How can you believe, who receive honor from one another, and do not see the honor that comes from the only God?

 

 "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 see 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 

 

In yesterday's reading, Jesus answered and said to the religious leaders who condemned Him for healing on the Sabbath, and were outraged that He made Himself equal with God:  "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, 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 explains that the divine will is common to the three Persons of the Trinity -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit -- for they all fully share the same divine nature.  When the Son is said to obey the Father, then, this refers to Christ's human will, which was assumed at His Incarnation.  My study Bible explains that Jesus freely aligned His human will in every aspect with the divine will of the Father -- and so are we 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 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 see 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?"  Commenting on this passage, my study Bible asks, how could Christ's witness ever be untrue?  It cannot (see John 8:14).  Jesus here is, in fact, anticipating the argument and speaking the thoughts of the religious leaders (he does the same thing in Luke 4:23).  My study Bible notes that in Jewish tradition, a valid testimony requires two witnesses (Deuteronomy 17:6).  Here, Jesus offers four witnesses in support of His identity as Son of God.  First, there is God the Father (verses 32, 37, 38); Second, John the Baptist (verses 33-35); Third, He cites His own works which reveal or witness to Him (verse 36); and Fourth, the Old Testament Scriptures, through which Moses and others gave testimony prophesying Him (verses 39-47). 

When Jesus names His four witnesses named by my study Bible above, He tells the religious leaders:  "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 see the honor that comes from the only God?"  What are we to make of these statements?  Jesus draws a clear line here between what are acceptable witnesses and what are not, as He establishes His own choice of witnesses as to His identity as Son.  He says, "I do not receive honor from men."  In a sense, Jesus is challenging all of us to consider where we draw the line in terms of our own "witnesses" to our lives and identities.  By what (or rather, by whom) do we measure ourselves?  How do we take stock of who we are?  What gives a good testimony for us?  Is our honor from men; that is, from other people?  Or by what other measure may we measure ourselves?  Instead of depending upon reputation or the opinion of His contemporaries, Jesus establishes His credentials, so to speak, on the testimony of more highly esteemed witnesses with divine and eternal qualities of the holy:  God the Father, John the Baptist, His words through which His divinity is expressed, and the Old Testament Scriptures which testify to Him.  This invites us to think about what standards we use to measures ourselves.  Are the standards of how we evaluate ourselves those we learn from the Scriptures?  Are they from Christ's words and teachings in the Gospels?  Do we emulate or seek to live up to the conduct of the saints?  Do we follow what we know of God's will for us?  Do we seek to follow Christ's commandment to "love one another as I have loved you" (John 13:34)?  Will these be our witnesses to the quality and meaning of our own lives, to our very identity?  Or will our popularity or reputation speak for us?  Will it be the "honor that comes from men" such as a position in the society, or our income and status or possessions?  If we give charitably, is it to be flattered by a public image in the eyes of others, or is it to help the less fortunate?  These are dividing lines that Jesus draws here, between the "honor that comes from men" and the honor that comes from God.  So much depends, really, upon our love for God, as Jesus claims here.  For what we truly love is what (or Whom) we seek to please.  Does our esteem come from pleasing God?  Or is it our own great name in the world that gives us esteem?  We must consider these measurements of our lives at every turn, because each answer will determine what we seek first, whom we seek to please the most.  Jesus gives His answer; let us carefully think about our own.