John – Chapter 5:31-40
After defending His healing of the paralytic on the basis of His status as God’s Son (v. 17-30), now Jesus is acting as if He were His own defense attorney, with four witnesses for the defense: John the Baptist (v. 33), the works which Jesus performs (v. 36), the Father Himself (v. 37), and the Scriptures (v. 39). v.33-35 “John has given witness to the truth” – John himself bore witness in the way of a court drama. “The truth” has concrete content, that the Lamb of God, the Christ, the Son of God had come and made His appearance to Israel and is Jesus. (1:20-34) Jesus provides this witness but does not rely upon it (5:19, 30, 32). John is the burning and shining lamp foretold in Psalm 132:16-17, but Jesus is the Light whom the Jews will not receive. v. 36 “Theses works which I do witness concerning me” – Jesus is not diminishing John’s testimony. John is the witness. Jesus is the Son of God. John is the friend of the bridegroom; Jesus is the bridegroom (3:29-30). Here again as in 4:34, τελειώσω (complete/finish) refers especially to the death of Jesus. These works will finally be the forgiveness of sins and of the new life of the Spirit received by those begotten of water and the Spirit (3:5) and thus made children of God (1:12-13). v.37-38 “The Father bears witness” – Given the Exodus context (5:45), the witness of the Father concerning the Son in the OT are the theophanies, where not the Father’s but the Son’s voice is heard and His form seen. Consider especially Numbers 12:4-9; Ex 19:14-22; Ex 24:1-18; Ex 33:7-11. The Father is known and seen in the Son (Jn 14:7,9). As with Abraham (Jn 8:56) and Isaiah (12:41), Moses does foretell about Jesus but describes Jesus whom he had seen on the Mount and in the Tabernacle. Jesus is Himself the incarnation of the Torah, whose death establishes the new Torah, the commandment of love (13:34). v. 39-40 “The Scriptures bear witness” – The Scriptures are the fourth witness Jesus brings to the stand for His defense. Jesus refers to the piety of the Jews who read, pondered, and placed their hope in the Scriptures. Their approach was not necessarily crass “works righteous” merit-by-obedience. Rather immersion in the Scriptures, being conformed to them brings life. See Deut 8:3…