Notice what is now happening as we begin to close this fifth chapter: Jesus provided us with a miracle, where a man paralyzed for 38 years is instantly healed. Now, Jesus concludes a series of claims, where He testifies that He is the Son of God. Now, He begins a defense, where witnesses are called to verify His claims!

Jesus calls six witnesses to testify on His behalf.  We might seek to put these verses in a courtroom scene…Jesus, in essence, is on trial…but really it’s the hearers who are on trial!

The word “witness” is a key word in John’s gospel; it is used 47 times. Jesus did bear witness to Himself but He knew they would not accept it; so He called in other witnesses.

WITNESS #1: HIS WITNESS CONCERNING HIMSELF (vs. 30-31).

   “By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me. {31} “If I testify about myself, my testimony is not valid.”

In the preceding passage Jesus has claimed the right of judgment.  It was not unnatural that men should ask by what right he proposed to judge others.  His answer was that his judgment was true and final because he had no desire to do anything other than the will of God.  His claim was that his judgment was the judgment of God.

It is very difficult for any man to judge another man fairly.  If we will honestly examine ourselves we will see that many motives may affect our judgment.  It may be rendered unfair by injured pride.  It may be rendered blind by our prejudices.  It may be made bitter by jealousy.  It may be made arrogant by contempt.  It may be made harsh by intolerance.  It may be made condemnatory by self-righteousness.  It may be affected by our own self-conceit.  It may be based on envy.  It may be vitiated by an insensitive or deliberate ignorance.  Only a man whose heart is pure and whose motives are completely unmixed can rightly judge another man-which means to say that no man can.

On the other hand the judgment of God is perfect.

God alone is holy and therefore he alone knows the standards by which all men must be judged.  God alone is perfectly loving and his judgment alone is delivered in the charity in which all true judgment must be given.  God alone has full knowledge and judgment can be perfect only when it takes into account all the circumstances.  The claim of Jesus to judge is based on the claim that in him is the perfect mind of God.  He does not judge with the inevitable mixture of human motives; he judges with the perfect holiness, the perfect love and the perfect sympathy of God.

To many, there is an apparent contradiction between the statement of verse 31 and a statement of Jesus in John 8:14-18: “Jesus answered, “Even if I testify on my own behalf, my testimony is valid, for I know where I cam from and where I am going. But you have no idea where I come from and where I am going. (15) You judge by human standards; I pass judgment on no one. (16) but if I do judge, my decisions are right, because I am not alone. I stand with the Father, who sent me. (17) In your own law it is written that the testimony of two men is valid. (18) I am one who testifies for myself; my other witness is the Father, who sent me.”

The first statement was a concession to the legal rule that a man’s testimony about himself is inadmissible as evidence in court, since it might be assumed that his judgment would be prejudiced. The latter was an avowal of personal competency to speak concerning Himself since He knew more of Himself than anybody else.

The statement of verse 30 indicated that He considered Himself unprejudiced because He was not seeking His own will, but was carrying out the will of Another, who sent Him. Verse 31 implies a simple fact: the Father and the Son are the two witnesses needed!

WITNESS #2: THE WITNESS OF JOHN THE BAPTIST (vs. 32-35).

    “There is another who testifies in my favor, and I know that his testimony about me is valid. {33} “You have sent to John and he has testified to the truth. {34} Not that I accept human testimony; but I mention it that you may be saved. {35} John was a lamp that burned and gave light, and you chose for a time to enjoy his light.”

   The appeal of John the Baptist was really directed to popular opinion. Jesus’ hearers had sent an accredicted deligation to report on John’s message, for Jesus said, “You have sent to John, and He has born witness of the truth.”

They recognized John as the lamp that burneth and shineth…a true illuminator of darkness:

– a lamp bears a borrowed light; it does not light itself

– John had warmth, for his was not the cold message of the intellect but the burning message of the kindled heart

– John had light; its function is to guide, to point men on the way to repentance and to God

– in the nature of things a lamp burns itself out; in giving light it consumes itself; John was to decrease while Jesus increased

Since Jesus’ audience had accepted John, they should also believe his verdict of Jesus! They rejoiced in his message (John’s) until that light turned upon them and revealed their worldliness and sin. Once the light illuminates one’s worthlessness and picks their consciences by openly denouncing their sins, they haughtily reject both the preacher and the message.

