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John 5 Commentary
by Brad Boyles
Bearing witness to yourself is not reliable in court. Jesus didn’t need to provide witnesses for His authority, but in His grace, He would.
John the Baptist
John’s lamp testified to Jesus but he was rejected by the religious elite. Notice, he is described as the lamp. Jesus was the light that would fill that lamp, but John was merely a vessel that carried His message. On the other hand, the sinners and outcasts accepted John’s testimony because they had a simple faith rooted in mercy and compassion. This is what the prophets had clamored over for so many years in Israel’s past. They placed their rules and rituals over mercy, compassion, and justice.
The Miracles
Jesus’ miracles validated He was sent by God. Once again, the religious elite sought a powerful Messiah who would take the world by force. Jesus did show up powerfully, but He showed up in relationships doing simple things that the religious leaders had rejected. He came with compassion, forgiveness, mercy, and love. These were “smaller things” to the religious leaders. The primary issue was their oppression by Rome and that affected how they perceived the facts in front of them. The theme is similar to John the Baptist, but even more condemning because they were literally witnessing miracles done before their eyes and choosing to reject the authoritative nature of them.
The Word
Now Jesus turns His attention to the most condemning witness for the religious elite. They were experts of the Scriptures, but they were hypocritical and self-righteous – not saved. Jesus’ insulting words cut to their core.
Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father. Your accuser is Moses, on whom you have set your hope. 46 For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me, because he wrote about Me. 47 But if you don’t believe his writings, how will you believe My words?”
John 5:45-47 HCSB
Their foundation was on the Old Testament law, but even the law and the prophets of old testified to Jesus. They all pointed to a Savior who would come and do the things Jesus was currently doing. The Pharisees missed it.
I believe there are lots of people who are sitting in churches today and missing it. Many have created their own version of what will save them and view the Bible and Jesus as fitting that narrative. They make up their minds about what they believe ahead of time instead of just reading the Scriptures with an open mind and letting the Bible speak for itself. When you read the Word cover to cover is it obvious to the theologian and the child that Jesus saves.