GOSPEL MEDITATION
The Gospel of John–John 5:30–47
Witnesses to Jesus
Find a quiet place, alone and apart from distractions. Be comfortably alert, still and at peace. Say the Lord’s Prayer. Sing or cant the Jesus Prayer. Pray for family, friends, neighbors, and yourself. Slowly and carefully read the passages of Scripture. Reread them. From memory, determine the central points.
- Following Jesus’ statement concerning His authority especially regarding His authority to judge, is a presentation of the witnesses that establish the truth of His claim.
- This witness is essential to meet the requirements of the Law of Moses as seen in Deuteronomy 19:15, the necessity of their being two or three witnesses.
- Jesus proceeds to explain His Father bore witness at His baptism when a heavenly voice declared, “You are my beloved son, with you I am well pleased.” (see Mark 1:11)
- Also John the Baptist bore witness when he declared as he saw Jesus coming to be baptized: “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (see John 1:29)
- A third witness is the miraculous signs Jesus does. Well known to the religious leaders is the healing of the man at the pool of Bethesda. And there would be more, with the feeding of 5000 coming up and then finally, the resurrection of Lazarus.
- A fourth witness is the Scripture itself. Jesus refers to Moses, but likely includes the entirety of the Hebrew Bible, which includes the many prophecies of the Messiah in the Prophets, but also passages from the Psalms like Psalm 22. How is it, Jesus asserts, that if the religious leaders reject that witness, how will they believe in Him at all?