JOHN 5:41-47 (NKJV) HONOR JESUS, PLEASE GOD

41 "I do not receive honor from men.

I got stuck right away with Jesus’ statement that he doesn’t accept honor from men. Intuitively, my first reaction was that he was referring to flattery. This seems to be the best understanding from the context. However, it is odd that the ESV and NAS translate, the word as glory, NKJV and KJV as honor, NLT as approval, and NIV as praise. The reason I see this as odd is that we are commanded to praise God and give him glory (Ps 29:1-2, 135:1). Previously, Jesus said that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father (John 5:23). So why would Jesus say he doesn’t accept it. Perhaps it is a poor translation as the word can also be translated as “opinion, estimation in which one is held, repute; in NT, always good opinion, hence reputation, praise, honour, glory”[1] If Jesus used it in this manner then it fits with the context that he isn’t building his reputation or what people think.

42 But I know you, that you do not have the love of God in you. 

As the Holy Spirit informs him, Jesus is quite aware of the attitudes and thoughts of people on various occasions. Just as is recorded in Mark 2:8, “Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts” (NIV), Jesus knew that for all their pomp and bluster, the Jews who were confronting him didn’t know or truly love God.  It reminds me of Jesus condemnation of the church in Ephesus where he says they have lost their first love (Rev 2:4). There are too many of us in churches that believe we are honoring Jesus but don’t have a true love for him.

43 I have come in My Father's name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, him you will receive.  44 How can you believe, who receive honor from one another, and do not seek the honor that comes from the only God?

Jesus goes well past the positions of the Old Testament prophets in stating his authority. They would claim to have seen vision or God’s word to assert their position (Isa 1:1, Amos 1:1). Jeremiah said that the word of the Lord came to him (Jer 1:2) and elaborated on his call (Jer 1:4-8). Not only does Jesus speak with authority but claims that God is his Father. It is amazing that the Jews didn’t object to this at this time.

Apparently, a lot of the Jews had been drawn away and enticed to rebel against Rome prior to Jesus’ appearance. Gamaliel warned the Sanhedrin to be wary of persecuting the Apostles and referred to two previous self-proclaimed Messiahs who failed to make good on their promises (Acts 5:34-37). This was an era when the expectation of the Messiah brought people out of the woodwork, but none claimed to come from the Father.

Then it also appears that they were all patting themselves on the back for not falling for the false Messiahs, most likely claiming that they knew all along they were false based on their knowledge of the Scriptures. It seems that they only declared their knowledge after the efforts to rid them of Rome failed.

Jesus points out a very serious problem they have and is also rampant among unbelievers as well as Christians. We give approval to those who shouldn’t have it and we seek approval from those who are not worth giving it. What Paul told the Romans is very apropos for our culture today. It extends to everyone from politicians and even pastors.

Although they know God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them (Rom 1:32 NIV).

If we focused on getting our approval from God, we wouldn’t have either problem. We can only be free from honoring or seeking honor from the wrong sources by seeking God’s approval.

Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ (Gal 1:10 NIV).

45 Do not think that I shall accuse you to the Father; there is one who accuses you — Moses, in whom you trust.  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?"

I’m not sure how the final judgment will go but it is interesting that Jesus says he isn’t the one that will accuse people who have a Bible. Instead, the light that they had will accuse them. For the Jews, it is the Old Testament and even just the first five books. For others it is those who have had a Bible sitting on the shelf and has barely glanced at it. There will even be some who have studied the Bible diligently and have still never had a relationship with Jesus. For those who have belonged to a Christian church all their lives and even read their Bibles but never surrendered their lives to Jesus, the following verses should wake them up so that they will not be accused of faking their relationship with Jesus.

Not everyone who says to me, “Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?” Then I will tell them plainly, “I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers” (Matt 7:21-23 NIV)!

 

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[1]George Abbott-Smith, “NT:1391,” in A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament. (Third Edition.) (Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark, 1922).

JOHN 5:31-40 (NASU) JESUS’ TESTIMONY

31 "If I alone testify about Myself, My testimony is not true.  32 "There is another who testifies of Me, and I know that the testimony which He gives about Me is true.

Why would Jesus’ testimony not be valid? There are two principles in Scripture that will explain this. The first is that of the Law found in the Old Testament and the second is wisdom provide in the Proverbs.  The Law states:

One witness is not enough to convict a man accused of any crime or offense he may have committed. A matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses (Deut 19:15 NIV).

While the law is concerned at this point with conviction of a crime, it applies to any situation where someone is trying to prove a point. In our country at this time, anyone can make a point and call it the truth. We can post some ridiculous statement or theory on the Facebook, Twitter or other media and people will believe it. Jesus is showing that unless there is a valid witness to his statements, you shouldn’t believe him.

