Moments to Ponder

Episode 125: Unveiling Jesus' True Identity (John 5:16-47)

• Betsy Marvin • Season 15 • Episode 125

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Imagine finding yourself sitting in a courtroom, tasked with the weighty responsibility of determining truth amidst swirling skepticism. That's exactly where I found myself, Betsy Marvin, and it's what inspired this episode of "Moments to Ponder."  When Jesus healed a paralyzed man on the Sabbath, it triggered an accusation of blasphemy, thrusting Him into a trial-like scenario. Together, we'll explore how Jesus masterfully presents His divine authority and identity through various witnesses like John the Baptist and His miracles, drawing a thought-provoking connection to the roles of witnessing and testimony in our world today.

As we journey through the essence of Jesus' teachings, the emphasis shifts to the timeless truth of His message—one that transcends time and beckons us to embrace it fully. Jesus offers proof of His identity not only to the skeptics of His time but to each of us, urging a deeper engagement beyond surface-level scriptural knowledge. This season, allow "Moments to Ponder" to enrich your understanding and celebration of His profound message, as we encourage you to walk confidently in the truth of His eternal identity.

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Speaker 1:

Hi friends, welcome to Moments to Ponder. This is a podcast designed to help you spend a few moments in God's Word, gain fresh perspectives and find meaningful takeaways to ponder throughout your week. I'm Betsy Marvin and this is Episode 125. Have you ever received that dreaded mail from the court that tells you you've been selected for jury duty, and have you ever been chosen for a trial? I have, and it's quite an interesting experience the phone calling in the seeing if your number is called. The trial I sat in on was two weeks long. Two weeks of testimony and evidence that led to spending a whole day deliberating over the verdict with people I had never met before. And although I've only been chosen to be on jury duty once, I have never been called to be a witness in a trial. I've watched enough Dateline in 2020 to know how it works. Called to the stands, swear to tell the truth, and then you have to answer the questions that come your way as honestly as you can. A witness is asked to share something that they've seen or heard in regards to the situation or the person behind the trial. No matter the side. You are to share your witness to help others understand the truth behind the situation from your perspective. It seems so frustrating to share what you know and have people not believe you. I mean, I've watched lawyers influence a jury in such a way that the witness is completely discredited, even though they're telling the truth.

Speaker 1:

As we finish John, chapter 5, we find Jesus on trial. Well, kind of, he's healed a paralyzed man on the Sabbath day, and then that man reported to the Jewish leaders that it was Jesus who had healed him. Now, remember, this man had been paralyzed for 38 years and he is walking, let's not forget that. But because Jesus told him to pick up his mat, which is considered work, the leaders are really upset. And we begin with verse 16. So the Jewish leaders began harassing Jesus for breaking the Sabbath rules. But Jesus replied my father is always working, and so am I. So the Jewish leaders tried all the harder to find a way to kill him, for he not only broke the Sabbath, he called God his father, thereby making himself equal with God. They're harassing Jesus. He has broken a Sabbath rule which they take very, very seriously, but the claim that God is his father, well, that's the kicker. And at that claim, they begin to try to find a way to kill him, which seems really drastic. Yet I think it gives us a little understanding about how seriously they took the issue of blasphemy. They took the issue of blasphemy, which is to say that you're God. They can't even see the miracle. All they can see is a man that has defied their beliefs and mocked their God, and their only recourse Kill him.

Speaker 1:

If you had a red letter Bible in front of you, you would see that the rest of this chapter is written in red, because Jesus is speaking. He begins a discourse that is found in verses 19 all the way through to 47. And in it he lays out a defense of sorts as if their accusation has brought up reasons to cite witnesses to who he says he is. As we go through this discourse, I want you to listen for them, listen for his words of proof and who his witnesses are. This section is taken from the Passion Translation.

Speaker 1:

I speak to you eternal truth. The son is unable to do anything from himself or through his own initiative. I only do the works that I see the father doing, for the son does the same works as his father, because the Father loves his Son so much, he always reveals to him everything that he is about to do, and you will all be amazed when he shows even greater works than what you've seen so far. For just as the Father has power to raise the dead, the Son will also raise the dead and give life to whomever he wants. Raise the dead and give life to whomever he wants. The father judges no one, for he has given to the son all the authority to judge. Therefore, the honor that belongs to the father, he will now share with his son. So if you refuse to honor the son, you're refusing to honor the Father who sent him.

Speaker 1:

I speak to you an eternal truth If you embrace my message and believe in the one who sent me, you will never face condemnation In me. You have already passed from the realm of death into eternal life. He passed from the realm of death into eternal life. I speak to you an eternal truth Soon the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who listen will arise with life. For as the Father is the source of life, so he has given the Son the power to impart life. The Father is transferred to the Son the authority to judge, because he is the Son the power to impart life. The Father is transferred to the Son the authority to judge, because he is the Son of man.

Speaker 1:

Don't be amazed when I tell you these things, for there is a day coming when everyone who has ever died will hear my voice calling them back to life and they will come out of their graves. Those who have done what is good will experience a resurrection to to life and they will come out of their graves. Those who have done what is good will experience a resurrection to eternal life, and those who have practiced evil will taste the resurrection of judgment. Nothing I do is from my own initiative. As I hear the judgment passed by my Father, I execute those judgments and my judgments will be perfect, because I seek only to fulfill the desires of my father, who sent me.

