Scripture reading:
31"If I testify about myself, my testimony is not valid. 32There is another who testifies in my favor, and I know that his testimony about me is valid.
33"You have sent to John and he has testified to the truth. 34Not that I accept human testimony; but I mention it that you may be saved. 35John was a lamp that burned and gave light, and you chose for a time to enjoy his light.
36"I have testimony weightier than that of John. For the very work that the Father has given me to finish, and which I am doing, testifies that the Father has sent me. 37And the Father who sent me has himself testified concerning me. You have never heard his voice nor seen his form,


Observations:
(1) Why Jesus needed external testimony.

At first, the idea about Jesus needing external testimony seems puzzling. If Jesus is so powerful and great, why can’t he speak for himself? Surely anyone claiming to be the son of god could testify on their own behalf – could they not?

But this line of thought is misleading. Jesus is not saying that his own words are untrue or invalid. Rather, he is saying that by itself, his testimony in this regard would not be complete – at least not according to the standards of god as specified in Old Testament law.

Under Old Testament Law, one witness alone did not constitute a sufficient basis to convict anyone of a criminal offence (Deuteronomy 19:15). Instead, at least two were needed.

Jesus appears to be taking a similar concept and applying it to his own testimony about himself. A singular testimony was not, in itself, enough to establish a fact. Jesus needed additional proof from external sources.


(2) Multi-layered testimony.

This he has – from several different sources:


· John the Baptist (human testimony)

First, there is John, through whom Jesus has human testimony.

Upon being approached by Jesus on the banks of the river Jordan, John clearly identifies him as ‘The lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world’ (John 1:29). John went on further to testify that he had seen the (holy) spirit descend upon Jesus from heaven, and that God himself had told him that Jesus was his (God’s) own son (John 1:32-34).

Jesus did not need testimony from John. As the son of god, he didn’t exactly need testimony from a mortal human being.

But the existence of John’s declaration did provide incontrovertible confirmation about the validity of Jesus’ words according to the requirements of OT law. With John’s testimony, he now had two witnesses (John and himself) – enough to satisfy the requirements for valid testimony under God’s law.


· The miracles (the testimony of works)

But Jesus had more. Much more.

Actions speak louder than words, and Jesus by this stage had some pretty amazing feats to put on his resume. The turning of water into wine (John 2:1-11), the healing of the royal official’s son (John 4:43-54), and the healing of the invalid at the pool (John 5:1-15) provide just a few examples.

And better was yet to come. Jesus would go on to heal the blind (Mark 8:22-26), cleanse people of leprosy (otherwise incurable in those days), cure paralytics with only his words (Mathew 9:1-8), exercise demons (Mark 1:21-28), feed five thousand people with only a few loaves of bread and a small number of fish (Luke 9:10-17), walk on water (John 6:16-21) and raise dead people (John 11:1-44). And this is not even to mention the miracle of the transconfiguration on Mt. Tabor (Luke 9:28-36).

No ordinary man could do things like these. Actions of this nature are the sole preserve of those with nothing short of divine authority - authority that can be given only by god the father, the creator and master of the universe.


· The scriptures:

The next post will deal in more depth with the question of how the scriptures pointed to Jesus.

For now, I simply note that multiple writers from the Old Testament did talk about Jesus, and that Jesus did fulfill everything that was said about him. In this way, the scriptures act as a further witness to Jesus and the claims which he made about himself.


· The biggest testimony – god the father himself.

But Jesus had even more testimony still.

And it came from the highest possible level – God the father himself.

The bible records two separate occasions upon which God the father provides specific testimony about Jesus being his son. First, there was his baptism, during which the gospel of Mathew (3:17) records that a voice came down from heaven, saying “This is my son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” Then, there was the transfiguration, whereby Jesus was transfigured in front of Peter, James and John (Mathew 17:1-13), appearing together with Moses and Elijah. When this happened, God, through a voice from the cloud, repeated what had been said at the baptism.

In short, Jesus had: human testimony, through John; evidence-based testimony, through his works; scripture based testimony; and divine testimony from God the father himself.


Prayer:
Lord, you don’t have to prove yourself to us.

But you show your integrity and character through how you keep your word, and how your son, Christ Jesus, did not ignore the Old Testament but rather satisfied each and every one of the OT requirements in full.

Lord, in this, we can see character, we can see integrity, and we can see a lord that follows through on your word completely. We can know that your word has integrity, and that you are the one and only true god.

Help us lord, to never, for one moment, forget the wonder and beauty of your character.

These things I pray,

In the name of Jesus Christ our lord,

Amen.