Jesus’ claim to be able to raise the dead and that they would hear his voice is preposterous. How could anyone claim this unless they had power over death and life? Certainly, anyone making such a clam must be able to substantiate it, and not with made up statistics or twisting the facts to suit the hearer’s fancy.

The second matter of not testifying to your own abilities is found in Proverbs 27:2, “Let another praise you, and not your own mouth; someone else, and not your own lips” (NIV). This may be the hardest for us to apply directly to our own lives. We are not often in the position to state truth or error and look for someone to support us. However, we are always in a position to say something good about ourselves. It becomes even harder to not “blow our own horn” when someone put us down or discredits us.

This wisdom is also found in Proverbs 25:27 to not seek your own glory, but also in 2 Corinthians 10:18, “For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends” (NIV). This may be the hardest thing to do when slandered. Rather than defending oneself, we should look to the Lord for our approval.

33 "You have sent to John, and he has testified to the truth.  34 "But the testimony which I receive is not from man, but I say these things so that you may be saved.  35 "He was the lamp that was burning and was shining and you were willing to rejoice for a while in his light.

Now, Jesus turns to answer the Jews by providing the human witness that the Law requires. The Jews had already asked John who he was, and John pointed people to Jesus. He didn’t claim anything for himself but made sure his disciples knew Jesus was the Lamb of God. That testimony should have been enough for the Jews, but they rejected it. In stating that Jesus didn’t accept John’s testimony, he wasn’t saying John was wrong. He was saying that John’s testimony, though sufficient to establish Jesus’ identity, was nothing compared to God’s testimony.

Yet, Jesus points out that John was telling the truth and that truth should have pointed the Jews to the light of the word, who is Jesus. They must have listened to John and his preaching about repentance, but it didn’t do them any good. It is what the author of Hebrews was talking about in Hebrews 6:4-6. Many people “tase” of the goodness of the word of God and even are enlightened by it. But they don’t respond to it in faith. If they did, they would be saved but when they don’t, it shows they are not saved.

36 "But the testimony which I have is greater than the testimony of John; for the works which the Father has given Me to accomplish — the very works that I do — testify about Me, that the Father has sent Me. 37 "And the Father who sent Me, He has testified of Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time nor seen His form.  38 "You do not have His word abiding in you, for you do not believe Him whom He sent.

You may have realized that John was only one witness and the Law required two or more. Jesus moves on to produce his three witnesses. They are much greater than John’s testimony for they are eternal. Just as great preachers come and go, so John was a witness for only a short time. Ligonier Ministry teaching often makes the point that our faith is based on evidence and not a leap into the unknown without anything to substantiate it. The first witness is what Jesus did. So far in the Book of John, he has turned water into wine, did many miracles in Jerusalem at the Passover, healed the ruler’s son from a distance, and healed the disabled man by the pool. Our faith is based on the fact that Jesus performed miracles to prove who he is. These are the works of God the Father. He has enabled Jesus to do them to show that He sent Jesus.

Secondly, our faith is based on the fact that God spoke to Jesus and declared him to be His Son with whom He is well pleased (Matt 3:17). Now it is obvious that the Jews didn’t hear this voice from heaven. They were unable to hear because they didn’t have God’s word in them. They knew God’s word better than most, but it wasn’t living in them. It didn’t produce any fruit.

Interwoven are the truths that if you don’t believe in Jesus, (and for them it was to see the form of God) so they couldn’t hear, and it comes back around to not having God’s word dwelling in them.

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.

They studied the Scripture with the correct understanding that the key to eternal life is in the Scripture. Yet they didn’t believe what the Scriptures told them about the coming Messiah. At times we are no better. We have a doctrine and believe that holding the correct interpretation of Scripture to support that doctrine is a litmus test to our salvation. We miss Jesus. For example some question your salvation if you don’t agree on when the rapture occurs or other eschatological doctrines.

JOHN 5:16-30 (ESV) GOD’S WORK, JUDGMENT, ETERNAL LIFE

 

16 And this was why the Jews were persecuting Jesus, because he was doing these things on the Sabbath. 17 But Jesus answered them, "My Father is working until now, and I am working." 18 This was why the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him, because not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God.

Jesus was doing these things on the Sabbath. It wasn’t just one healing of one man but many things that he did on the Sabbath. In Matthew 12:5, Jesus said, “Or have you not read in the Law how on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath and are guiltless?” (ESV). The priests defiled the Sabbath by working on it as prescribed by God. This then points to two facts. 1) Jesus is indicating that his right to do good on the Sabbath pointed to the fact that he was also a priest. In fact, Jesus is our high priest (Heb 4:14). He is the only mediator between God and man (1 Tim 2:5). 2) Jesus is God in that he has the right to say what does and does not incur guilt by working on the Sabbath.