 

Once again Jesus is answering the charges of his opponents.  His opponents are demanding.  “What evidence can you adduce that your claims are true?”  Jesus argues in a way that the Rabbis would understand for he uses their own methods.

(i)  He begins by admitting the universal principle that the unsupported evidence of one person cannot be taken as proof.  There must be at least two witnesses.  “On the evidence of two witnesses or of three witnesses he that is to die shall be put to death; a person shall not be put to death on the evidence of one witness” (Deuteronomy 17:6).  “A single witness shall not prevail against a man for any crime or for any wrong in connection with any offence that he has committed; only on the evidence of two witnesses, or of three witnesses, shall a charge be sustained” (Deuteronomy 19:15).  When Paul threatens to come to the Corinthians with rebuke and discipline he says that all his charges will be confirmed by two or three witnesses (2 Corinthians 13:1).  Jesus says that when a Christian has a legitimate complaint against a brother he must take with him some others to confirm the charge (Matthew 18:16).  In the early church it was the rule that no charge against an elder was entertained unless it was supported by two or three witnesses (1 Timothy 5:19).  Jesus began by fully admitting the normal Jewish law of evidence.

Further, it was universally held that a man’s evidence about himself could not be accepted.  The Mishnah said:  “A man is not worthy of belief when he is speaking about himself.”  Demosthenes, the great Greek orator, laid it down as a principle of justice:  “The laws do not allow a man to give evidence on his own behalf.”  Ancient law well knew that self-interest had an effect on a man’s statements about himself.  So Jesus agrees that his own unsupported testimony to himself need not be true.

(ii)  But there are other witnesses to him.  He says that “Another” is his witness, meaning God.  He will return to that, but for the moment he cites John the Baptist who had repeatedly borne witness to him (John 1:19, 20, 26; 1:29; 1:35, 36).  Then Jesus pays a tribute to John and issues a rebuke to the Jewish authorities.

He says that John was the lamp which burns and shines.  That was the perfect tribute to him.  (a)  A lamp bears a borrowed light.  It does not light itself; it is lit.  (b)  John had warmth, for his was not the cold message of the intellect but the burning message of the kindled heart.  (c)  John had light.  The function of light is to guide, and John pointed men on the way to repentance and to God.  (d)  In the nature of things a lamp burns itself out; in giving light it consumes itself.  John was to decrease while Jesus increased.  The true witness burns himself out for God.

In paying tribute to John, Jesus rebukes the Jews.  They were pleased to take pleasure in John for a time, but they never really took him seriously.  They were, as one has put it, like “gnats dancing in the sunlight,” or like children playing while the sun shone.  John was a pleasant sensation, to be listened to as long as he said the things they liked, and to be abandoned whenever he became awkward.  Many people listen to God’s truth like that; they enjoy a sermon as a performance.  A famous preacher tells how after he had preached a somber sermon on judgment, he was greeted with the comment:  “That sermon was sure cute!”  God’s truth is not a thing by which to be pleasantly titillated; it is often something to be received in the dust and ashes of humiliation and repentance.

But Jesus does not even plead John’s evidence.  He says it is not the human evidence of any fallible man he is going to adduce to support his claims.

(iii)  So he adduces the witness of his works.  He had done that when John sent from prison to ask if he was the Messiah.  He had told John’s enquiring envoys to go back and tell him what they saw happening (Matthew 11:4; Luke 7:22).  But Jesus cites his works, not to point to himself but to point to the power of God working in him and through him.  His supreme witness is God.

Verse 34 gives the purpose of Christ’s coming: that the world might be saved (3:17).

Different writers have said: “The Jews were attracted to John the Baptist like moths to a candle. They were attracted by his brightness, not by his warmth. The interest in the Baptist was a frivolous, superficial, and short-lived excitement.”

WITNESS #3: THE WITNESS OF HIS WORK (S) (vs. 36).

