"If I testify about myself, my testimony
is not true. There
is another who testifies in my favor, and I know that his testimony about me is
true.” John 5:31-32
No and
Jesus understood this. He said that
simply his word would not hold up in court.
Something else needs to prove it.
In court, witnesses verify the truth.
Jesus said he had four witnesses to prove he is God.
While God
does not need human testimony to verify truth, Jesus did highlight one reputable
witness—John the Baptist. He verified
the Old Testament prophecy as the one who prepared the way for Jesus to arrive.
The second
witness to Jesus’ claim to be God would be his works.
“I have testimony weightier than that of
John. For the works that the Father has given me to finish—the very works that
I am doing—testify that the Father has sent me.” John 5:36
Healings
and miracles defy human explanation and point to a divine cause.
God
himself has verified Jesus’ identify.
“And the Father who sent me has himself
testified concerning me. You have never heard his voice nor seen his form,
nor does his word dwell in you, for you do not believe the one
he sent.” John 5:38
The
confirmation came through the Holy Spirit who impressed Jesus on the hearts of
individuals who heard Jesus’ words and believed. Many responded to the “yes, yes, yes” they
heard. Not the Pharisees.
Finally,
the word of God proved Jesus’ identity.
“You study the Scriptures
diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the
very Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life.” John 5:39-40
Prophecies
throughout the thirty-nine books of the Bible began to make sense daily in proof
of Jesus’ identity. The Pharisees read the
Scriptures but did not acknowledge the truth they told.
John the
Baptist. Miracles and healings. God himself.
The word of God. Four solid
proofs that Jesus was God. Why would
anyone not believe?
“How can you believe since you accept glory from one another
but do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?” John 5:44
It
all comes to who we want to give glory to—God or ourselves. The Pharisees had to shift all the glory they
received themselves to God who stood before them. They wanted all the glory, attention and accolades
so they rejected Jesus standing right in front of them.