John 5:30-47 |Search The Scriptures
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. 31 If I alone bear witness about myself, my testimony is not 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. 34 Not that the testimony that I receive is from man, but I say these things so that you may be saved. 35 He was a burning and shining lamp, and you were willing to rejoice for a while in his light. 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, bear witness about me that the Father has sent me. 37 And the Father who sent me has himself borne witness about me. 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. 39 You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, 40 yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life. 41 I do not receive glory from people. 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 5:30-47)
The Context:
The Jews were persecuting Jesus (John 5:16) and seeking to kill him because he was making himself equal with God (John 5:18). Jesus engaged them in conversation explaining his authority and the unique oneness he shares with the Father. His audience was more than skeptics they were his opposition. Remember, Jesus knows what is within man (John 2:25). So, understanding their unbelieving hearts, he proceeds to explain that since they have John the Baptist; the works of Jesus; the testimony of the Father and the Scriptures they are without excuse for their disbelief in him. He even told them why he was explaining this to them so that they might be saved. He said, “Not that the testimony that I receive is from man, but I say these things so that you may be saved” (John 5:34).
Witnesses of Christ:
Jesus explains that his authority is greater than human authority. “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 (John 5:30). He’s telling them that everything he says and does is the direct will of God. He go on to explain that they don’t even have to take his word alone for this fact. He said, “If I alone bear witness about myself, my testimony is not true” (John 5:31). He’s telling them there’s a load of evidence for his his existence and authority.
John the Baptist
There is another who bears witness about me, and I know that the testimony that he bears about me is true. You sent to John, and he has borne witness to the truth. He was a burning and shining lamp, and you were willing to rejoice for a while in his light. (John 5:32-34)
The works of Jesus
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, bear witness about me that the Father has sent me. (John 5:36)
The Father
And the Father who sent me has himself borne witness about me. His voice you have never heard, his form you have never seen,and you do not have his word abiding in you, for you do not believe the one whom he has sent. (John 5:37-38)
Moses/The Scriptures
You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life. (John 5:39-40)
Scriptural Advocacy of Christ:
The scriptures point to Jesus as the means of eternal life
Mankind was created by God to experience eternal life, but that that possibility was lost in the Garden of Eden (Gen 2:17, Gen 3:19) when man sinned against Him. God’s plan was to provide a savior that would be the remedy for sin and restore the hope of eternal life. From start to finish, the Bible has a single common thread that leads to Christ as this remedy for sin. The Jews knew that the scriptures promised hope, but they somehow missed the Messiah even though he was before their eyes. You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life. (John 5:39-40)
Click here to see 44 prophecies fulfilled by Jesus
44 Prophecies Jesus Christ Fulfilled
| Prophecies About Jesus | Old Testament Scripture |
New Testament Fulfillment |
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| 1 | Messiah would be born of a woman. | Genesis 3:15 | Matthew 1:20 Galatians 4:4 |
| 2 | Messiah would be born in Bethlehem. | Micah 5:2 | Matthew 2:1 Luke 2:4-6 |
| 3 | Messiah would be born of a virgin. | Isaiah 7:14 | Matthew 1:22-23 Luke 1:26-31 |
| 4 | Messiah would come from the line of Abraham. | Genesis 12:3 Genesis 22:18 |
Matthew 1:1 Romans 9:5 |
| 5 | Messiah would be a descendant of Isaac. | Genesis 17:19 Genesis 21:12 |
Luke 3:34 |
| 6 | Messiah would be a descendant of Jacob. | Numbers 24:17 | Matthew 1:2 |
| 7 | Messiah would come from the tribe of Judah. | Genesis 49:10 | Luke 3:33 Hebrews 7:14 |
| 8 | Messiah would be heir to King David’s throne. | 2 Samuel 7:12-13 Isaiah 9:7 |
Luke 1:32-33 Romans 1:3 |
| 9 | Messiah’s throne will be anointed and eternal. | Psalm 45:6-7 Daniel 2:44 |
Luke 1:33 Hebrews 1:8-12 |
| 10 | Messiah would be called Immanuel. | Isaiah 7:14 | Matthew 1:23 |
| 11 | Messiah would spend a season in Egypt. | Hosea 11:1 | Matthew 2:14-15 |
| 12 | A massacre of children would happen at Messiah’s birthplace. | Jeremiah 31:15 | Matthew 2:16-18 |
| 13 | A messenger would prepare the way for Messiah | Isaiah 40:3-5 | Luke 3:3-6 |
| 14 | Messiah would be rejected by his own people. | Psalm 69:8 Isaiah 53:3 |
John 1:11 John 7:5 |
| 15 | Messiah would be a prophet. | Deuteronomy 18:15 | Acts 3:20-22 |
| 16 | Messiah would be preceded by Elijah. | Malachi 4:5-6 | Matthew 11:13-14 |
| 17 | Messiah would be declared the Son of God. | Psalm 2:7 | Matthew 3:16-17 |
