VB128 These Things I Say

These Things I Say

[Jn 5:31-40]

You may not have noticed, but I find it interesting to study phrases that are repeated in the Bible. Holy Spirit reveals fascinating things to me in the Word. In spite of my rabbit trails, which usually lead to another revelation.

Jesus told his disciples why he said certain things. He would say, “These things I say…,” “These things I command…,” “These things I said…,” “These things I have spoken…,” and then express the reason for what He had just taught. These five examples are in the gospel of John. Each of these, on its own, is a powerful study, as you simply study the context of the phrase. And each proves that every thing Jesus said was for God’s will and purpose:

In the fifth chapter of John’s gospel Jesus makes amazing claims about himself. He claims to be “the Son of God,” “the One sent by the Father,” “the Source of all life” (physical and spiritual), “the Judge of all the world” (all history is heading toward a confrontation with him), and “the Raiser of the dead,” My God! One day He will empty all the cemeteries of the earth!

People listened with jaw-dropping astonishment as Jesus made these claims. Many of them asked, “How do we know he is telling the truth? What evidence does he give?” Knowing their minds and hearts, Jesus begins to give them his credentials.

Beginning with verse 31 of chapter 5, Jesus reveals the witnesses – three of them – who back up his claims. This, of course, was in line with the Law. Moses had said, “Out of the mouths of two or three witnesses let every word be established,” (Dt 19:15). The law was to protect the innocent, and like today the innocent have to prove themselves, (instead of being innocent until proven guilty) by having 2 or 3 witnesses.

Because we live in a fallen age, when people claim many things for themselves, we do not know whether to believe them or not. Because we cannot trust everybody – it would be crazy to do so – the Law prescribes that there must be witnesses, people who will confirm another’s testimony. This is what our Lord is doing for these people who are listening to him, and also for us in our day.

The first witness is Jesus himself, found in verse 31:

Jn 5:31 (ESV) – If I alone bear witness about myself, my testimony is not true.

When our Lord says his testimony is not true, he does not mean it is false; he means it was not true in their eyes. To them it was not a valid testimony. Jesus knew they would only see his personal testimony as an arrogant claim of self-exaltation. (Personal testimony is very powerful in the right setting, but this reminds me of pigs and pearls.)

In chapter 8, Jesus makes the claim, “Even if I testify on my own behalf, my testimony is valid, for I know where I came from….” (John 8:14a NIV). But here he is recognizing the fact that in order to be accepted by the general public, his testimony must be backed by two or three others. And so Jesus interjects, “another who bears witness about me is true” (v. 32). Then He talks about John the Baptist (v. 33).

Jn 5:32 (ESV) – There is another who bears witness about me, and I know that the testimony that he bears about me is true.

Jesus says that there is “another who bears testimony to [him]” and this has a profound effect on him. He is not referring to John the Baptist, although he is mentioned in the next verse, as verse 36 makes clear. Jesus infers that when he hears the confirming evidence of this “other witness” he himself is strengthened: “I know that the testimony which he bears is true.”

The word for “know” means “to know inwardly, instinctively.” This is the reason for Jesus’ boldness. If you have an inner consciousness that what you are saying is true, you tend to speak boldly and confidently. This is what Jesus feels as he speaks about himself. He is supported by that witness. But though John is not the witness that Jesus refers to, he is a credible witness. We will see the identity of the other witness later, but now Jesus refers to John the Baptist as a second voice in his support.

Jn 5:33 – You sent to John, and he has borne witness to the truth.

John the Baptist had said four specific things about Jesus:

  • First, he announced him to be the long-expected, long-predicted Messiah, the One of whom the prophets wrote. John even quoted the word of Isaiah concerning himself, “I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord’” (Jn 1:23 RSV), but Jesus was that coming Lord.

  • Next, John announced Jesus to be “the Lamb of God.” To his own disciples he said, “Behold the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world,” (Jn 1:29). Jesus is the innocent substitute who will one day stand in our place and take our sins upon himself and thus free the love of God to give us all the riches in Christ.

  • Then, John announced Jesus to be the “Baptizer with the Holy Spirit,” (Jn 1:33). He is the one who will pour out the river of living water that will satisfy the thirst of men’s hearts for life and for truth.

  • Finally, John declared Jesus to be “the Son of God,” (Jn 1:34). He is the Word made flesh, God himself, Lord of heaven and earth, become man.

Here, in verse 33, Jesus declares that all that John said about him is true!

Jesus then goes on to say something that sounds a little strange, “But I receive not testimony from man: but these things I say, that ye might be saved.”

By this he means that though he does not need testimony from John for himself, it may help those who heard John to be a saved. It is a strange thing, that men and women who pay no attention to the voice of God directly, will often listen very closely to someone who tells what his experience with God has been.

Jn 5:34 (KJV) –But I receive not testimony from man: but these things I say, that ye might be saved.

That ye might be saved: Jesus did not need man’s testimony to establish His identity in His own mind. The only witness He needed was the Father’s, and it was confirmed by the miracles they saw Him perform. He only mentioned John the Baptist’s witness to establish His identity in the minds the listeners, that they might believe on Him and obtain salvation.

The words “testimony” and “testify” are used quite often in John’s writings (77 times out of the 136 used in NT).1

This reminds me of the strange phenomenon; People can hear the truth right out of the Scriptures for years, and never seem to believe it until they hear it from another voice. When you’ve heard a message preached by your pastor many times, but never receive the revelation. Then a guest speaker visits, and that same message makes its way into your heart. Oftentimes, hearing the same Word from another source confirms that Word in your spirit. That is when your pastor says, “Where have you been! I have been preaching that for years!”