Jesus identifies himself with God in doing these miracles. He simply calls them work, but the meaning is clear. Jesus has always been working in “natural” ways. In Colossians 1:17 we learn that “He is before all things, and in him all things hold together” (NIV). Also in Hebrews 1:3 we find that Jesus is “sustaining all things by his powerful word” (NIV). It should be noted that most people do not recognize that God in Jesus is making sure the world continues in what we believe to be natural ways. They think that God created the universe, gave it natural laws of physics like gravity, etc. then let it run its course. They are called deists, and quite frankly they are the ones that are responsible for writing our constitution and setting the groundwork for the mess that our country is in right now.[1] There are many of them still around and most don’t even know that they are denying the true nature of God and of Jesus. They don’t realize that creation cannot and will not continue one second without Jesus making sure it does. If Jesus were to stop using his influence over the cosmos it would all disappear. Poof! Nothing. Think about 2 Peter 3:10 “The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare” (NIV).

When we have a proper understanding of what Jesus was doing and saying, it isn’t hard to see why the Jews were persecuting him and trying to kill him. Unlike the people of today who say that Jesus never claimed to be God, they knew exactly what he claimed. Their problem is that they didn’t want to believe but they couldn’t ignore Jesus. According to their religion, he had to be killed for his blasphemy. They were in some ways just like our deists. They recognized God but didn’t want him to have any control or interest in current affairs. They wanted to be in control. If Jesus was who he claimed to be, then they would have to bow down to him.

19 So Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise. 20 For the Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself is doing. And greater works than these will he show him, so that you may marvel. 21 For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he will. 22 The Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son, 23 that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him.

What is missing from the narrative is what the Jews said to Jesus. We can guess it was the same thing as in John 10:18 “‘We are not stoning you for any of these,’ replied the Jews, ‘but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God’” (NIV). Jesus always tells the truth, but here, he emphasizes it by repeating the word, amen. One of the hazards of modern translations (NIV, MSG, and NLT) is that they don’t show this emphasis. Though they express its meaning, it simply doesn’t have the same impact that repeating the word in Jewish culture had.

Jesus confronts the lie of the Jews with the truth of God. It is a glimpse into the relationship of the Father and the Son within the Trinity. They are so much in attune with each other that Jesus essentially is saying he mimics the Father. He has shown the Jews that the Father heals and does miracles. This alone should shut their mouths. God heals even on the Sabbath? Didn’t God rest from his work on the seventh day? If so, he should still be resting. They were pretty much deists themselves, with the exception that their history showed God doing supernatural things. But remember, they hadn’t had a prophet show up for over 400 years. No miracles – no revelations – nothing intervening in their history and now Rome is in control. Now comes this guy and says God is working and he is doing the same things. The invalid at the pool thought angels healed and not very often – they didn’t give credit to God even when a miracle did occur.

Jesus gives two examples of what God is going to do and what the Son is going to do. The first is raise people from the dead. If the Jews include Sadducees, then this was a direct in-your-face slam against what they believed. As far as I know, the only person in the OT who was raised from the dead was the Shunamite’s son (2 Kings 4:32-36). That was a long time ago and the Sadducees didn’t believe in that part of the Bible anyway. It is like people now who think that all miracles have a natural explanation.

The Father and Jesus giving life shows that there is complete agreement between Jesus and the Father when it comes to who gets eternal life. The plan of redemption is the cooperative execution of the Trinity even though the Holy Spirit is not mentioned here.

But judgment is another issue. Clearly, God is not going to let anyone get away with these aberrant beliefs about God. This should be a stern warning to the Jews as well to all of mankind. Jesus will do the judging. All of Psalm 2 is appropriate to read at this point. The Jews are representative of all the nations conspiring against the Son. The end is what they need to understand when it comes to judgment, “Kiss the Son, lest he be angry and you be destroyed in your way, for his wrath can flare up in a moment. Blessed are all who take refuge in him” (Ps 2:12 NIV).

There is no question about the fact that Jesus is the only way to the Father. If anyone says he believes in God but doesn’t care for Jesus, there is only one ending for that person. If a person does not honor the Jesus of the Bible but makes up some other version, the same will be their end.

24 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.

 Another “I tell you the truth.” This is one of the clearest declarations that a true believer in Jesus Christ has eternal life and it will not be taken away. The whoever in this verse does not negate the fact that God chooses who will be saved. The whoever is conditional on two things, hearing Jesus’ word and believing.

