. This can become a joyful labor that fills us with praise for our Lord Jesus Christ. May we sincerely endeavor to honor God with our response to His Word. 

 Bob