     “I have testimony weightier than that of John. For the very work that the Father has given me to finish, and which I am doing, testifies that the Father has sent me.”

Works in the gospels usually refer to action as illustrative of character. In particular, the word means the miracles which are outstanding in importance and samples of divine power.

Remember Nicodemus in John 3:2? “He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him.”

Remember the brothers of our Lord in John 7:3? “Jesus’ brothers said to him, “You ought to leave here and go to Judea, so that your disciples may see the miracles you do.”

Remember the Jewish leaders in Acts 4:16 when describing the apostles? “What are we going to do with these men?” they asked. “Everybody living in Jerusalem knows they have done an outstanding miracle, and we cannot deny it.”

Jesus had used His works to convince the disciples of John the Baptist, who had been put in prison. Matthew 11:1-6: “After Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and preach in the towns of Galilee. {2} When John heard in prison what Christ was doing, he sent his disciples {3} to ask him, “Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?” {4} Jesus replied, “Go back and report to John what you hear and see: {5} The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor. {6} Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me.”

But realize that Jesus cites His works, not to point to Himself but to point to the power of God working in Him and through Him. His supreme witness is God!

WITNESS #4: THE WITNESS OF THE FATHER (vs. 37-38).

    “And the Father who sent me has himself testified concerning me. You have never heard his voice nor seen his form, {38} nor does his word dwell in you, for you do not believe the one he sent.”

Verse 37 is a connecting verse between Jesus’ miracles (vs. 36) and the scriptures (vs. 38-39). The direct testimony of the Father is referred to here, and it’s unsure if Jesus was talking about the three voices from heaven:

– at the baptism of Jesus (Matt. 3:17; Mark 1:11; Luke 3:22)

– at the transfiguration (Matt. 17:5-6; Mark 9:7; Luke 9:35)

– after the triumphal entry (John 12:28)

The gospel of John does not even give two of them!…and verse 37 says that “you have never heard his voice nor seen his form.”

It appears evident that He does not mean literal failure to hear and see, for some had heard His voice at the baptism, on the Mount, and in the temple area.

Jesus is probably referring to spiritual reception Jesus had given them God’s Word, but they rejected both Jesus and God’s Word (Joh 14:9).

The early part of this section may be taken in two ways.

(i)  It may be that it refers to the unseen witness of God in a man’s heart.  In his first letter John writes:  “He who believes in the Son of God, has the testimony (of God) in himself” (1 John 5:9, 10).  The Jew would have insisted that no man can ever see God.  Even in the giving of the Ten Commandments “you heard the sound of words, but saw no form; there was only a voice” (Deuteronomy 4:12).  So this may mean:  “It is true that God is invisible; and so is his witness, for it is the response which rises in the human heart when a man is confronted with me.”  When we are confronted with Christ we see in him the altogether lovely and the altogether wise; that conviction is the witness of God in our hearts.  The Stoics held that the highest kind of knowledge comes not by thought but by what they called “arresting impressions;” a conviction seizes a man like someone laying an arresting hand on his shoulder.  It may be that Jesus here means that the conviction in our hearts of his supremacy is the witness of God within.

(ii)  It may be that John is really meaning that God’s witness to Christ is to be found in the scriptures.  To the Jew the scriptures were all in all.  “He who has acquired the words of the law has acquired eternal life.”  “He who has the Law has a cord of grace drawn around him in this world and in the world to come.”  “He who says that Moses wrote even one verse of the Law in his own knowledge is a despiser of God.”  “This is the book of the commandments of God and the Law that endureth for ever.  All they that hold it fast are appointed to life, but such as leave it shall die” (1 Baruch 4:1, 2).  “If food which is your life but for an hour, requires a blessing before and after it be eaten, how much more does the Law, in which lies the world that is to be, require a blessing?”  The Jew searched the Law and yet failed to recognize Christ when he came.  What was wrong?  The best Bible students in the world, people who meticulously and continuously read scripture, rejected Jesus.  How could that happen?

One thing is clear-they read scripture in the wrong way.

