Testifying of Christ

Anyone can claim to be anything, yet not every claim is true. People can portray themselves as being something they are not. When Jesus was upon the earth, many did not believe who He was. In the context of our text, He claimed to be the Son of God (John 5:17-18), and that He had authority to execute judgment (John 5:27). What He claimed about Himself was true, but He did not expect the people to just take His word for it. In our text, He explained that there were “witnesses” that testified to the truthfulness of His claims. We are going to consider these in this lesson.

John the Baptist (John 5:33-35)

• His testimony (John 1:29) – clear and unmistakable; he reiterated it so that his disciples would not miss it (John 1:35-37)
• They knew John (John 5:35) – he was not some obscure character; they were familiar with him; many went out to see John and were baptized by him (Matthew 3:5-6)
• His character was impeccable (Matthew 11:7-11) – he sacrificed, did not preach for personal gain, and had no reason to lie; he pointed his own disciples to Christ (John 1:35-37), even if it meant he must “decrease” (John 3:30)

Miracles (John 5:36)

• The purpose of miracles was to produce faith (John 20:30-31) – they plainly testified of Jesus (John 10:24-25)
• The gospel of John recorded seven miracles performed by Jesus – what do they say about Him?
  • Turned water to wine (John 2:1-11) – pots filled to the brim (v. 7); assurance of a genuine miracle; no tricks
  • Healed a nobleman’s son (John 4:46-54) – from a long distance; healed a specific person
  • Healed a lame man (John 5:1-9) – Christ’s work was better than any “angel”
  • Fed five thousand (John 6:1-14) – created food; compared with manna in the wilderness (v. 30-31)
  • Walked on water (John 6:15-21) – defied the natural laws of gravity
  • Healed a blind man (John 9:1-7) – blind from birth; never saw before
  • Raised Lazarus from the dead (John 11) – waited until he was dead; raised him after his body would have started decaying
• We can believe in Christ because of these miracles – none of these could have been faked

God the Father (John 5:37-38)

• He testified at Jesus’ baptism (Matthew 3:17) – no mistaking who was being referred to; the Spirit descended on Him as a dove as confirmation (John 1:32-34)
• He testified at the transfiguration (Matthew 17:5) – again, no mistaking who was being referred to; Moses and Elijah were gone when the apostles looked up
• He testified through the resurrection (Acts 17:31) – “declared the Son of God with power” (Romans 1:4); many witnesses to this event (Acts 1:3; 1 Corinthians 15:3-8)

Scripture (John 5:39-47)

• The purpose of the law was to lead them to Christ (John 5:46-47; Galatians 3:24)
• Many fulfilled prophecies – examples…
  • Matthew 1:22-23 – Isaiah 7:14
  • Matthew 2:15 – Hosea 11:1
  • Matthew 8:16-17 – Isaiah 53:4
  • Matthew 13:34-35 – Psalm 78:2
  • Matthew 21:1-5 – Zechariah 9:9
  • Matthew 27:33-46 – Psalm 22:1, 6-18
• It pointed to a new covenant (Jeremiah 31:31-34; Hebrews 8:8-12) – the new covenant was inaugurated with the blood of Christ (Hebrews 9:15-18; cf. Matthew 26:28)

Conclusion

• Jesus, the Son of God, came to earth, lived a sinless life, and died on the cross for our sins
• His claims about His identity were true and were verified by the witnesses we discussed
• Why is this important? – we need to believe in Christ to have eternal life (John 20:30-31)
• We have all the evidence we need – now we just need to act upon it (cf. Luke 6:46; Hebrews 5:9)