❖ Video
❖ Audio (Message)
How We Know Jesus
(John 5:31-47)
Mari Ikeda
Today we continue in the Gospel of John, reading 5:31-47. In this passage, Jesus speaks to the Jews who were trying to kill Him. Jesus tells them why they could not believe in Him and what it means to believe in Him, which I think is important for us. How did we, who already have faith, have faith? And what are the reasons why we sometimes lose sight of Jesus and doubt? I also hope that those of you who do not yet have faith, or are confused about your faith, will know through today’s content what you need to do to get to know Jesus.
As usual, we will read a little at a time. First, verses 31-32.
A. What does it mean to testify about Jesus? (31-32)
31 “If I testify about myself, my testimony is not true. 32 There is another who testifies in my favor, and I know that his testimony about me is true.
Jesus taught that He was the Son of God and that He was God Himself, but the Jews refused to believe it. They challenged him to prove that it was true, asking where they could find such proof. I believe this is the same for us today. How can we prove that what Jesus taught is true and that He is indeed God Himself? Here Jesus is telling us that He cannot testify about Himself, but there is another who can testify about Him to us. And after this, he goes on to tell us in detail what that means.
But the first thing I want to stop and think about today is that believing in Jesus does not mean stopping rational thought and believing blindly. To “testify” about something means to prove or witness about it. In other words, it means to show that it is true, and the purpose is to clarify yes or no and to give a single answer. Therefore, to testify about Jesus means to determine whether Jesus is God or not, whether Jesus is the one who shows the truth or not, and to show which is true and why. To believe is to seriously consider what is true, not to let go of rational thought and judgment.
Now let’s get to today’s main topic, how we can come to know Jesus, and there are three ways. First, let us read verses 33-35.
B. How we know Jesus
1. John’s testimony (Testimony by the church) (33-35)
33 You have sent to John and he has testified to the truth. 34 Not that I accept human testimony; but I mention it that you may be saved. 35 John was a lamp that burned and gave light, and you chose for a time to enjoy his light.
The first way to know about Jesus is through the testimony of John the Baptist. Applying this to us, we can say that it is the testimony of those who believed first, that is, the testimony by the Church. The role of John the Baptist was to teach people about God’s mercy and human sin, and to lead them to the right path. This role was taken over by those who believed in Jesus first, and the faith has been passed on from person to person for the past 2,000 years. The Church is a group of such people. When people tell others about Jesus, it includes explaining who He is in words, but it is more realistic to show His love through our own lives and actions. The presence of Jesus, whom we cannot see and hear, becomes real when we feel His presence in someone we can see and hear. Thus, we have a role to play in becoming “a lamp that burns and gives light” for one another.
Now let’s turn to verse 36.
2. Jesus’ works themselves (Testimony by the Bible) (36)
36 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.
The second way to know Jesus is by His works themselves. In other words, Jesus is testified to by His supernatural miracles of the blind being made to see, the lame being made to walk, the deaf being made to hear, and so on. But unfortunately, we cannot experience these miracles directly. So this second way is indirect for us, but we can only substitute it by knowing Jesus’ works through the biblical record. However, the more we learn about Jesus’ words and deeds as recorded in the Bible, the more we realize that they have a universal value that is not limited by the values of any particular time or culture, and I think that is what makes Jesus so amazing. Moreover, the most important thing Jesus did was to give His life on the cross. Through the Bible, we can learn what it means for the One who made himself God to give His own life to die, and for what purpose He did it. The Bible is the only source that tells us who Jesus is, and it is very important for us to read the Bible to know Him.
Now let’s move on to verse 37-38.
3. Father’s (God’s) testimony (Testimony by the Holy Spirit) (37-38)
37 And the Father who sent me has himself testified concerning me. You have never heard his voice nor seen his form, 38 nor does his word dwell in you, for you do not believe the one he sent.
The third way to know Jesus is through the testimony of our Heavenly Father, that is, God Himself. It means that God Himself tells us that Jesus is God Himself and that God came to this world as Jesus. This is the work of God’s Spirit, the Holy Spirit, and we cannot earn His work through our efforts, but can only receive it. The Holy Spirit works in the heart of each person and testifies about Jesus. That witness is a testimony that takes place inside the believer, and although it is very subjective, it moves the heart of the recipient so that God’s Word can take root in that heart. It does not mean that a voice from heaven is heard or God’s image becomes visible, but that a “knowing in the heart” occurs.
However, we must be careful not to mistake our selfish assumptions for the guidance of the Holy Spirit. As I said at the beginning, Jesus is speaking here to those who think they know God. When He says, “You have never heard His voice nor seen His form,” He is criticizing them by saying, “You think you know God, but in fact you know and understand nothing about Him.”
Therefore, it is important for us to use all three methods mentioned so far in order to know Jesus in a balanced way. That is, we should use all three methods: being taught by the church and others, reading the Bible, and relying on the Holy Spirit, without being biased toward any one of them. And it also helps to be aware of the mistakes we tend to make, which are noted in the latter part of what we are about to read.
Now let’s read the second half and see why we lose sight of Jesus. First, verses 39-40.
