Witnesses of Christ

39 You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. 40 But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life. - Jn 5:39-40

The truth on trial! (again) Jesus is defending himself against the Pharisees at the temple, who are more concerned with breaking their law rather than rejoicing with a man who was just healed after 38 years of infirmity. As Hebrew law dictates that there must be credible witnesses for any matter, Jesus now calls four witnesses wrapped up in the ‘testimony of the Father’ God spoke through John the Baptist, and for a while, the religious elite accepted him but later rejected his message that Jesus is the Christ. Then Jesus calls the witness of His miracles. A key point is that he is doing only what He sees His Father does and that His works are on his own authority rather than that of another. Next Jesus calls the Father, more specifically his words written in the Old Testament as they had neither seen Him nor heard His voice but they had the writings of the prophets who had. Finally, Jesus calls the word itself to the stand saying in vs 39’…and these are they which testify of Me!’ Jesus concludes this conversation with a compelling point. He emphasizes that those who refuse to embrace the message of the written Word will remain faithless, regardless of the circumstances. The Pharisees, deeply knowledgeable about the Scriptures, chose to reject Jesus in favor of their own traditions (John 5:39–47). This mirrors the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, where Christ highlights that not even miracles can sway those who reject the word. 21 (Luke 16:27–31).