Witness About Me
John 5:30-47
September 18, 2022
Abraham Hong
Sermon Script
When Jesus comes back and judges everyone, many people will go down kicking and screaming. Many unrepentant and unbelieving people on their way to hell will object and complain and protest.
And the reason why is this. They will argue that they were not given enough evidence about Jesus. They will criticize the quality and the sufficiency of all the witnesses of Jesus and all the testimonies about him. And they will accuse Jesus of not being fair. It is as if such people were like a bunch of angry lawyers crying out, “Objection!”
But today’s passage is Jesus being the one true Judge and saying to such people, “Objection overruled!” Jesus rejects all accusations. He overrules all criticisms and arguments and all protests and complaints. This is what is happening in today’s passage. The Jews sought to kill Jesus. They rejected the fact that Jesus was the Son of God and that Jesus was God. But in today’s passage, Jesus declares that the witness and testimony about him is overwhelming.
In verses 32-35, Jesus says that John the Baptist was a witness about him. The Jews had John as a prophet for them. And John, who was a burning and shining lamp for them, did so much for them. John told the Jews that the promised Savior would come after him. John told them that Jesus was the Lamb of God who takes away sin. John told them what happened when he baptized Jesus. And so the Jews had John as a witness about Jesus and the truth about Jesus. May Christ Jesus be exalted.
In verse 36, Jesus says that his works was also a witness about him. The Jews knew all the works - all the miracles and healings - that Jesus did. They knew about how Jesus turned water into wine at the wedding at Cana. Jesus’ disciples believed in him. The Jews should have believed in him also. They knew about how Jesus healed the son of an official at Capernaum with just the word of his power. The official and all of his household believed in Jesus. The Jews should have believed in him also. And at the end of the day, they knew about how Jesus rose again from the dead. So many people believed in Jesus’ resurrection. The Jews should have believed in him also, as Jesus said to them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” And so the Jews had Jesus’ works as a witness about Jesus and how God the Father sent him. May Christ Jesus be exalted.
And finally, in verses 37-40, Jesus says that both his Father in heaven and the Scriptures were also a witness about him. The Word of the Father, the entire Old Testament Scriptures, were given to the Jews. They read it and memorized it. They studied it and taught it. And yet, sadly, they did not have the Father’s Word abide in them. The entire Old Testament Scriptures are about Jesus. The Old Testament previewed and pictured and pointed forward to Jesus and his salvation. And yet, sadly, the Jews did not come to Jesus with repentance and faith in him. And so the Jews had Jesus’ Father in heaven and the Scripture as a witness about Jesus and the life that he gives.
All of this is Jesus’ response to the Jewish objection. The Jews had John the Baptist. They had Jesus’ works. And they had the Father himself and the Scriptures. Objection overruled. May Christ Jesus be exalted.
But make no mistake, this is Jesus being gracious and loving toward the Jews who reject him. Jesus speaks to them so that they may be saved. In verse 34, he says, “I say these things so that you may be saved.” Jesus tells them about all of these witnesses about him because he knows that in their eyes his own words would not be enough for them. In verse 31 he says, “If I alone bear witness about myself, my testimony is not true.” So in order to persuade them, Jesus offers substantial evidence. Jesus doesn’t do this because he needed help with his case. Jesus does this because the Jews needed help with theirs.
This is the grace and love of Jesus Christ… toward people who did not believe in him. Praise be to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
And make no mistake, Jesus’ grace and love toward the Jews is seen in his warning to them and in his calling them to repentance and faith. Sometimes the most gracious and loving thing you can do for others in certain times is to tell them that what they are doing is wrong. Jesus speaks to the Jews who are spiritually blind and spiritually dead. And Jesus tells them their wrongs. Jesus tells them that they actually do not know the Father. They think they know the Father. But they do not listen to him (“his voice you have never heard”), they do not know him (“his form you have never seen”), and they do not believe in his promise of salvation (“you do not have his word abiding in you”). The Jews were wrong and they needed to hear this. Jesus tells them that they are not seeking the right glory that comes from God. The Jews were wrong and they needed to hear this. And Jesus warns them that Moses accuses them of not believing in him. Moses wrote of Jesus. They loved Moses. And yet, they did not believe in Jesus. The Jews were wrong and they needed to hear this.
This is the grace and love of Jesus Christ… toward people who sought to kill him. Praise be to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Dear Highland, there is much that we can take from this passage and apply in our lives. I will just share two things and then close.
First, I really hope that you realize and understand more that the Old Testament is all about Jesus. Knowing this will help you to read the Old Testament more correctly. Knowing this will cause you to love Jesus more fervently. And knowing this will equip you to share the gospel of Jesus if you ever come across Jewish people today. Let’s read and study the Old Testament equally as much as the New Testament. Let’s be brave and not afraid to learn everything in the Old Testament.
Second, I really hope that you get more serious about your faith. If you are struggling to believe in Jesus, if you find yourself thinking as the Jews thought in today’s passage and perhaps even complaining to God or objecting to the truth or the ways of the Lord, please consider the seriousness of today’s passage. Please see that the witness and testimony of Jesus is overwhelming. Be careful and be humble before lodging complaints or objections at God. And please know that the love and grace of Jesus is overflowing. Be thankful and in awe of the fact that Jesus speaks to you patiently and steadfastly, even showing you your wrongs, all for your sake.
Dear Highland, Jesus is the Judge. And his judgment is just, because he seeks not his own will but the will of the Father who sent him. Jesus has overwhelming witness and testimony about him and his salvation for you. Believe in him now. Believe in him more. Believe in him the rest of your life.
Soli Deo Gloria