Testimony of the scripture - Ricky

39 "You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me.
40 "But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life. |
41 "I do not receive honor from men. | (see 43-45)
42 "But I know you, that you do not have the love of God in you.
43 "I have come in My Father's name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, him you will receive.

44 “How can you believe, who receive honor from one another, and do not seek the honor that comes from the only God?

45 “Do not think that I shall accuse you to the Father; there is one who accuses you-Moses, in whom you trust.

46 “For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote about Me.

47 “But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?”

Today’s passage is from John chapter 5, the context of this passage is that after Jesus heals a man who has been sick for 34 years on Sabbath, and afterwards being confronted by some Jews seeking to persecute and kill him because they think he broke the Sabbath, and that he blasphemed God after making himself to be equal with God. Much controversy arose after the incident, and Jesus tells them there are 4 witnesses to Jesus’ claim of being the equal with God:

· John the Baptist

· His work

· His Father

· The scriptures(equivalent to the first 5 books of the Old Testament)

We will be focusing on testimony of scripture, and taking a look at the following:

· Why are the jews are refusing to go to Christ?

· How does the Scriptures bear witness to Christ?

· Why does this matter?

Why the Jews refuse to come to Christ?

In verse 39 and 40, Jesus rebukes the jews, saying "You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me.
But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life." These Jews probably know their Scriptures(first 5 books of the OT) inside out. Trained in a young age to memorize the scriptures, in order to be taught by a rabbi(Teacher of the scriptures), and some were probably rabbis themselves. But Jesus tells them they got it all wrong. Like all human beings, deep inside of us, there is a natural, antagonizing attitude towards God. And we see it here, even though Christ is standing right in front of them, they fail to see and believe Him to be the life giving Messiah, instead wanting to persecute and kill Him earlier in the chapter. They view the scriptures as something that contains eternal life in and of it self, if they fully understand all the commandments, and followed them, they will gain eternal life. But that is exactly what leads to their antagonizing attitude towards Christ.

Then in verse 41 Jesus says something that seems to change the topic in another direction, but it will become clear why later.

Verse 42 is the key to understanding why the Jews behave in the way they do towards Jesus, and what this issue deeply entrenched in us really is. The reason they hate Christ is because God’s love is not in them! John himself writes in 1 john 4:19 “we love because he first loved us!” These people’s hearts are not renewed by God. They still have a blindness in them! So that even when the word of God is in their hands, they cannot be led to God! In their heart they refuse to believe the works Jesus did, but instead use their minds to seek in scripture reasons to kill him. And verses 44 and 45 shows more of the effects of this blindness.

Jesus points out another deeply entrenched problem in our nature. We by nature seek the temporary fleeting praises of men, it just feels so good to hear people suck up to us, it just feels natural to suck up to people so they think better of us. I am a big people pleaser, and I struggle with this a lot! It has led me to speak lies, not doing what I ought to do, not saying what I ought to say. Always trying to be a good person so that people will like you. Do not live this way! This mentality breeds corruption and you will become a slave to seeking the praises of men. The Jews are not willing, or do not care about receiving honor from God. God sent his son so that they might be saved, but they care more about how people see them, and feel good about themselves. Jesus says don’t think that way! Seek the praise of God! Live in a way that eagerly longs to hear the day God says to you :”Well done, my good and faithful servant!” That’s why he says what he says in verse 41, as an example for how Christians should be motivated to live.

How does the scripture bear witness to Christ?

But Jesus does not condemn them. He came to save, not to condemn, and the law already condemns them. “For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all.” James wrote. And Jesus shows in Matthew 5-7 the true standards of the law, and it is impossible to meet the bar by human effort. Instead of trying to live by the law, they should have revealed to the Jews their need for a savior. Someone who can fulfill the law, someone, like the lamb sacrificed during the Passover, covers their sin and inability to fulfill the law so they may live.

Jesus concludes in verses 46 and 47 by saying that Moses wrote about Him. Moses was the author of the 5 books of the OT, Genesis to Deuteronomy. If the Jews were to have read the scriptures correctly,

they would have seen many inferences to a coming savior. It was God who first preached the gospel to adam and eve in Genesis 3, it was God who promised Abraham an offspring who would bless all nations, it was God who showed the blood of the lamb to be spilt during the Passover, symbolizing Jesus shedding his blood for our sin. And it was God who uses evil for good. Like the story of Joseph, using humanity’s ultimate act of evil in crucifying His son to bring us our ultimate good, that we might know Him. But the Jews did not see these signs. And the law condemns them.

Now how does this relate to us? It is important in discerning how we view and read the bible. For people who like hiking, you might have noticed sometimes trails have signs pointing you to the right direction. Similarly with the Bible, it is God’s word, pointing us to Christ. We can go to 2 extremes, either enjoying it for knowledge, or having no interest at all in reading it. How can we be led to Christ by God’s word? We first have to know God, or else that antagonizing attitude is still there within our hearts, and our minds will twist scripture and even use that as an weapon against God. Then(after knowing God) whenever we read the Bible, learn a piece of theology, always ask, so what? Why does this matter in my life? Knowing God is sovereign, how does that affect the way I live? Empty knowledge will only make us puffed up with pride, it doesn’t do anybody any good. Only when we learn to obey Christ out of love for Him can we truly understand and posses the wisdom in His word.

"Hold fast to Christ. For you he became temporal, so that you might partake of eternity." - Augustine