John 5:36-40 (WEL) “But I have a greater witness than John’s, for the works which the Father gave me to complete, these same works that I do, bear witness on my behalf that the Father has sent me. 37 “The Father himself, who sent me, has testified about me. You people have never heard his voice, nor seen his shape. 38 “Also, you do not have his word remaining in you because you do not believe in this one whom he sent. 39 “Search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life, and they are the very ones that testify about me. 40 “You are not willing to come to me, that you might have life.
V36 “But I have a greater witness than John’s, for the works which the Father gave me to complete, these same works that I do, bear witness on my behalf that the Father has sent me.
Everything Jesus did was in perfect alignment with the Scriptures (Old Testament) and His Father’s will. Everything He said and did was a witness to His identity.
John preached, taught, and lived faithfully, but he is not the Messiah. John’s witness was lesser.
Jesus, the Messiah, is the greater witness, for He is the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6). John the Baptist was the forerunner.
God sent (John 3:17) and gave (Isaiah 9:6 and John 3:16) His only begotten Son to be the Passover Lamb (John 1:29 and 1 Corinthians 5:7).
V37 “The Father himself, who sent me, has testified about me. You people have never heard his voice, nor seen his shape.
This happened in Matthew 3:17, Matthew 17:5, and John 12:28-30). The people Jesus is speaking to have not heard or seen God. They read and hear the Scriptures (Old Testament) and are not affected. Jesus, God the Son, has truly seen God the Father’s face and heard His voice. Jesus is a faithful witness.
(Warren W. Wiersbe):
“Moses heard God’s voice and saw God’s glory; but we have that same voice and glory in the inspired Word of God (see 2 Peter 1:12-21). The Old Testament Scriptures bear witness to Jesus Christ, yet the people who received and preserved that Word were blind to their own Messiah. Why?
“For one thing, they did not permit that Word to generate faith in their hearts (John 5:38). John 5:39 is probably a statement of fact and not a command and could be rendered: “Ye search the Scriptures, for in them ye think ye have eternal life.” The Jewish scribes sought to know the Word of God, but they did not know the God of the Word! They counted the very letters of the text, but they missed the spiritual truths that the text contained.”
V38 “Also, you do not have his word remaining in you because you do not believe in this one whom he sent.
They heard God’s words (Scriptures); they could quote the Scriptures, but God’s words had no effect in them to call on His name and be saved from God’s wrath. Israel, for the greater part, did not believe Jesus’s message nor the Scriptures’ message, for they gave priority to the rabbis.
Principle: Place priority on the Scriptures, not humans. See Psalm 118:8 and Psalm 146:3.
V39 “Search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life, and they are the very ones that testify about me.
This is Jesus’s last and greatest witness that He is the one and only Messiah. This witness is the Scriptures interpreted in the plain, normal sense.
Psalms 138:2 “I will bow down toward your holy temple. I will give thanks to your name because of your mercy and because of your truth. Yes, you made your word even greater than your name.” [Emphasis added]
The Scriptures testify from Genesis to Malachi (Luke 24:25-27).
The Scriptures reveal God, man, sin, and the only Gospel—faith in God for salvation (Genesis 15:6).
V40 “You are not willing to come to me, that you might have life.
God provided, initiated, convicted, called, offered salvation to every human somewhere and somehow, but most refuse to believe, not because of God’s decree but because of their stubborn will. They freely of their own free will refuse to believe.
We learn:
- Jesus places the Scriptures as the highest witness to Himself and His truth.
- People of their own free will can believe or reject the Scriptures.
Questions:
- What is your highest authority?
- Have you believed the message (Gospel) of Jesus Christ?