February 02, 2023 – Thursday
John 5:36-40 NIV
36 “I have testimony weightier than that of John. For the works that the Father has given me to finish—the very works that I am doing—testify that the Father has sent me.
37 And the Father who sent me has himself testified concerning me. You have never heard his voice nor seen his form,
38 nor does his word dwell in you, for you do not believe the one he sent.
Comments
The focus today is on verses 37-38, 37 And the Father who sent me has himself testified concerning me. You have never heard his voice nor seen his form, 38 nor does his word dwell in you, for you do not believe the one he sent. But we need to look at the whole of the context first.
So what are the five verses we are looking at talking about anyway? It is a question about who Jesus is and who can testify to who He is and why He should be believed to be God. He indirectly refers back to Deuteronomy 19:15, 15 One witness is not enough to convict anyone accused of any crime or offense they may have committed. A matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses when He sets out to provide three witnesses to whom He is. First in verses 31-33, 31 “If I testify about myself, my testimony is not true. 32 There is another who testifies in my favor, and I know that his testimony about me is true. 33 “You have sent to John and he has testified to the truth. Then He notes that He does not need human testimony, but only mentions it for their sake so they might be saved. After all, they had believed John the Baptist was a prophet proclaiming one greater than he was coming whom he was not fit to tie His sandals. John had declared Jesus to be that person.
Next, we come to our verses for today and first verse 36, 36 “I have testimony weightier than that of John. For the works that the Father has given me to finish—the very works that I am doing—testify that the Father has sent me. They believed John, at least for a time, but they could not look at the works Jesus had done, works that could not be done by any man, but only by God. The key to this was His healing in 5:5 of 5 One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. And He did it on the Sabbath. They could only see that He did it on the Sabbath and were blind to what He had done, the incredible miracle of a man who had not walked for 38 years, getting up and walking. That and other miracles they knew about was the second testimony about who Jesus is.
Now we come to Jesus’ accusation, 37 And the Father who sent me has himself testified concerning me. You have never heard his voice nor seen his form, 38 nor does his word dwell in you, for you do not believe the one he sent. That’s clear enough, but what does He mean the Father has testified concerning Him? Or that His world does not dwell in you and because of that you do not believe the one he sent. The answer comes in the next two verses, 39 You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, 40 yet you refuse to come to me to have life. The scriptures in the Old Testament, their Bible, actually testify about Jesus, and those provided His third testimony! Regrettably, they only really studied the scriptures to support their own predetermined positions
Then the hammer falls in the next two verses, 41 “I do not accept glory from human beings, 42 but I know you. I know that you do not have the love of God in your hearts. For us, Paul would write in Galatians 5:6, 6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love. In doing so we would be showing we have the love of God in our hearts. Having been shown Grace, we too need to show Grace.
Bottom Line: There is evidence in abundance concerning Jesus as God, so we would have to willfully ignore it to choose not to believe.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, Thank You for making it so clear Jesus is indeed Your Son. – In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
RileyD, nwJ
Riley D. Driver – Pastor
Calvary Chapel of Dayton
in Beavercreek