We must rejoice in that, because that is the way God works. And we are often the ones who are a confirming word for others. Don’t get upset when people do not believe what you say, for God has ordained that “out of the mouths of two or three witnesses let every word be established,” (Mt 18:16). This is a spiritual law for confirming testimony, for or against a matter.

Jesus goes on to say some awesome things about John the Baptist;

Jn 5:35 (NKJV) – “He was the burning and shining lamp, and you were willing for a time to rejoice in his light.

John “…was the burning and shining lamp….” John was a lamp. He was not a light, he was a lamp. A lamp bears the light, but it is not the light itself.

If a lamp in the house is not burning, then it is not shining. The lamp is there but there is no light. Many people are like that. They are lamps, they have the capacity to be lights, but they are not shining. John was the kind of lamp who shined brightly. He was a witness who told people where they could see, hear, and know the light.

Would you like to be a shining lamp? Let me tell you how: Burn! Let the truth of God fuel your heart until it begins to burn. When you understand the amazing revelation of how God operates in this world, your heart will begin to burn, and then you will shine. We have sung, “This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine.” Here is how to do it: Burn!

Jesus continued talking to these unfortunate people who were attracted to this light for a while, but then they grew tired of John. They listened for a while and then they went on to other things – fast food, video games, social media, whatever. John was a new favorite fad, that lasted a few days. That is what truth about Jesus is to many people today – something else comes along and takes its place. The attention span has no “span!”

But now Jesus comes to the witness whom he feels is really the important one, the one who he spoke of earlier when He said, “There is another who bears witness of me.”

Jn 5:36-38 (NKJV) – [36] “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. [37] “And the Father Himself, who sent Me, has testified of Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His form. [38] “But you do not have His word abiding in you, because whom He sent, Him you do not believe.

In these words Jesus points out who the great witness truly is. The really powerful, confirming word which backs up the claims of Jesus is from the Father himself. It is a witness which is invisible and universal.

That witness is given in three different ways. It was true when our Lord spoke, and it is still true today. This is the way the Father backs up the words of Jesus:

First, through the works Jesus does. Here Jesus is referring to the healing of the impotent man at the pool at Bethesda. The people listening to Jesus had seen this man rise out of weakness and paralysis into strength and functioning again. He was standing right before them so that they could not miss him. “That is a work of the Father in me,” Jesus declares. “The works which the Father has granted me to accomplish, these very works which I am doing, bear me witness that the Father has sent me.”

That is a witness of the Father. Many miracles like this are happening today. God is still at work. He is still saving and delivering. Here in the case of the man at the pool of Bethesda is an evidence of the witness of the Father that this is the truth of God.

Then Jesus declares there is also another way the Father bears witness.

[37] “And the Father Himself, who sent Me, has testified of Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His form.

What is this witness who they have neither heard nor seen? Jesus is talking about an inner, invisible conviction (strong belief) by Holy Spirit; that inner witness of the Father, when your spirit is listening to truth, even though your mind may be denying it.

A person’s mind can still try to find an escape from the truth, while his heart is being captured by the witness of the Father within.

Then our Lord turns to the third way the Father witnesses to us through the Scripture. He said to those listening to him,

Jn 5:38-40 (NASB) – [38] “…you do not have His word remaining in you, because you do not believe Him whom He sent. [39] “You examine the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is those very Scriptures that testify about Me; [40] and yet you are unwilling to come to Me so that you may have life.

What a strange paradox! These men were diligent students of the Scripture, painstakingly spending their whole lives counting the very words and memorizing large sections of it, totally committing themselves to it, because they thought the knowledge of Scripture would give them life. There are many like that yet today, scholars who search the Bible for truth, but never find Jesus. Jesus is the truth and life (Jn 14:6). Yet Jesus himself declares, “They [the Scriptures] testify about me.”

Jesus is the main subject of the Old Testament! If you want to have an exciting experience with that book, read it – looking for Jesus. You will find him on every page. The whole of the Old Testament, that dramatic record of a nation separated from the rest of the stream of humanity and set aside to be a peculiar people unto God, is filled with references to Jesus, appearing in type and shadow, in sacrifice and priesthood, and in clear and burning prophecy. What an amazing claim this is, “They testify about me.”

This teaching could have been titled; The Credentials of Jesus, or The Fourfold Witness of John the Baptist, or a few others. But because of searching the phrase, I chose: These Things I Say, – that ye might be saved.

Be saved, healed, and delivered – in Jesus’ name!

Prayer:

Father, thank you for my listener friends, you have blessed them with your Word. Holy Spirit, comfort each one in whatever their needs whether it be salvation, physical healing, or spiritual deliverance. I bind up the enemy, and pull down strongholds, in the mighty name of Jesus!

Amen.

Declaration:

I am thankful that my prayers are answered! Those who have emailed specific prayer requests are healed and delivered according to our words of faith and decrees. We have agreed and spoken, in Jesus’ name.

God bless you my friend,


1Walvoord & Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary, N.T. Dallas Seminary (SP Pub., 1983), 291.

    Mail Bag - for your Questions & Comments

    Let me know where you are listening from.
    Send your prayer request, or a praise report.

    Note: This email goes directly to Dwight, information will not be posted online! With your permission, comments may be mentioned on the podcast.