I have chosen the Gospel of John as the subject. I pray that these will be a blessing and an edification for the saints.
JOHN 5:31-34,36-37
31 If I bear witness of myself, my witness is not true. 32 There is another that beareth witness of me; and I know that the witness which he witnesseth of me is true. 33 Ye sent unto John, and he bare witness unto the truth. 34 But I receive not testimony from man: but these things I say, that ye might be saved. But I have greater witness than that of John: for the works which the Father hath given me to finish, the same works that I do, bear witness of me, that the Father hath sent me. 37 And the Father himself, which hath sent me, hath borne witness of me. Ye have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his shape.
In any court of law, witnesses are called upon to testify to the truth. The weight of a single witness is greater than a substantial amount of circumstantial evidence. Multiple witnesses are even more powerful, especially if their respective testimonies corroborate each others (though if they recite the same exact 'facts' in the same order, that strongly suggests collusion).
John the Baptist bore witness of Jesus, that He is indeed the Messiah of Israel, the Lamb of GOD.
But the LORD had greater witness than that of the Baptist - the works that the Father gave to Him to accomplish, these are a far greater witness; and why is that?
The "works" the LORD referred to were those miracles and events that Scripture prophesied hundreds, even thousands before Jesus was born in Bethlehem (His nativity itself prophesied in MICAH 5:2. How He would heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, cure the blind and the deaf, cast out demons, restore those afflicted with mental disorders. Even raise the dead (ISAIAH 35:5-6; LUKE 7:22).
Scripture is replete with prophecies concerning the Messiah: where He would be born, where He would be raised, what tribe and house of Israel He would descend from, how He would minister, the company He would keep, how He would die, and then raised again to life.
There are even more prophecies He will fulfill at His Second Advent than He fulfilled during His First! An excellent book to check out is by Herbert Lockyer, All The Messianic Prophecies of the Bible. I've read it several times over the years and it's a rich resevoire of biblical truth and incontrovertible fact regarding the Person of Jesus and His identity as the Messiah of Israel, the Son of GOD, GOD manifested in the flesh.
The LORD Jesus spoke of these witnesses for the expressed purpose of providing evidence, and convince souls that He is indeed the Messiah, and that they would place faith in Him and be saved (vs. 34).
The Father bore witness of the Son, that He is well pleased with Him (MARK 1:11;1 PET 1:17); the Spirit likewise bears witness of Christ throughout the length and breadth of the New Testament (JOHN 14:26; 15:26; 16:13). And because the LORD Jesus is One with the Father, and with the Spirit, in the blessed Triune nature of GOD Eternal (1 JOHN 5:7), He could do no less than testify of the truth of Who He is.
Scripture states, "in the mouth of two or three witnesses let every word be established" (DEUT 19:15). And the Godhead attributes to the other two Holy Members, truth and veracity.
After Christ's ascension, His apostles would likewise bear witness of Him, even at the cost of their very own lives (JOHN 15:27)!
The WORD of GOD bears witness of all the saints and reveals the truth about each and everyone of them: the good about them, the bad and the ugly. It's painfully truthful about Eli's weak parenting (1 SAM 2:22-25) as well as Samuel's (1 SAM 8:5), about David's adultery with Bathsheba (2 SAM 11), about Judas' betrayal (MATT 27:4) and Peter's denial of Christ (MATT 26:74-75). It reveals them at their best moments too (excepting Judas).
What can be seen of Christ however, cannot be seen of any other individual recorded in Scripture: there IS no bad, no ugly! Good alone and only good things are said of Christ - even when He asked His enemies point blank, "Which of you can testify of any sin I've done?" (JOHN 8:46)
Jesus can say with absolute authority what the Father's regard for Him, because unlike the religious leaders of Israel, He HAS "seen His shape" (He knows what GOD the Father looks like, and what He is like in all manner and character) and "heard His voice", from all eternity past - and so He is well aware of the Father's witness of Him, His Son - the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth (JOHN 1:14)!
Those who receive this witness of the Father on behalf of His Son (MATT 3:17; 17:5), the LORD Jesus Christ, are on solid, irrefutable ground. Peter received this witness, because when Christ asked His disciples who they believed He was, this leader of the twelve bluntly replied,
"You are the Christ (Messiah), the Son of the living GOD (co-equal of the Father, as GOD Himself".) (MATT 16:16-18).
Let us rest in absolute confidence in all things that the Scripture states concerning Jesus Christ, this volume that has been written of Him (PSALM 40:7), these words that testify of Him (JOHN 5:39)! They are a faithful witness that we can 'bet our life on'!
Next time we will check out JOHN 5:34-36 in "Burning Midnight Oil". Until then, may the LORD Jesus Christ bless you way too much! And remember, JESUS RULES, satan fools!
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