“If I testify about Myself, My testimony is not valid. You have sent messengers to John, and he has testified to the truth. John was a burning and shining lamp, and for a time you were willing to enjoy his light. “But I have a greater testimony than John’s because of the works that the Father has given Me to accomplish. These very works I am doing testify about Me that the Father has sent Me. The Father who sent Me has Himself testified about Me. You have not heard His voice at any time, and you haven’t seen His form. For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me, because he wrote about Me. But if you don’t believe his writings, how will you believe My words? ”
John 5:31‭, ‬33‭‭, ‬35‭-‬37‭, ‬46‭

John 5:29-47 is a little long and difficult to untangle. Continuing to speak of the Pharisee’s and Religious Leaders of the 1st century Hebrew religous system, Jesus speaks here about two intertwined subjects that we’ll look at over the course of 2 days. 1st, there’s the issue of who all gave testimony as to Whom Jesus was and 2nd, is that of having an intellectual understanding of the Scriptures as opposed to a relationship with Jesus. We’ll take on the testimony part today.

In the ancient Hebrew judicial system, a person who was on trial had to have 2 eye witnesses to either convict or aquit him. With this in mind, we’ll reread vs 31, where Jesus says, “If I testify about Myself, My testimony is not valid.” Jesus is continuing to speak about why He should be believed or disbelieved.
In Hebrew court, the testimony or the one being acussed or defended was never enough-there must be 2 witnesses present and that’s what Jesus is referring to-His own statement about Who He is and what He had come to earth to do was NOT enough, however, HE HAD OTHER WITNESSES!

1st, in vss 32, 36 & 37, speak of God the Father’s testimony of Who Jesus is and was. In summary, Jesus states that the Fathet testifys as to Who Jesus is by way of the Scriptures and by way of the works He’s given and empowered Jesus to do, in terms of healings and miracles and such.

Jesus, goes on to state that these works themselves, testify as to Who He is. Others had come before Him, claiming to be Messiah. Others had come teaching and even baptizing, but NO ONE had ever come, healing the sick, turning water into wine, freeing people from demonic oppression and even raising pepple from the dead! See, these were things ONLY God could do, so the pharisee’s natural conclusion should have been that Jesus was, at the very least, FROM GOD!

Jesus also states that the Scriptures testify as to Who He was. Amazingly, the people to whom He spoke literally “pored over the Scriptures”, yet missed the Author of them when He showed up (vs 39)! Yet Scripture repeadedly had prediced (prophesied) that Messiah would do such things!

Additionally, Jesus points out that John (the baptizer, Jesus’ cousin) had testified as to Who He was (vs 35-36). John had repeatly identified Jesus as the “Lamb of God Who takes away the sins of the world” (John 1:29 & 36)!

Lastly, Jesus plainly speaks of Moses, whose writings these religous leaders pored over, as having given testimony as to Who Jesus was (vss 45-47). Opps, that’s 5 testimonies, not 4, which would have been MORE THAN ENOUGH witnesses to testify on Jesus’ behalf, as to Who He was OR Moses, the one who penned those Scriptures that was given by God to him to govern the Hebrew people with- that the religous leaders poured over MIGHT be considered to be the same testimony as the Scriptures themselves, but here’s the point: ample evidence and testimony abounded to prove both then and now, Who Jesus Christ was and is!

He indeed is and was the Messiah, sent to take away the sins of the world and reconcile mankind back to God the Father (II Cor 5:11-21).

Chances are that God and Jesus have proven over and over and over TO YOU Who He is, too! Maybe its time to put your faith and trust into Him today! Probably!

Think about it!