(i)  They read it with a shut mind.  They read it not to search for God but to find arguments to support their own positions.  They did not really love God; they loved their own ideas about him.  Water has as much chance of getting into concrete as the word of God had of getting into their minds.  They did not humbly learn a theology from scripture; they used scripture to defend a theology which they themselves had produced.  There is still danger that we should use the Bible to prove our beliefs and not to test them.

(ii)  They made a still bigger mistake-they regarded God as having given men a written revelation.  The revelation of God is a revelation in history.  It is not God speaking, but God acting.  The Bible itself is not his revelation; it is the record of his revelation.  But they worshipped the Bible’s words.

There is only one proper way to read the Bible-to read it as all pointing to Jesus Christ.  Then many of the things which puzzle us, and sometimes distress us, are clearly seen as stages on the way, a pointing forward to Jesus Christ, who is the supreme revelation and by whose light all other revelation is to be tested.  The Jews worshipped a God who wrote rather than a God who acted and therefore when Christ came they did not recognize him.  The function of the scriptures is not to give life, but to point to him who can.

There are two most revealing things here.

(i)  In verse 34 Jesus had said the purpose of his words was “that you may be saved.”  Here he says:  “I am not looking for any glory from man.”  That is to say:  “I am not arguing like this because I want to win an argument.  I am not talking like this because I want to score off you and win the applause of men.  It is because I love you and want to save you.”

There is something tremendous here.  When people oppose us and we argue back, what is our main feeling?  Wounded pride?  The conceit that hates any kind of failure?  Annoyance?  A desire to cram our opinions down other people’s throats because we think them fools?  Jesus talked as he did only because he loved men.  His voice might be stern, but in the sternness there was still the accent of yearning love; his eyes might flash fire, but the flame was the flame of love.

 

(ii)  Jesus says:  “If another comes in his own name, him you will receive.”  The Jews had their succession of impostors claiming to be the Messiah and every one had his following (cp.  Mark 13:6, 22; Matthew 24:5, 24).  Why do men follow impostors?  Because they are “men whose claims correspond with men’s own desires.”  The impostors came promising empires and victory and material prosperity; Jesus came offering a Cross.  The characteristic of the impostor is the offer of the easy way; Jesus offered men the hard way of God.  The impostors perished and Christ lives on.

WITNESS #5: THE WITNESS OF THE SCRIPTURES (vs. 39-44).

    “You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, {40} yet you refuse to come to me to have life. {41} “I do not accept praise from men, {42} but I know you. I know that you do not have the love of God in your hearts. {43} I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not accept me; but if someone else comes in his own name, you will accept him. {44} How can you believe if you accept praise from one another, yet make no effort to obtain the praise that comes from the only God ?”

   At least 18 unmistakable references to the Old Testament are found in John. There is little doubt that Christ was coming and that He had now come.

The Pharisees were searching:

– for a reason which would preclude the necessity for a command for them to search the scriptures

– Jesus is basing His whole argument as to their unbelief on their perverted use of the Scriptures

– The practice of the Jews at that time was to study each word minutely, and to build absurd mystical and allegorical interpretations around those word studies

– As a result, they rejected the Messiah, because their minds were made up as to what the Messiah must be before they read the Scriptures

They were BIBLIOTRISTS (Bible worshippers)! They worshipped the words of the Bible, but not the Christ of the Bible. We need to always realize that the Bible is merely the inspired record of God’s revelation about His Son. The Devil and his demons could quote scriptures…but they were still BOUND FOR hell! Verse 40 affirms the free will choice of man!

The scribes and Pharisees desired the praise of men.  They dressed in such a way that everyone would recognize them.  They prayed in such a way that everyone would see.  They loved the front seats in the Synagogue.  They loved the deferential greetings of men on the street.  And just because of that they could not hear the voice of God.  Why?  So long as a man measures himself against his fellow men he will be well content.  But the point is not:  “Am I as good as my neighbour?” The point is:  “Am I as good as God?”  “What do I look like to him?”

