Author: Jeff Englund

John 5: 31b -37a

” ‘There is another who testifies in my favor, and I know that his testimony about me is true.

‘You have sent to John and he has testified to the truth.  Not that I accept human testimony; but I mention it that you may be saved.  John was a lamp that burned and gave light, and you chose for a time to enjoy his light.  

“I have testimony weightier than that of John. For the works that the Father has given me to finish—the very works that I am doing—testify that the Father has sent me.  And the Father who sent me has himself testified concerning me.’ “

Yes, I know that I should have titled this post, “Testimony V” but I just couldn’t do it. Repetition is so… repetitive. However, there are some benefits to repetition. Sometimes we need to hear things more than once for it to sink in.

(If you want to review the prior discussion on Testimony see: Testimony (I), Testimony (II),  Testimony (III), and Testimony (IV).)

In effect, Jesus is calling his witnesses to testify before the Jewish leaders. When he makes his claim, he is probably standing in the temple court. This would be the equivalent of standing before the Supreme Court for a Jew. In ancient times, long before Jesus’s time, the priests were given the authority to be the final arbiters of any legal question for the Jews. Continue reading “Groundhog Day”

John 5: 31b -37a

” ‘There is another who testifies in my favor, and I know that his testimony about me is true.

‘You have sent to John and he has testified to the truth.  Not that I accept human testimony; but I mention it that you may be saved.  John was a lamp that burned and gave light, and you chose for a time to enjoy his light.  

“I have testimony weightier than that of John. For the works that the Father has given me to finish—the very works that I am doing—testify that the Father has sent me.  And the Father who sent me has himself testified concerning me.'”

At the risk of seeming repetitive, we need to spend one more day in this passage. If you want to review the prior discussion on Testimony see: Testimony (I),  Testimony (II), and Testimony (III).

Jesus has made at least six major claims about himself that are causing the Jewish leaders to persecute Jesus. Continue reading “Testimony (IV)”

John 5: 31b -37a

” ‘There is another who testifies in my favor, and I know that his testimony about me is true.

‘You have sent to John and he has testified to the truth.  Not that I accept human testimony; but I mention it that you may be saved.  John was a lamp that burned and gave light, and you chose for a time to enjoy his light.  

“I have testimony weightier than that of John. For the works that the Father has given me to finish—the very works that I am doing—testify that the Father has sent me.  And the Father who sent me has himself testified concerning me.’ ”

We are going to spend a few days looking at these verses because they are so rich in detail about our Lord. If you want to review the prior discussion on these verses see Testimony (I) and Testimony (II).

Today, let’s look at Jesus’ claims about himself again:

Claim No. 1: Jesus only does what he “sees” his Father doing which includes working on the Sabbath.

Claim No. 2: Jesus has the power to give life to whom he is pleased to give it. (Just like God.)

Claim No. 3: Jesus has been entrusted with all judgment.

Claim No. 4: Honoring Jesus is the same as honoring God the Father.

Claim No. 5: Believing in Jesus and the Father is necessary to avoid Judgment and gaining life.

Claim No. 6: The dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live. Continue reading “Testimony (III)”

John 5: 31b -37a

“‘ There is another who testifies in my favor, and I know that his testimony about me is true.

‘You have sent to John and he has testified to the truth.  Not that I accept human testimony; but I mention it that you may be saved.  John was a lamp that burned and gave light, and you chose for a time to enjoy his light.  

“I have testimony weightier than that of John. For the works that the Father has given me to finish—the very works that I am doing—testify that the Father has sent me.  And the Father who sent me has himself testified concerning me. ‘”

Here Jesus outlines three additional testimonies that add to his own testimony about himself: John the Baptist, the “works” he did, and the Father’s own testimony about him.

The questions a court might ask about such testimony would include:

Are they relevant, that is does the additional testimony apply to the claims made by Jesus?

Are they consistent with Jesus claims?

Are they credible?  Continue reading “Testimony (II)”

John 5: 31a

 ” If I testify about myself, my testimony is not true.”

How should we approach this passage on testimony? If we wanted to dive in deep we could spend several weeks looking into the rules of testimony that Moses laid down at God’s command. These are the rules that Jesus is referring to when he says, “If I testify about myself, my testimony is not true.” What he is saying, as I understand it, is that the testimony of one person alone is not valid in a court of law. The Amplified Bible translates this passage this way: “If I alone testify about Myself, My testimony is not valid.” Continue reading “Testimony (I)”

John 5: 30

“ 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.”

Yesterday we looked at the first six words of this verse. Today we will let Jesus finish what he was saying. 🙂 Contextually, he is continuing his defense before the Jewish leaders. Technically he is explaining the answer to yesterday’s question, “What is needed for Jesus to be able to do anything?” The ability, the power to do anything; the wisdom to judge justly, all comes from seeking to please God the Father.  Continue reading “Asking”

John 5: 30a

” By myself I can do nothing…”

Sometimes the mysteries of God are revealed in as few as six words. “By myself I can do nothing…”, is such a phrase. Here are the words of a man who has moments before said he only does what he sees his father doing. In fact, he has already said, “… the Son can do nothing by himself…” (v19) so he is repeating himself here. Normally Jesus repeats himself because what he is saying is important and something we should pay attention to.

It is a remarkable thing to do: to claim to be the Son of God, to claim you are able to give life to whom you are pleased to give it and to claim that people who believe in you will have eternal life, and then… then to point out that, “By myself I can do nothing…”  Continue reading “Nothing”

John 5: 26-29

” For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself.  And he has given him authority to judge because he is the Son of Man. 

“Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and come out —those who have done what is good will rise to live, and those who have done what is evil will rise to be condemned.”

Jesus continues his defense before the Jewish leaders. Here he sums up his arguments so far. Leaving aside the issue of working on the Sabbath, Jesus restates that the Son has life in himself just like the Father has life in himself. Continue reading “Works”

John 5: 26

” For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself.”

This verse stands out to me for a couple of reasons. One is that the Greek word for “life,” is “Zoe,” which happens to be my granddaughter’s name. It is a very appropriate name for her as she is full of life in every sense of the word.

The other reason this stands out to me is the concept of the Father having “life in himself.” What does that mean?  Continue reading “Life”

John 5: 25

” Very truly I tell you, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live.”

This saying of Jesus’ is interesting because it seems to answer the question, “What about all of those people who lived and died before Jesus was born? How do they get to heaven?  Continue reading “The Voice of God”