John 15:31-40

31 “If I bear witness of Myself, My witness is not true. 32 There is another who bears witness of Me, and I know that the witness which He witnesses of Me is true. 33 You have sent to John, and he has borne witness to the truth. 34 Yet I do not receive testimony from man, but I say these things that you may be saved. 35 He was the burning and shining lamp, and you were willing for a time to rejoice in his light. 36 But I have a greater witness than John’s; for the works which the Father has given Me to finish—the very works that I do—bear witness of Me, that the Father has sent Me. 37 And the Father Himself, who sent Me, has testified of Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His form. 38 But you do not have His word abiding in you, because whom He sent, Him you do not believe. 39 You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. 40 But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.

The Fourfold Witness: “I Cannot Testify of Myself, but I have Witnesses”

Let’s take a moment and remember how this conversation between Jesus and the Jewish leaders started. Jesus healed the man at the pool of Bethesda on the Sabbath day. The Jews questioned Him about this, stating that it was unlawful for Him to heal on the Sabbath. Jesus then started His discourse to them about His deity. It began with, “My Father works, so I work.” Now Jesus is giving His testimony that He is the Son of God, and declaring witnesses to back up His claims. It sounds like a courtroom scene, doesn’t it? Jesus knows that he can’t be a witness for Himself. So He provides a fourfold witness for the Jewish leaders. 

In verses 31 and 32, Jesus says, paraphrasing, “I know that you won’t take my word for all this that I am saying about Myself. I know that I alone can’t be my only witness. But there is someone else who testifies on my behalf, and everything that he says about me is true, and backs up my claims.” In the next few verses, Jesus gives His listeners a fourfold witness. 

Witness number 1:  Jesus was speaking of John the baptizer in verse 32. Jesus also knows that witnesses are important to the Jews, because the Law of Moses required two to three witnesses to provide evidence of a crime. (Deut. 17:6) Jesus had not committed a crime, however the Jews may have seen His claims as a crime because He was claiming Himself to be equal with God. Jesus wanted to have witnesses to prove His testimony about Himself. That is why John the baptizer was sent by God to be a witness for Jesus right before Jesus began His ministry. And…..throughout the book of John, we see Jesus gaining more witnesses all the time as He goes about His ministry…..the woman at the well was a witness, the man at the pool of Bethesda was a witness, the nobleman whose son Jesus healed from twenty miles away was a witness, and of course, His disciples were witnesses. Jesus was not lacking in witnesses at this time. In verse 33, Jesus reminds the Jews that they had sent priests and Levites as messengers to John wanting to know who he was. (John 1:19) Jesus tells them that John told them the truth about himself. John told them that he was not the Christ, Elijah, or the Prophet. (John 1:20-21) He revealed who he was and what his purpose was in John 1:23. He quoted Isaiah 40:3, and said, paraphrasing, “I am the person whom you have read about from the scriptures, who would come before the Messiah. I’m here to point Him out to you. I am here to get you ready  or ‘prepare the way’ for Him.” John did exactly as God wanted him to do. He fulfilled his purpose. What did he call Jesus when he pointed Him out just before Jesus was baptized? He called Him the “Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29) In John 1:34, he testified that Jesus was the Son of God to everyone who was present. He pointed Him out as the “Lamb of God” again the next day to two of his own followers (John 1:35). He knew that he was not meant to keep followers. He was to defer his followers to the Lamb of God, the true Light. However, in verse 34, Jesus says that He actually doesn’t need John’s testimony to do His Father’s will. He doesn’t need John’s testimony or any other person’s testimony to prove that He is the Messiah. John’s testimony was more about the people hearing his testimony. John came to prepare the people for Jesus. Jesus wanted the Jews to realize that John’s testimony about Him was true. “You should have paid attention to John, who is my witness, and been ready for Me.” He wanted them to believe John’s testimony, and have salvation. Of course, they didn’t believe it, but God’s plan was still executed to perfection. And it would have been executed, with or without the testimony of John. In verse 35, Jesus calls John the “burning and shining lamp”. We know that John was not the “true light”, but he was the lamp to light the way to the anointed One. This comes from Psalm 132:17 which reads, “There I will make the horn of David grow; I will prepare a lamp for My Anointed.” John the baptizer was that lamp that God prepared for Jesus. What a beautiful analogy! 

Witness number two: In verse 36, Jesus says that His works are more of a testimony as to who He is, than John’s verbal testimony ever could be. Jesus’ miracles and signs prove who He is and who sent Him. They prove that He is the Son of God. 

