John 5:31-47
Witnesses to the Son
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31If I testify about Myself, My testimony is not valid.
32There is another who testifies about Me, and I know that His testimony about Me is valid.
33You have sent to John, and he has testified to the truth.
34Even though I do not accept human testimony, I say these things so that you may be saved.
35John was a lamp that burned and gave light, and you were willing for a season to bask in his light.
36But I have testimony more substantial than that of John. For the works that the Father has given Me to accomplish—the very works I am doing—testify about Me that the Father has sent Me.
37And the Father who sent Me has Himself testified about Me. You have never heard His voice nor seen His form,
38nor does His word abide in you, because you do not believe the One He sent.
39You pore over the Scriptures because you presume that by them you possess eternal life. These are the very words that testify about Me,
40yet you refuse to come to Me to have life.
41I do not accept glory from men,
42but I know you, that you do not have the love of God within you.
43I have come in My Father’s name, and you have not received Me; but if someone else comes in his own name, you will receive him.
44How can you believe if you accept glory from one another, yet do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?
45Do not think that I will accuse you before the Father. Your accuser is Moses, in whom you have put your hope.
46If you had believed Moses, you would believe Me, because he wrote about Me.
47But since you do not believe what he wrote, how will you believe what I say?”
Berean Standard Bible
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Jesus does not ask His hearers to accept His claim on self-testimony alone. He points to other testimony they have received. John has borne witness to the truth, and Jesus' works bear witness that the Father sent Him.
The Father Himself has borne witness, though Jesus says they have never heard His voice or seen His form. They do not have His word abiding in them because they do not believe the One He sent.
They pore over the Scriptures because they think that in them they have eternal life. Jesus says those very Scriptures testify about Him, yet they refuse to come to Him to have life. Their problem is not that they have read too carefully; it is that they will not receive the One their reading points toward.
Jesus does not receive glory from people, but He knows that they do not have the love of God within them. They accept others who come in their own names but reject the One who comes in His Father's name.
Moses, in whom they hope, will accuse them. If they believed Moses, they would believe Jesus, because Moses wrote about Him. Their problem is not lack of religious material but refusal to receive its testimony.
How We Know
Earlier passages show examples of the testimony Jesus names. In John 1:19–34, the Baptist answers the delegation from Jerusalem and identifies Jesus as the Son of God, recounting the sign he saw. In John 5:1–18, Jesus heals the man at Bethesda, whose recovery brings His work before the authorities. These are specific parts of the Gospel's case, not an appeal to unnamed supporters. Jesus says the Father's works carry greater weight than John's witness and directs His hearers to Scripture as well.
Questions
1 Who bears witness to Jesus?
AnswerJohn, Jesus' works, the Father, and the Scriptures all bear witness that Jesus was sent by the Father.
2 What do the leaders search?
AnswerThey search the Scriptures, believing they contain eternal life, but they refuse to come to Jesus, whom the Scriptures identify.
3 What does Jesus say they lack?
AnswerHe says they do not have God's word abiding in them and do not have the love of God within them.
4 Why will Moses accuse them?
AnswerThey hope in Moses while refusing the One about whom Moses wrote. Their claimed trust in Scripture is contradicted by their rejection of Jesus.
What This Means for Us
Religious study can become a way to avoid the Person Scripture reveals. Families should read carefully, but the goal is not to win Bible arguments; it is to come to Jesus for life.
Jesus also warns leaders who seek human approval. Ask whether your knowledge produces love for God and openness to His correction, or merely gives you a stronger public position.
Prayer
Father, let Your word abide in our household. Make our study lead us to Jesus, give us love rather than religious pride, and keep us receptive when Your truth corrects us. Amen.