Witnesses to Jesus – The Father

Who is Jesus? part 59 – John 5:31-47

The story of John chapter 5. Jesus healed a disabled man on the Sabbath. To make it worse, he went into a superstitious place with Pagan overtones to do it. The authorities tried to arrest the man for carrying his bed, but rather than being thankful to the authorities, the man pointed Jesus out to his accusers.

Jesus started his defence by saying he was an apprentice to his Father and did the things that he did. The story continues…

A: ³¹ If I alone bear witness about myself, my testimony is not deemed true. ³² There is another who bears witness about me, and I know that the testimony that he bears about me is true. ³³ You sent to John, and he has borne witness to the truth. 

B: ³⁴ Not that the testimony that I receive is from man,

C: but I say these things so that you may be saved. 

D: ³⁵ He was a burning and shining lamp, and you were willing to rejoice for a while in his light.

E: ³⁶ But the testimony that I have is greater than that of John. For the works that the Father has given me to accomplish, the very works that I am doing, 

F: bear witness about me

G: that the Father has sent me. 

X: ³⁷ And the Father

G’:who sent me 

F’: has himself borne witness about me.

E’:His voice you have never heard, his form you have never seen, ³⁸ and you do not have his word abiding in you, for you do not believe the one whom he has sent. 

D’: ³⁹ You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, 

C’: ⁴⁰ yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life. 

B’: ⁴¹ I do not receive glory from people. 

A’:⁴² But I know that you do not have the love of God within you. ⁴³ I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not receive me. If another comes in his own name, you will receive him. ⁴⁴ How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God? ⁴⁵ Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father. There is one who accuses you: Moses, on whom you have set your hope. ⁴⁶ For if you believed Moses, you would believe me; for he wrote of me. ⁴⁷ But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words?”

John 5:31-46 The text is from ESV UK. The structure is to show the form of a chiasm

The Gospel according to John, chapter 5, has similarities to chapter 1 in that it is made up of three passages in the form of chiasms or chiasmus. Chiasm, meaning crossing over, is a form used in nearly all Psalms and is a repetition of similar ideas in the reverse sequence. For this reason, I am referring to these sections as songs, as I did with chapter 1.

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When two people argue, it’s simply a difference of opinion. That’s why eyewitnesses are important in court; their statements matter. According to Jewish law in Deuteronomy, one witness isn’t enough to prove guilt for a crime or sin; it takes the testimony of two or three witnesses. This two-witness rule (Deut. 17:6) promotes fairness and penalises false witnesses.

You might think that Jesus is referring to John the Baptist and Moses as witnesses, since John appears in earlier parts of the passage and Moses comes up in the final section. However, Moses represents the law and would be witnessing against Jesus’ accusers. Jesus is actually calling on John the Baptist and the Father as his witnesses for defence.

Jesus’ accusers use the law to condemn him, but he doesn’t rely on the law to defend himself. At the start of this Gospel, it states, “For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” (1:17). Jesus isn’t claiming the law is wrong; rather, he shows that it finds its true meaning in him. He critiques his contemporaries for reading the right text incorrectly. The law is not meant for judging others but for bringing us closer to God.

³⁶ But the testimony that I have is greater than that of John. For the works that the Father has given me to accomplish, the very works that I am doing, 

John 5:36

The Father is a witness because Jesus learns from him; the strongest proof comes from the Father himself. You can see that Jesus is closely following God, just like a son learns from his father, which is why he performs amazing acts. John mentions seven miracles called signs, three so far: turning water into wine, healing a nobleman’s son, and healing a man at Bethesda. These are examples that show us who Jesus is. John also notes that there are many more signs beyond the seven in this book.

When Jesus does a sign, such as any of these, it is showing the work of the Father, and it is the Father testifying to the Son.

Jesus is different because, while others like Moses, Elijah, Elisha, Peter, and John performed miracles, none claimed to be God. Jesus did claim to be God, and his miracles, along with his perfect life, prove that his claim is valid.

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Wright, Tom. John for Everyone Part 1 (New Testament for Everyone Book 5). SPCK. Kindle Edition.