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.
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