| 18 | Messiah would be called a Nazarene. | Isaiah 11:1 | Matthew 2:23 |
| 19 | Messiah would bring light to Galilee. | Isaiah 9:1-2 | Matthew 4:13-16 |
| 20 | Messiah would speak in parables. | Psalm 78:2-4 Isaiah 6:9-10 |
Matthew 13:10-15, 34-35 |
| 21 | Messiah would be sent to heal the brokenhearted. | Isaiah 61:1-2 | Luke 4:18-19 |
| 22 | Messiah would be a priest after the order of Melchizedek. | Psalm 110:4 | Hebrews 5:5-6 |
| 23 | Messiah would be called King. | Psalm 2:6 Zechariah 9:9 |
Matthew 27:37 Mark 11:7-11 |
| 24 | Messiah would be praised by little children. | Psalm 8:2 | Matthew 21:16 |
| 25 | Messiah would be betrayed. | Psalm 41:9 Zechariah 11:12-13 |
Luke 22:47-48 Matthew 26:14-16 |
| 26 | Messiah’s price money would be used to buy a potter’s field. | Zechariah 11:12-13 | Matthew 27:9-10 |
| 27 | Messiah would be falsely accused. | Psalm 35:11 | Mark 14:57-58 |
| 28 | Messiah would be silent before his accusers. | Isaiah 53:7 | Mark 15:4-5 |
| 29 | Messiah would be spat upon and struck. | Isaiah 50:6 | Matthew 26:67 |
| 30 | Messiah would be hated without cause. | Psalm 35:19 Psalm 69:4 |
John 15:24-25 |
| 31 | Messiah would be crucified with criminals. | Isaiah 53:12 | Matthew 27:38 Mark 15:27-28 |
| 32 | Messiah would be given vinegar to drink. | Psalm 69:21 | Matthew 27:34 John 19:28-30 |
| 33 | Messiah’s hands and feet would be pierced. | Psalm 22:16 Zechariah 12:10 |
John 20:25-27 |
| 34 | Messiah would be mocked and ridiculed. | Psalm 22:7-8 | Luke 23:35 |
| 35 | Soldiers would gamble for Messiah’s garments. | Psalm 22:18 | Luke 23:34 Matthew 27:35-36 |
| 36 | Messiah’s bones would not be broken. | Exodus 12:46 Psalm 34:20 |
John 19:33-36 |
| 37 | Messiah would be forsaken by God. | Psalm 22:1 | Matthew 27:46 |
| 38 | Messiah would pray for his enemies. | Psalm 109:4 | Luke 23:34 |
| 39 | Soldiers would pierce Messiah’s side. | Zechariah 12:10 | John 19:34 |
| 40 | Messiah would be buried with the rich. | Isaiah 53:9 | Matthew 27:57-60 |
| 41 | Messiah would resurrect from the dead. | Psalm 16:10 Psalm 49:15 |
Matthew 28:2-7 Acts 2:22-32 |
| 42 | Messiah would ascend to heaven. | Psalm 24:7-10 | Mark 16:19 Luke 24:51 |
| 43 | Messiah would be seated at God’s right hand. | Psalm 68:18 Psalm 110:1 |
Mark 16:19 Matthew 22:44 |
| 44 | Messiah would be a sacrifice for sin. | Isaiah 53:5-12 | Romans 5:6-8 |
Danger in seeking man’s approval
“Religion” creates status. When the grace of God in Christ is undermined, people will always develop a religious process with the intent to gain God’s approval. These man made processes always create paths of progression that result in status levels. Status levels become a means to receive glory for us.
I do not receive glory from people. But I know that you do not have the love of God within you. 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. How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God? (John 5:41-44)
Danger in not believing the Word of God
These religious systems stem from a disbelief, distorted belief or partial belief in the Word of God. Jesus’ audience had a lot of reverence for Moses, but only a partial belief in God’s Word. Jesus said to them, “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. For if you believed Moses, you would believe me; for he wrote of me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words?” (John 5:45-47) Jesus strongly asserts numerous times in the Gospel of John that our salvation is directly linked to belief in him. He’s asking, how can you believe in me if you don’t believe what the scriptures teach about me.
The importance of Biblical authority
Without biblical authority we’re prone to selective theology. In other words, we begin to pick and choose a system of theology based on our own feelings, interests or dislikes. If we don’t like something that God said we simply overlook it or try to interpret it to fit our system. We find ourselves in the same situation Adam and Eve did in Genesis 3:1 when Satan said, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”
Selective theology always results in faulty christiolgy. Christology is the study of the doctrine of Jesus Christ. First, faulty christiolgy often leads to an incomplete view of the deity of Christ. If we do not accept the full deity of Christ we are in danger of now knowing Christ. If we do not accept Christ we do not know God.
Second, faulty christology often results an incomplete view of Christ’s atoning sacrifice. This distorted view of God’s grace is always coupled with a dependency on human effort to achieve eternal life or salvation. This places one’s hope in thimself rather than in Christ alone. It’s the idea that sanctification equals salvation. Another symptom of this this view is legalism.
Thirdly, faulty christology often leads to an insufficient view of Christ’s transforming power. This is the idea that grace is not only free, it’s cheep. It’s the idea that Christ has the power to forgive sin, but not change your life; salvation minus sanctification.
Let us be like the Bereans (Acts 17:11) who searched the scriptures daily to determine if the gospel Paul was teaching was true. They didn’t accept the words of Paul, they accepted the word of God because they held a view that His word has final authority.