Speaker 1:

If I were to make claims about myself, you would have reasons to doubt, but there is another who bears witness on my behalf. You've sent messengers to John and what he testified about me is true. I have no need to be validated by men, but I'm explaining. John was a blazing, shining torch and for a short time you basked in his light with great joy. But I can provide more substantial proof of who I am. That exceeds John's testimony my miracles, these works which the Father destined for me to complete. They prove that the Father has sent me, and my Father himself, who gave me this mission, has also testified that I am his son.

Speaker 1:

But you've never heard his voice, nor seen his form, nor does his word truly live inside of you, for you refuse to believe in me or to embrace me as God's messenger. You're busy analyzing the scriptures, pouring over them, hoping to gain eternal life. Everything you read points to me, yet you still refuse to come to me so I can give you the life you're looking for eternal life. I do not accept the honor that comes from men, for I know what kind of people you really are and I can see that the love of God has found no home in you. I have come to represent my Father, yet you refuse to embrace me in faith. If someone comes in their own name and with their own agenda, you readily accept him. Of course, you're unable to believe in me, for you live to enjoy the praises of others and not the praise that comes from the one true God. I will not accuse you before the Father. The one who will incriminate you is Moses, the very one you claim to obey, the one in whom you trust. If you really believe what Moses has written, then you would embrace me, for Moses wrote about me. But since you don't believe what he wrote, no wonder you don't believe what I say.

Speaker 1:

Oh, jesus is calling them out and it's interesting that he's not calling them out to something new or different, but to what they believed through Moses and the scriptures from John the Baptist and the miracles. Each of these is a witness to testify about Jesus saying he's the Messiah, the son of God. It's overwhelming testimony, backed up by Moses, and this, honestly, should have been enough to move these Jewish leaders to see that the one Moses prophesied of was right in front of them. But they're so blind to him, much like a lawyer disbelieves a witness that isn't on their side of the case, they don't truly hear him. Jesus gave six different witnesses in his response, six different sightings of proof, and I feel like John made sure to get these in there so that we would have them today.

Speaker 1:

The first witness is Jesus himself. Jesus says nothing I do is from my own initiative. Jesus says nothing I do is from my own initiative. He's a witness to the Father's work in him saying that if I were to make claims about myself, well then you would have a reason to doubt. But let's go to the next witness. There's another who bears witness on my behalf and you sent messengers to him. His name is John and what he testified about me is true, no-transcript. Then, at this point, jesus adds an interesting statement. He says I have no need to be validated by men, which almost seems to contradict the fact that he's giving these validations. But then he says I'm explaining these things so that you will believe and be saved, and we can take that for us as well today, can take that for us as well. Today.

Speaker 1:

Jesus was telling these leaders things to help them understand who he was and that he is, who he says he is, and John records them so that we may believe as well. After he cites John, jesus then says well, I can provide even more substantial proof that even exceeds John's testimony. And he goes on to say my miracles. So the third witness is the miracles that he's done. I mean, the man is standing right there, visible proof walking around, but somehow that doesn't seem to matter at this point. The next witness that Jesus cites is the Father, who gave him this mission and actually testified that he is God's Son. In fact, at baptism he says it out loud. But then he says to the leaders you've never heard his voice or seen his form, and I don't know if that refers to baptism and the voice and the form of the dove. But he says because the word doesn't truly live inside of you, you refuse to believe in me. And I wonder if, because of their disbelief, they didn't actually experience what others experienced when Jesus was baptized. Anyway, that was a side note.

Speaker 1:

The fifth witness is scripture. He tells them you're so busy analyzing scripture, hoping to gain eternal life, that they're missing it. He's saying everything you read points to me. And because today we have the full breadth of scripture, we can see how the Old Testament points toward Jesus, the Gospels speak of Jesus, points toward Jesus, the Gospels speak of Jesus, and acts and following refer back to Jesus in the work of the Holy Spirit. Everything points to him. The last one he points to is Moses, saying the one who will incriminate you is Moses, the very one you claim to obey, the one in whom you trust, because if you really believed what Moses had written, then you would see that Moses wrote about me.

Speaker 1:

Now I've been studying Genesis for an upcoming sermon, and this reference to Moses just leapt off the page for me, because Moses does write about Jesus over and over. I mean even in the creation account. In Genesis 1, we see the word as John calls him. Moses wrote the first five books of the Bible, which are called the Torah, and it was the basis of Jewish faith. It contains not only the history of the Jewish people but the laws and commandments written by Moses from God. It was the foundation for them, and Jesus is telling them you're missing it. You've studied all of that, but you don't even understand the references in there that are pointing to me.

Speaker 1:

Jesus is saying true belief in and true belief in the Son is belief in the Father. They are one in the same. So what was it for you? What was the proof or witness that helped you embrace the message of Jesus? And if you haven't yet embraced him, what's holding you back?

Speaker 1:

In verse 24, jesus said I speak to you in eternal truth. If you embrace my message and believe in the one who sent me, you will never face condemnation. In me, you have already passed from the realm of death into eternal life. Dear one, jesus speaks of many things in these verses not only to give proof to the leaders of his day, but so that you and I would have them as well. May we not miss it. May we not be blind to what Jesus is showing us, that he is who he says he is.

Speaker 1:

May we not just learn scripture, pouring over it for knowledge and information, but may we seek to truly know the one the whole of Scripture points to, from creation to revelation. It looks toward Jesus, who is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. May you walk in the confidence of knowing that he is who he says he is. Amen, amen. As we enter Advent season. If you're looking for a little something additional to do during the Christmas season as a devotional, I encourage you to listen to episodes 21 through 27 in my Moments to Ponder podcast. It's just a few episodes focusing on Christmas and I hope they bless your heart. Thank you for joining me today. Merry Christmas.