Prayer
Briefly prepare your heart in silence, and ask the Holy Spirit to awaken your sense of anticipation that God is about to speak to you through His Word. Then, before you read, I invite you to pray this prayer based on Psalm 94:22
Lord, You are my Fortress,
my God, the Rock in whom I take refuge.,
Speak to me through Your Word, I pray.
Amen.
Reading
Jesus spoke these words while still in hot debate with the Jewish religious leaders who had vehemently opposed Him for healing the lame man at the Pool of Bethesda on the Sabbath day. In His responses to them and their persecution, Jesus made a few claims about Himself in v.18-30, all of which were essentially claims to divinity. These claims must have been met with absolute incredulity, because Jesus then moved on to support His claims with reference to those whose testimony confirmed His identity.
In all that Jesus said in v.31-37, He accepted the framework of the Mosaic Law, which maintained that one person’s testimony was not enough to prove a case, and that testimony ought always to be given by two or three witnesses.
With that “standard of proof” in mind, Jesus first remined them that John the Baptist had clearly identified Him as the Messiah when the religious leaders themselves had inquired of him. You can read this exchange in John 1:19-34, where John identified Jesus as “The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world”, and as “The Son of God”.
Secondly, Jesus pointed to His miraculous works as bearing testimony to His divinity. After all, who but God could have done the works that Jesus was doing?
And then Jesus pointed to the fact that God the Father had Himself testified about Who Jesus is. Commentaries differ in their interpretation of what Jesus is referring to here. Personally, I think He is very likely referring to the voice of God which was heard coming from heaven at Jesus baptism, declaring, “This is My Beloved Son with Whom I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:17, Mark 1:19 and Luke 3:21-22).
And yet, Jesus said, despite the testimony of John, Jesus’ miracles, and even God the Father Himself, the religious leaders simply would not come to Jesus to receive His gift of Life. These religious leaders were deeply committed to searching the Scriptures and debating how to find eternal life, yet they missed Jesus, the Source of that Eternal life, when He was standing right in front of them. They were as ridiculous as a group of tourists spending their whole holiday studying maps and travelogues and watching videos about their destination, while never venturing out of their hotel room to go and experience it for themselves.
This reading warns us never to be so caught up in growing in head-knowledge about the Lord that we miss out on a real and living relationship with the Lord. The Bible is meant to lead us to Jesus and then to lead us ever deeper into relationship with Him. It is never all about head knowledge!
Contemplation
Please take time to ponder what Jesus has commanded us. Turn this declaration over and over in your mind. Keep it in mind throughout the day and live in step with Your King, Jesus.
As a disciple of Jesus Christ:
- I will strive to allow God’s written Word to lead me into a deeper relationship with Him, through faith in Jesus, the Living Word.
Lord, may my knowledge of Your Word always leads me into a deeper relationship with You. Amen.
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