Testimonies About Jesus
31"If I testify about myself, my testimony is not valid. 32There is another who testifies in my favor, and I know that his testimony about me is valid.
33"You have sent to John and he has testified to the truth. 34Not that I accept human testimony; but I mention it that you may be saved. 35John was a lamp that burned and gave light, and you chose for a time to enjoy his light.
36"I have testimony weightier than that of John. For the very work that the Father has given me to finish, and which I am doing, testifies that the Father has sent me. 37And the Father who sent me has himself testified concerning me. You have never heard his voice nor seen his form, 38nor does his word dwell in you, for you do not believe the one he sent. 39You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, 40yet you refuse to come to me to have life.
41"I do not accept praise from men, 42but I know you. I know that you do not have the love of God in your hearts. 43I have come in my Father's name, and you do not accept me; but if someone else comes in his own name, you will accept him. 44How can you believe if you accept praise from one another, yet make no effort to obtain the praise that comes from the only God?
45"But do not think I will accuse you before the Father. Your accuser is Moses, on whom your hopes are set. 46If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me. 47But since you do not believe what he wrote, how are you going to believe what I say?"
Questions
1. What are the testimonies that validate Jesus' claim to be the Messiah?
2. Jesus says, "I have come in my Father's name, and you do not accept me; but if someone else comes in his own name, you will accept him"(vs 43). This was written over two thousand years ago. How is this applicable to today's 'a la carte spirituality'?
3. How does accepting the praise of man prevent us from obtaining the praise that comes from God?
2 comments:
Q1:This passage refers to the testimonies of John the baptist, as we have seen in our study of the Gospel of John to date. We note first of all John 1:6-7 (King James Version) "There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe." Verse 15 goes on to state "John bare witness of him, and cried saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me." Verse 29 validates this claim as follows: "The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world." This is repeated in verse 36, "And looking upon Jesus as he walked,he saith, Behold the Lamb of God!" In addition to the miracles performed by Jesus, which validated His status as the Messiah, He also provided verbal testimony, as we see in John 4: 25-26 (King James Version)"The woman saith to him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things. Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he."
Q2:John 5:43 calls to mind the tendency of some christians to gravitate towards the fanfare and aura of some evangelists, and places of worship. We get so caught up in the persona of men that we fail to recall the humble circumstances under which Christ came to the earth. We become overawed by the man who casts out demons and performs miracles, and we forget under whose authority he is supposed to be doing these things. As a result, oftentimes when an evangelist moves on to another place of worship, as occurs frequently during ministry, the membership tries to relocate with him. It is as though they believe that Jesus has gone to another church so they need to tag along.
Q3:On the one hand, it is not incorrect in itself to accept the praise of man. As an example, a fellow believer might be referred to as a humble man of God, or a prayer warrior. As I see it, these are usually meant as compliments, and examples of behaviour to inspire other believers. A problem arises when the recipient of such compliments becomes preoccupied with sentiments of grandeur, thinking himself or herself to be more spiritual, or more fearful of God that his/her contemporaries. This may result in another preoccupation, where the individual becomes obsessed with his/her image in the eyes of fellow worshipers, as opposed to wanting to appear blameless before God.
A pleasant and blessed week to all!
#1. The testimonies are that of John the Baptist and Father God. Vs. 36-37, "I have testimony weightier than that of John. For the very work that the Father has given me to finish, and which I am doing, testifies that the Father has sent me. And the Father who sent me has himself testified concerning me." In vs. 39 Jesus also points out that the scriptures (OT) testified of Him , i.e. Isaiah 53. He also states in John 5 vs.45-46 that the scriptures of Moses testified about Him (see Gen. 49:10)
#2. Today we have the New Age Movement in which people claim to have some revelation of God by claiming that they are God.They espouse the power of the mind, etc. People accept the words and teachings of these self-proclaimed new age gurus. If they are endorsed by celebrities, even more so. There seem to be many people in our generation claiming to be 'spiritual' by picking and choosing what makes them comfortable yet their lives lack holiness. When it comes to accepting Jesus, of whom the Old Testament scriptures testified about, people don't even seem to want to investigate. Not only were there miracles from the Father but prophecies written hundreds of years before Jesus' appearance. When people come in their own name, they cannot inspire or require the Holiness that the Living God can. Perhaps this generation's inclination to stray is from a desire to 'control' ones destiny rather than to 'submit' to the leadership of God. Who can control anything in this life? It is an illusion. We need Jesus!
#3. Well, so many times I want to be accepted by men but it comes at the risk of rejecting God. My wanting acceptance is really wanting man's praise. God has called me to stand up for what is right and to speak out about it. I have been the object of ridicule among those whom I most desired to impress, yet the peace from God that I've felt afterwards far outweighs the scorn from men. The temptation is always there, however. I often pray, God make me bold. Being bold for the kingdom means being 'odd' by this world's standard. 1 John 2:15-17 states that we are not to love the world or the things of the world. James 4:4 states that friendship with the world is enmity with God. We must choose God over man...God give us grace to live as Christ would! To love our neighbours, strive for holiness, give grace, mercy and forgiveness freely.
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