For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote about me

“I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me.

“If I bear witness of Myself, My witness is not true. There is another who bears witness of Me, and I know that the witness which He witnesses of me is true. You have sent to John, and he has borne witness to the truth. Yet I do not receive testimony from man, but I say these things that you may be saved. He was the burning and shining lamp, and you were willing for a time to rejoice in his light. But I have a greater witness than John’s; for the works which the Father has given Me to finish – the very works that I do – bear witness of me, that the Father has sent Me. And the Father Himself, who sent Me, has testified of Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His form. But you do not have His word abiding in you, because whom he sent, Him you do not believe.

“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. I do not receive honor from men. But I know you, that you do not have the love of God in you. 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. How can you believe, who receive honor from one another, and do not seek the honor that comes from the only God? Do not think that I shall accuse you unto the Father; there is one who accuses you – Moses, in whom you trust. For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote about me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?”

- John 5:30-47

Jesus continues His discourse from yesterday’s reading, in which He replies to the criticisms of the authorities after telling a man to “take up his mat and walk” on the Sabbath – a violation of rabbinical law. Jesus has replied by clearly laying out His own identity as Son and His relationship to the Father. When questioned about healing the paralytic man (the third sign or miracle in John’s Gospel), Jesus said, “My Father has been working until now, and I have been working.” In yesterday’s reading, He presented Himself as Son and also told of the authority vested in Him by the Father – including that of judgment.

“I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me.” Jesus clearly sets out His relationship to the Father. He is obedient in all things. My study bible says that “the divine will is common to the Persons of the Trinity, for all share in the same divine energy. In their manifestation in the world, however, all energy originates in the Father, being communicated through the Son in the Holy Spirit. Here there is a sense that the Son obeys the Father. This is because, in His human nature, the Son has human energy – including human will – which He offers to God the Father as the source of all. This is His own will which must do the will of the Father.

“If I bear witness of Myself, My witness is not true. There is another who bears witness of Me, and I know that the witness which He witnesses of me is true. You have sent to John, and he has borne witness to the truth. Yet I do not receive testimony from man, but I say these things that you may be saved. He was the burning and shining lamp, and you were willing for a time to rejoice in his light. But I have a greater witness than John’s; for the works which the Father has given Me to finish – the very works that I do – bear witness of me, that the Father has sent Me. And the Father Himself, who sent Me, has testified of Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His form. But you do not have His word abiding in you, because whom he sent, Him you do not believe.” My study bible points out that in Jewish tradition, a valid testimony requires two witnesses. Here Jesus offers witnesses of His own. First there is John the Baptist, who has testified of the coming of the One, and proclaimed Jesus to be the Christ. John was the lamp – the greatest among the prophets, and the one who proclaimed He who was to come. Jesus points to His second witness, the works He does, the signs or miracles that bear the presence of the Father. This reply to the authorities comes after His third sign, the healing of the paralytic at the temple, by the pool called Bethesda. Finally, here, Jesus speaks of the witness of the Father Himself. This passage reminds us of Jesus’ proclaiming that the word of the Father abides in us. We recall Jesus’ response to Peter’s confession: “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.” Ultimately, we are capable of mystically “hearing” the Father’s word within ourselves.

“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. I do not receive honor from men. But I know you, that you do not have the love of God in you. 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. How can you believe, who receive honor from one another, and do not seek the honor that comes from the only God? Do not think that I shall accuse you unto the Father; there is one who accuses you – Moses, in whom you trust. For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote about me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?” Finally, this somewhat complex passage adds a fourth witness to the list: the Scriptures themselves, through which Moses gives his testimony. They read about Him, but they cannot recognize Him before them, incarnate. It is only the love of God that would reveal Jesus’ identity to them – because it is in the Father’s name that He comes, not the name of some illustrious human being whom He would proclaim and thereby receive the honor that comes from men and is returned by those who recognize only this worldly authority in their lives. So, He asks them, “How can you believe, who receive honor from one another, and do not seek the honor that comes from the only God?” My study bible says, “Jesus is aware they do not possess the love of God: it does not remain in them because they do not receive Him who comes in the name of His Father.” If they cannot believe Moses’ words enough to recognize Him about whom Moses taught, then how will they believe Jesus’ words?

Today’s passage gives us a focus on witnessing. What is it to you to witness? What does that mean to you? In what ways do you bear witness to God’s work in your life – and maybe even more importantly, what things bear witness of God to you? What gives you faith and where does it come from? I hope to accept that we all can bear witness, to one another and for one another. How does this work for you in your life? And where does the Father’s word bear fruit in you?