C. Why we lose sight of Jesus
1. Because we only take the Bible as knowledge (39-40)
39 You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, 40 yet you refuse to come to me to have life.
In the second part of the first half, I talked about getting to know Jesus by reading the Bible, but if we read the Bible in the wrong way, we can end up misunderstanding Him greatly. There are many kinds of wrong reading of the Bible, but all of them have one thing in common: they all take the Bible only as knowledge and read it not for the purpose of knowing Jesus, but for their own convenience.
Jesus’ point here is a criticism of a certain group of Jews at that time who tried to decipher the words of the Bible like a code, trying to find the meaning by counting the number of letters and words in detail. Even today there are people who try to read the Bible in this way. It is also the same kind of mistake to treat the Bible like a divination book, reading the words on a quickly opened page as if it were a sign from God.
But perhaps the more common mistake is to view the Bible as an academic or educational subject, misunderstanding it as if the amount of knowledge one has indicates the extent of one’s faith. Being able to say all the books of the Old and New Testaments or recite many Bible verses is like an elementary school student’s test to memorize multiplication table, and has nothing to do with the essence of faith.
And an even more frightening mistake is to use the Bible and God’s name to make a point by looking for Bible verses that support your point.
As Jesus says here, the Bible testifies about Him. We cannot read the Bible without interpretation, but we must strive to interpret it from Jesus’ perspective so that we do not interpret it selfishly. But at the same time, we must also have the humility to remember that we can never completely have the same perspective as Jesus.
Now let’s continue to verses 41-44.
2. Because we seek glory from people rather than glory from God (41-44)
41 I do not accept glory from human beings, 42 but I know you. I know that you do not have the love of God in your hearts. 43 I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not accept me; but if someone else comes in his own name, you will accept him. 44 How can you believe since you accept glory from one another but do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?
Jesus’ point here, which is related to studying the Bible diligently, is that people’s zeal for God is not based on love for God, but is simply driven by a competitive spirit toward one another. Applied to us, I think we can take this as a warning that our participation in church activities and our bible studies is not because we love God, but because we want to be admired and recognized by others. And if we are seeking praise from others rather than praise from God, we will not recognize God even when He really comes before us and we will reject Him. That is, to be more specific, if there is someone in front of us who needs God’s help, but we are unaware of their needs, and we don’t even question our decision not to help them. Since the church is also a group of people, there are inevitably difficulties in human relations. Unless we forgive one another before God instead of competing with one another, we will shut God and those who need Him out of our midst.
Now let’s move on to the final 45-47 verses.
3.Because we are caught up in legalism (45-47)
45 But do not think I will accuse you before the Father. Your accuser is Moses, on whom your hopes are set. 46 If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me. 47 But since you do not believe what he wrote, how are you going to believe what I say?”
I think it is safe to say that the Moses referred to here is a synonym for the Law. There is nothing wrong with Moses or the Law of Moses. The Law teaches people the right way to live. Mistakes were made when people put aside their inner problems and fell into legalism, believing that it is enough to obey the rules of the Law superficially. This can be related to the mistake of seeking praise from others rather than praise from God, but it can also be seen as the mistake of getting caught up in “the right way of living” and forgetting to love God. With this wrong way of thinking, we run the risk of not caring much about what we really think about God as long as we live a respectable life that people praise us for. Or, on the other hand, we may end up blaming ourselves or others more than necessary for some single mistake, thus alienating both yourself and others from God. In either case, the cause is the arrogance of making our own values the standard for judging “the right way to live.” It is wrong in itself to think that God is pleased with us as long as we set our own standards for the right way to live and keep them. What God taught us through Moses is that we are sinful and God is merciful. We can only seek God’s mercy by admitting that we have no power to lead our lives right. If we forget that and try to live rightly in our own strength, we will lose sight of God’s mercy and we will lose sight of Jesus.
Today we talked about how to know Jesus and the problems on our part that prevent us from knowing Him. The key question, then, of who Jesus is, needs to be answered by each of us. Let each of us get to know Jesus better through our interactions with people in the church, through reading the Bible, and through praying alone and being helped by the Holy Spirit.
(Prayer) God, please help us to know better that You are a living and working God, even now. Teach us to see that You are interested in us and that You are with each of us in our lives and in each of our relationships. As we read the Bible, touch our hearts with Your love and compassion and set our hearts on fire to worship You. When we become selfish and arrogant, please teach us. And lead us in the way You want us to go. Lord Jesus, we remember that you died on the cross to teach us all these things. Bind us together with Your love, for we have many shortcomings. We pray in Your name, Lord Jesus. Amen.
Summary
We cannot see Jesus with our eyes, nor can we hear His voice directly. Nevertheless, we can “know” and believe in Jesus because we judge and believe that the “testimonies” about Jesus are true. The testimonies about Jesus are the biblical record of His words and deeds and the teachings of those who have interpreted them (the Church). Finally, what is most important is the work of the Holy Spirit, who comes within each person and reveals the truth.
For Discussion
- How does the Holy Spirit work in us in order for us to know Jesus?
- What do you think about the reasons why we lose sight of Jesus?