So long as we judge ourselves by human comparisons there is plenty of room for self-satisfaction, and that kills faith, for faith is born of the sense of need.  But when we compare ourselves with Jesus Christ, we are humbled to the dust, and then faith is born, for there is nothing left to do but trust to the mercy of God.

Jesus finishes with a change that would strike home.  The Jews believed the books which they believed Moses had given them to be the very word of God.  Jesus said:  “If you had read these books aright, you would have seen that they all pointed to me.”  He went on:  “You think that because you have Moses to be your mediator you are safe; but Moses is the very one who will condemn you.  Maybe you could not be expected to listen to me, but you are bound to listen to the words of Moses to which you attach such value-and they all spoke of me.”

Here is the great and threatening truth.  What had been the greatest privilege of the Jews had become their greatest condemnation.  No one could condemn a man who had never had a chance.  But knowledge had been given to the Jews; and the knowledge they had failed to use had become their condemnation.  Responsibility is always the other side of privilege.

WITNESS #6: THE WITNESS OF MOSES (vs. 45-47).

     “But do not think I will accuse you before the Father. Your accuser is Moses, on whom your hopes are set. {46} If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me. {47} But since you do not believe what he wrote, how are you going to believe what I say?””

As His trump card, Jesus pulls an ace out of the deck of Jewish heroes: Moses! Why Moses? Because, like Abraham, Isaac, and Joseph, Moses was one of the founding fathers of Judaism.

The authority of Moses was the greatest of all for Jews!  He spearheaded the Exodus, gave them the Law, and was looked up to with reverence.

But when did Moses ever write of Christ?  Turn back to prophetic pages of Deuteronomy 18:15, 19: “The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own brothers. You must listen to him…If anyone does not listen to my words that the prophet speaks in my name, I myself will call him to account.”

But how can we be sure Jesus was “the prophet” referred to by Moses? Listen to Peter’s words in Acts 3:18-23: “But this is how God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, saying that his Christ would suffer. {19} Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, {20} and that he may send the Christ, who has been appointed for you–even Jesus. {21} He must remain in heaven until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets. {22} For Moses said, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people; you must listen to everything he tells you. {23} Anyone who does not listen to him will be completely cut off from among his people.'”

There was no answer by the rabbis to this conclusion of Christ.  The witnesses had been carefully chosen. Each had taken the stand, and the evidence had been judiciously presented. The defense rests!

* There are two more witnesses which we have, which were not available for the Jews.

   – the Holy Spirit (15:26) dwelling within each Christian

– the witness of individual apostles (15:27), who would be ready to speak on His behalf only after being empowered by the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8)

Certainly, today, we are without excuse!

In reality, we must all weigh the evidence presented here in our life. We must reach a similar verdict, and it will be a matter of life and death.

—————————————

For the teachers: another interesting short study here is the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, which offers some insight as to witnesses which were judged to be “sufficient” in the time of Jesus to convict the human heart. Take the time to discuss some of the lessons there since we’ve allowed two weeks for this long section. (Luke 16:19-31)

CONCLUSION

Today, most people do not take a strong stand for the truth. A major cultural force is pluralism–a movement away from the concept of absolute truth and toward relativism in everything.

All peoples and all religions are viewed as being right in their own way. Our task, we are told, is to understand life from others’ perspectives and to accept others’ views.

In the text we have studied, Jesus steps into our world and says, in essence, “My people should respect all people, love all people, and seek to understand all people. However, some principles cannot be compromised. Some things are true and must be proclaimed as absolute truth, regardless of what anyone else thinks about it.”

1. Campbell Morgan, “the prince of Bible expositors,” once said about this text, “On the human level, what Jesus did that day and what He said that day cost Him His life. They never forgave Him.” That is another way of saying that in chapter 5 Jesus “crossed the Rubicon.” We can do nothing less than cross with Him.

If we think through the Gospels, we will realize that our Lord’s claim is consistent with everything we read in the New Testament. In the first chapter of John’s Gospel, the apostle boldly claims that our Lord—“the Word”—is God, and that He was actively involved in the creation of the world. We would expect from our Lord’s words in this fifth chapter of John that what the Son sees the Father doing, He will do also. Our Lord’s claim to be God is seconded by John, who tells us that “the Word was God.” John also tells us that “the Word became flesh.”

