Heath Rogers

In John chapter five, Jesus healed a lame man and had him carry his bed on the Sabbath (vs. 1-9). This created a confrontation with the leaders of the Jews. In this confrontation, Jesus made numerous claims these leaders found unacceptable:

• He made Himself equal with God (vs. 18).

• He duplicated the works of the Father (v. 19).

• He had the power to give life to man (v. 21).

• He was to be honored as God was honored (v. 23).

• He has authority from God to execute judgment (v. 27).

• He will raise the dead (vs. 28-29).

Jesus proceeded to set forth evidence or witnesses to verify these incredible claims.

1. Himself (v. 31). Jesus bore verbal witness to the validity of His identity as the Son of God. However, He recognized the Law of Moses demanded multiple witnesses to verify facts (Deut. 19:15; John 8:17). Therefore, Jesus went on produce more witnesses to verify His claims.

2. John the Baptist (vs. 32-35). The testimony of John had been verified by a delegation of priests and Levites (1:19-28). He testified that Jesus was greater than himself.

3. Jesus’ works (v. 36). The miracles Jesus performed by His divine power (including healing the lame man earlier in the chapter) confirmed His claims and His identity. “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know” (Acts 2:22). Honest Jews accepted this testimony (3:2; 7:31), but these leaders weren’t convinced.

4. The Father (vs. 37-38). The voice of the Father sounded forth to be heard by men on three occasions in the Lord’s ministry: at His baptism (“This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” - Matt. 3:17), on the mount of transfiguration (Matt. 17:5), and at His triumphal entry (John 12:28). However, these Jewish leaders were not able to receive the Father’s voice because they were not of a mind to follow His will.

5. The Scriptures (vs. 39-47). The Jews accepted the authority of their Scriptures. They carefully examined the Scriptures for the right reason - to “have eternal life” (v. 39). However, they missed the primary objective of their Scriptures. The Old Testament Scriptures give life because they lead to faith in Christ. “And that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus” (2 Tim. 3:15). Only those Jews who were able to discern that the Scriptures were about Jesus were willing to accept His claims. These Jewish leaders did not accept Jesus because they were unwilling to truly believe in or trust the writings of Moses (John 5:45-47).

Jesus clearly and completely set forth His credentials (He is the Christ, the Son of God) from the very beginning of His conflicts with the Jewish leaders. These conflicts ultimately led to them rejecting Jesus and delivering Him to be crucified.

What impact does this evidence have on you? Are you “willing to come to Me [Jesus] that you may have life” (John 5:40)?