Not everyone in the world will hear Jesus’ word. That is a plain fact of life. It is also why we should do what we can to spread the word to as many people as possible. There are some who are really upset that we spend so much money on our own comfortable churches and even money to send missionaries where the word has already reached a significant percentage of the population, but we don’t even spend 1% on places that have virtually no exposure to the Bible.

Not everyone who hears Jesus’ word will believe. This is where election is evident. Though people in some areas of the world have access to the Bible and have heard Jesus’ words, they still don’t believe. I’ve told people about Jesus and his resurrection, and they come off with a comment such as “that isn’t scientific.” They have other gods (science) and are not willing to hear Jesus and respond in faith because they haven’t been given the gift of faith (Eph 2:8-9).

Belief must be in the one who sent Jesus. Too many people want to have Jesus without the Father or vice versa. The Father sent Jesus. He didn’t send Joseph Smith, Buddha, Mohammad, or other religious leaders. If you believe in God then you must believe in Jesus. This requires believing that God the Father is the one who sent him.

If you do believe, you have eternal life. It isn’t temporary life. Everyone has temporary life right now regardless of what they believe. But that life is called death because it isn’t the life that we can have in Jesus. When temporary life ends, what happens? Condemnation is waiting for everyone who has only temporary life (death). Sure, their existence will continue but it will not be eternal life but eternal punishment.

The moment a person believes, they cross over from temporary life to eternal life, from death to life. If person could lose eternal life, then they would not have crossed over from death to life in the first place.

25 "Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. 26 For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. 27 And he has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man.

One more “I tell you the truth.” The dead will hear Jesus and live. Jesus isn’t talking about the resurrection of the dead. He isn’t talking about raising Lazarus. He is talking about the conversion of souls from death to life when they hear Jesus’ words. He is speaking about all those Samaritans who came to him from the village and everyone who heard and believed at the feast in Jerusalem. They heard and believed, they were dead in their sins and became alive in Jesus. He is talking about everyone from then until now and until he comes again who hear his words and believe.

The life that the Father gives comes from within himself. The Father is self-existent. No one and nothing gave life to the Father. Because the Son is also God, then he must also possess this same quality, or he would not be God. He would be a created being. John 1:4 tells us the same thing, life is in Jesus. John 17:2 tells us that Jesus has the authority to give life to everyone whom the Father has given him. It is a bit confusing that all translations say in one way or another that the Father gave this quality to the Son. However, if you consider the way the Bible says that the Father begat the Son without saying that the Son is created, then in the same way this giving is just another way of saying that the Son has had this ability just as long as the Father has – which is forever.

Jesus is the one to judge all. This is established in Psalm 2. The Son rules and therefore judges. Although Jesus says he judges no one (John 8:15, 12:47) but his words judge because they are the Father’s words (John 12:48-49). Acts 17:31 makes it clear that though Jesus is judging the Father is judging through him. Just as it is impossible to separate the Son from the Father, so it is impossible to separate God’s judgement from that of the Son.

28 Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice 29 and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment. 30 "I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just, because I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me.

Now Jesus turns his attention to the second concept of giving life. This is physical life in the bodily resurrection. It is connected directly to judgment. By the way, this would indicate that the judgment and rapture may very well occur at the same time. Jesus says there is a time, not multiple times of resurrection. I’m not alone in considering this and the more I contemplate on this the more I’m convinced that the rapture theory coming before the tribulation is less likely. Look at Dan 12:1-2:

“There will be a time of distress such as has not happened from the beginning of nations until then. But at that time your people — everyone whose name is found written in the book — will be delivered. Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt” (NIV).

That aside, Jesus will be the judge. The Great White Throne Judgment will be Jesus on the bench. Revelation 20:11 doesn’t say God the Father is on the throne nor does it say Jesus is. But it could well be God the Trinity. However, based on what Jesus has been saying – it appears to be Jesus.

We have both a blessing and a warning in that Jesus only judges as he hears. We know that his judgment is true. If we acknowledge him before men (he hears this) then he will acknowledge us before the Father. If we disown him he hears that also and will disown us before the Father (Matt 10:32-33). Since he seeks to please the Father, his judgment is completely just. Since God is the justifier and he justifies us, we have the blessing at the time of judgment (Rom 3:26).

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[1] In a novel I co-authored with K K Corner, The Horses of Carvecchio, I explained how this happened. In the chapter on American Colonies, pages 101-105, Thomas Jefferson is encouraged to perpetuate his beliefs which were included in the constitution. While it is a novel, I believe the concepts are accurate.