The temptation of our Lord, described by Matthew and Luke, is completely consistent with what our Lord has said in our text: Jesus claims to be the Son of God. Satan seeks to tempt our Lord, predicated on the fact that He is the Son of God:

3 The tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” 4 But he answered, “It is written: ‘A person is not to live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” 5 Then the devil took him to the holy city, and stood him on the highest point of the temple. 6 He said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down. For it is written: ‘He will command his angels about you’ and ‘with their hands they will lift you up, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone’” (Matthew 3:3-6, underscoring mine).

In many ways, the temptation was a testing of our Lord as the Son of God. Having passed this test, it is clear that He alone is qualified to act as the Son of God, which He consistently does.

If Jesus is the Son of God, then His challenge to the religious leaders at the temple makes perfect sense:

18 So then the Jewish leaders responded, “What sign can you show us, since you are doing these things?” 19 Jesus replied, “Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up again.” 20 Then the Jewish leaders said to him, “This temple has been under construction for forty-six years, and are you going to raise it up in three days?” 21 But Jesus was speaking about the temple of his body. 22 So after he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the scripture and the saying that Jesus had spoken (John 2:18-22).

If Jesus is the Son of God, then He has the right—indeed the obligation—to correct abuses of the temple, His Father’s house. And since He is the Son of God, He has life in Himself, just as the Father does. No man can take away His life; He gives it up, and He will take it up again (John 10:17-18). Do these religious leaders wish to know just who Jesus thinks He is? He is God, and His resurrection will prove it once for all.[1]

Who Jesus is—the Son of God—explains why He “broke” the Sabbath by working (John 5:1-18). Jesus is the Son of God, and the Son does what He sees His Father doing. Since the Father is at work on the Sabbath, so is the Son.

Since Jesus is the Son of God, the resurrection of Lazarus in John chapter 11 makes perfect sense. Jesus says in our text that since He has life in Himself, He will raise the dead. In the Gospel of John, Lazarus is the first to rise from the dead. Our Lord will rise, too. This explains why His resurrection was a necessity:

22 “Israelite men, listen to these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man clearly demonstrated to you to be from God by powerful deeds, wonders, and miraculous signs that God performed through him among you, just as you yourselves know—23 this man, who was handed over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you executed by nailing him to a cross at the hands of Gentiles. 24 But God raised him up, having released him from the pains of death, because it was not possible for him to be held in its power” (Acts 2:22-24; see also 1 Corinthians 15).

Imagine this: Peter tells us that it was impossible for our Lord not to rise from the dead. Many people today, as in times past, will say just the opposite. They will tell us that it is impossible for Him to rise from the dead. Why was it impossible for Him not to rise? The answer: because of who He is. If Jesus is God, then He has life in Himself. It would therefore be impossible for One who possesses life, who is life, not to live. That is Peter’s point. Let those who would deny the resurrection admit that they must first deny our Lord’s deity before they can deny His resurrection.

The fact that Jesus is the Son of God explains His voluntary death on the cross of Calvary. Jesus is the Son, who does whatever He sees His Father doing. His Father is seeking to save those who are lost. Is it any wonder that Jesus would die on the cross of Calvary? He was doing what His Father was doing—seeking to save lost sinners.

The fact that Jesus is the Son of God explains the agony of our Lord’s suffering at Calvary. Who can read the accounts of our Lord’s agony in Gethsemane, and on the cross of Calvary, without feeling a deep sense of awe at how much He suffered? It was not just the physical suffering of Jesus, because this was not His primary suffering. The great agony of our Lord is recorded in these words,

At about three o’clock Jesus shouted with a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46; see Psalm 22:1.)

Jesus was one with His Father (John 10:30). He experienced a unity with the Father which only He, as the Son, could know. And yet it was on the cross that the Father turned His back on the Son. Who can grasp the agony of that separation between Father and Son?

