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"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 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 anytime, 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 to 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
Yesterday, we read that Jesus taught the following as He replied to the authorities in the temple: "Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner. For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself does; and He will show Him greater works than these these, that you may marvel. For as the Father raises the dead and gives life to them, even so the Son gives life to whom He will. For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son, that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him. Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life. Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live. For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself, and has given Him authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of Man. Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth -- those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation."
"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." My study bible teaches: "The divine will is common to the three Persons of the Trinity -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit -- for all fully share the same divine nature. When the Son is said to obey the Father, this refers to His human will, which Christ assumed at His Incarnation. Christ freely aligned His human will in every aspect with the divine will of the Father, and we are called to do likewise."
"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 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 anytime, 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 to 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?" My study bible asks, "How could Christ's witness ever be untrue? It cannot (see 8:14). Rather, Jesus is anticipating the argument and speaking the thoughts of the Jewish leaders (he does the same thing in Luke 4:23). In Jewish tradition, a valid testimony requires two witnesses (Deut. 17:6). Jesus offers four witnesses to confirm His identity as Messiah and as Son of God: (1) God the Father (vv. 32, 37, 38); (2) John the Baptist (vv. 33-35); (3) His own works (v. 36); and (4) the Old Testament Scriptures, through which Moses and others gave testimony (vv. 39-47)."
Today's reading gives us a sense of witnessing and its essential relationship to the subjects discussed in this chapter. Jesus has spoken first of all about the life that is within Him: life that is of the Father and also given to Him, in His Person as Son (see yesterday's reading). But Jesus speaks quickly about judgment as well, how the power of judgment is also given to Him by the Father. The power of life is also connected to judgment. Since Jesus is at a feast which commemorates the giving of the Law by Moses on Mt. Sinai, the idea of judgment and its relationship to the God of life itself is essential to our understanding of who Jesus is, what He fulfills, and how we understand Him in His divine character as Son. Judgment is not far from anything that is related to God; justice -- and the concept of what justice might mean -- cannot be far away from the true nature of God. And so, Jesus discusses also witnessing: the call in the Law that asks for witnesses is here addressed. Jesus has four witnesses to His true identity as Son: God the Father, John the Baptist, the works that Jesus does, and the Old Testament Scriptures. Those to whom He is testifying are the experts in those Scriptures, they are the temple authorities who study them and "search the Scriptures, for in them [they] think they have eternal life." But the fulfillment of what is in the Scriptures is standing before them in His Person, and as human being, Jesus. Life is there before them, and therefore, so is judgment. Closely tied up with judgment is, of course, discernment. And Jesus gives us a very strong flavor about the nature of discernment when He criticizes their ability to perceive (or rather, lack of it) in very specific terms. He speaks about where honor comes from -- how our own senses of honor are dependent upon one thing or another. Jesus asks them, "How can you believe, who receive honor from one another, and do not seek the honor that comes from the only God?" This is really important for us to understand, because ultimately it is the issue of truth that is at work here. Where does truth come from? How do we really know what is good, what is honorable? We will find ourselves in circumstances in life in which the most convenient thing to do is to go along with the crowd. This may come in many forms, but it is often the case that what is expedient is that which appeals to human greed or laziness; what is convenient is something that shoves a problem aside and leaves people comfortably in their places of human honor. But real justice may work quite differently, and require a lot of hard work. Truth and true witnessing may demand an excessive power not only of conscience, but a clear awareness of the honor that comes from God, and not from "one another." Prayer is the power to help us stay in that place where our honor rests not on our own egos or those of others but truly in the justice God would call on us to emulate, to care about. Let us remember the judge who has the power of life in all things and circumstances. Let us pray for His discernment and understanding in ourselves. His life is ultimately what is supported by good judgment, illustrated by healing a man on a Sabbath, the cause of this discussion with the leadership. God's justice is always exemplified by mercy -- mercy in the cause of life itself, and that in abundance.