Our text, and our Lord’s claim to be the Son of God, explains the importance and the significance of Easter. I am preaching this message on Easter Sunday. In one sense, this message is not an “Easter message.” It is but the next in a continuing series of messages from the Gospel of John. But it certainly seems providential that we would reach this text on Easter Sunday. Easter is the celebration of our Lord’s resurrection from the dead. If, indeed, He is the Son of God (as He claims to be, and as He surely is), then it would have been impossible for Him not to rise from the dead. But since He has risen from the dead, this historical fact proves that everything Jesus claims about Himself is true. He is the Son of God. And if He is the Son of God, then He has the right to “break the Sabbath,” just as His Father does. He has the right to cleanse the temple and to give life to others. He also has the right to judge all men.

Many people go to church on Easter as a kind of annual ritual. They come to church and tip their hat to God. They talk of the resurrection of Jesus and find a kind of comfort in the fact that He is said to have risen from the dead. Such a view of Easter is shallow and foolish, one that does not square with the Gospels. It most certainly does not take our text seriously enough.

The first thing we must acknowledge from our text is that Jesus claims to be God. His adversaries understand Him to claim this, and it is for this that they will eventually put Him to death. When given the opportunity to deny this claim—or at least to clarify it—Jesus only repeats the same claim more emphatically. He challenges His adversaries to explain how He can do the works He performs if He is not God. He promises to do even greater things. He claims to have power over death and the ability to give life. He claims that He will raise all men from the dead and that He will judge all mankind.

That our Lord claims to be God could not be more emphatically stated than it is in our text. If His words are false, then we are foolish to worship Him. We would be obliged to condemn Him as a fraud. But if His words are true, then we must do far more than tip our hats to Him. The Gospel accounts and the words of the apostles all affirm that our Lord’s claim to be God is true. If it is true, then we will do well to apply this truth as our Lord has indicated. We should first acknowledge Jesus to be the divine Son of God. We should endorse all of His actions and all of His teachings as those appropriate for the Son of God. We should expect that the things He promises which have not yet occurred will happen (such as the resurrection of all the dead). Most importantly, we should trust in Him as God’s only remedy for sin and His only provision for eternal life. We should believe in Him, knowing that it will save us from eternal condemnation.

Those who trust in Jesus for salvation should rejoice in the truths He has emphatically stated in our text. Those who do not trust in Him as the Son of God and the Savior of the world should not bother to tip their hat to Him, or to find some backhanded comfort in His life, death, and resurrection. Easter should not be a comfort to them, but a source of dread. The resurrection of our Lord from the dead is proof that He is God, and that His claims are true. The resurrection of our Lord from the dead assures us that all who trust in Him will be saved, and that all those who do not will suffer eternal condemnation.

Let no unbeliever find comfort in the fact that Jesus died and rose again. Let them not seek to find comfort in the thought that once they die they will cease to exist. Because Jesus Christ is the Son of God, He did rise from the dead, and He will likewise raise all the dead. While those who trust in Him will be raised to the resurrection unto life, those who have not trusted in Him will be raised to the resurrection of eternal condemnation. Our Lord’s deity and His resurrection from the dead should be the most dreaded of all biblical doctrines, because it means that those who have not trusted in Jesus Christ for salvation face an eternity of condemnation.

It is very clear from our text who Jesus claims to be. It is also very clear who the Jewish authorities believe Jesus claims to be. The two most important questions you will ever answer are these:

(1) Is Jesus right about who He claims to be?

(2) If He is right, what have you done about it?

There are no more important questions in life than these. What is your answer? The answer of the Gospel of John is crystal clear: Jesus is the Son of God, the Savior of the world. John wrote this Gospel to convince you of this truth (John 20:30-31). Do you believe our Lord and John? If you do, have you trusted in Jesus as your Savior, the One who died in your place, who bore the penalty for your sins? If you believe in Him, your sins will be forgiven, and you will have eternal life. You will also escape from eternal condemnation. If you do not believe, you are condemned already. There is no more frightening future than that which you have chosen by your unbelief.

I challenge you, as the Apostle John does, to consider the claims of Jesus Christ, and then respond to Him in faith by believing in Him for eternal salvation..

[1] See Matthew 12:38-40.