Witness number three: Now, in verse 37, Jesus says that God Himself testified that Jesus was His Son. Jesus doesn’t explain to them when this happened, but we know that it happened at His baptism, when the Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus in the form of a dove, and God said, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:16-17, Mark 1:10-11) John the baptizer also testifies of this event in John 1:32-34. The second half of verse 37 and then verse 38 had to be a gut-punch to the Jewish leaders. Jesus says, paraphrasing, “You have never heard nor seen my Father at any time. You think you have the Word abiding in you but you don’t, because you won’t accept who I am.” The Jews thought they knew God through the scriptures, and they thought they were the authority on those scriptures. I’m sure they were thinking, “Who knows God more than we who are His chosen ones?” I’m sure they could quote the old testament verbatim. Jesus is saying, paraphrasing, “If you don’t accept me as the Messiah, then you don’t accept the scriptures of old.” Basically, if they don’t accept Jesus, then they don’t accept the Law. Israel received the Law of Moses at Mt. Sinai. They saw the glory of God descend upon that mountain, and they heard His voice to the point that they were terrified. They saw the pillars of cloud and fire. Moses actually spoke face to face with God like he would speak to a friend. (Exodus 33:11) Jesus is saying, “if you don’t believe in Me, then you don’t believe in any of that”. Arrogance was blinding them from the truth. We have to be careful of being arrogant ourselves. We are the Lord’s church, “a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people….”. But let’s not forget the rest of the verse. We were “called out of darkness into His marvelous light.”(1 Peter 2:9) We have to remain humble, and remember 2 Peter 3:9, “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” God wants everyone to be a part of “His own special people”. Everyone. We are fortunate to be in the arc of safety while so many are not. It is on my mind all the time. Why me? How did I get so fortunate to be raised to know the truth? And I took it for granted for sooooo long. I am no better than anyone else. I simply had the opportunity to learn and obey where others have not had the same opportunities that I had. This is why it is so important for all of us to get the Word out there so that people can at least have the opportunity to obey. It is our commission. I am so impressed by preachers who can quote scripture. I have heard a preacher quote chapters before…..verbatim. It is an amazing gift. Of course, I have the utmost love and respect for all gospel preachers, whether they can quote scriptures without looking them up or whether they need to turn to the scriptures and read them. None of that matters to me as long as the truth is being preached and souls are being reached. But if someone is able to quote entire chapters of the Bible verbatim, and lost souls never hear it, how is that ability helpful? The Jewish leaders and Pharisees were meticulous about THEIR law. Notice that I called it “their” law. They had put so much of their own spin on God’s law, that it was not truly God’s law anymore. It was “their” law. And boy did Jesus let them have it over this issue in Matthew 23! The whole chapter was filled with “woes” to the scribes and Pharisees whom He called hypocrites over and over. The Jewish leaders didn’t care who was lost as long as they performed all their rituals and traditions with the idea that they were the only race of people that God loved or cared about. They were checking the boxes and those checked boxes meant nothing, because it was all for show. Are we ever guilty of simply checking the boxes? 

Witness number 4:  In verse 39, Jesus provides another witness…..the Scriptures. The Old Testament was all about the coming of Christ…..from Genesis to Malachi. Jesus says, paraphrasing, “You all think because you search and know the scriptures that you have eternal life, but guess what? The very scriptures that you think you know so well? They are all about Me and My coming.” Then comes the sad truth in verse 40, paraphrasing, ”You all are going to miss out on eternal life, because you won’t accept who I am and follow Me.” Wow! Jesus really packed a one-two punch at these Jewish leaders. But instead of truly listening, they just got all the more angry at Him. Jesus stepped on their toes, and they had no humility. Many times a preacher will say something that steps on my toes, but I can’t let it make me angry or defensive. If I’m getting defensive, then that is a big red flag that proves that I need to make some changes. I have to let God’s Word humble me, so that I can examine myself, and make the necessary changes that I need to make. Humility is the epitome of being a Christian. If I cannot humble myself to God’s word and will, then I am not truly a Christian. 

I skipped the last part of verse 35 for a reason. I find the later part of verse 35 interesting, and has a relevant lesson to us. It says, paraphrasing, “you were excited about John’s testimony about Me for a while, but your excitement faded”. Does this sometimes sound like us when we first become Christians? We are excited and zealous in the beginning, but when the new wears off, we lose our zeal for serving God. We may even go back to our old ways/habits of living, talking, etc. from before we were baptized in Christ. It reminds me of New Year’s resolutions. We are gung-ho on January 1st about our goals, whether they are spiritual or physical, but by the time February comes around, we are starting to lose our drive, and by March…..well, we are over it. This was me…..more than once in my life. I could NOT stay on track spiritually. I’m just being honest here….I have been a Christian since I was twelve years old. However, I have been a late-bloomer spiritually. Maturing and moving forward spiritually has been a long time coming for me. But…..I have found a way to keep my zeal…..finally. And don’t get me wrong, I have my low moments as we all do as human beings. However, I’ve found my way of pulling myself out of the ruts of life. It began with personal journaling. I would write out my prayers to God. It seemed like this was the only way that I could pour my heart out to Him. About three years ago, I began to write some spiritually encouraging things for my husband and children, and send them to them in texts. One day, I sent a couple of things that I wrote for them to my best friend. She told me that I needed to put them out there for others to read. Well…..that was majorly out of my comfort zone at the time. A few months later, I decided to pay for an internet address through wordpress, and I posted my first article on my blog on March 27, 2023. It sparked something inside of me that has caused me to hang on to my zeal for God’s Word. A couple of months later, I made the corresponding Facebook page to go with the internet blog. But…..I felt uncomfortable inviting all my Facebook friends to the page. What was holding me back? Well….it was fear. Fear was holding me back. You see…..I have a “not so good” past even though I was raised in the church. I have had more ups and downs spiritually than I can count. I always had this guilt hanging over me about things that I had done in the past. For a long time, I hadn’t represented Christ in the way that I should have. I thought that people would think things like, “Who does she think she is getting on here, and writing about the Bible?” or “Hey I know her…..she has no right to tell anyone else how to live”. I was terrified of what people would think. But…..my best friend and sister in Christ told me that I was letting Satan win with that kind of thinking. She said that our past doesn’t define us. It is our present and future that matters. She also asked me a question, “Do you judge others for their pasts?” Of course, I said, “Absolutely not!” “Then why are you passing judgment on yourself when God has already forgiven you?” she asked. So…..I stewed about that for a few days. Then, I invited every woman on my friends list to the page. Then, a couple of months later, I started another Facebook and Instagram blog geared more for teens/younger ladies and the young at heart, of course. Then, a couple of months after that, I started a ladies bible class that I enjoy writing lessons for once a month. Once I took one step outside of my comfort zone, I was able to take another, and then another. I made my first video a few days ago, and mentioned this wonderful group in it. I didn’t realize how much writing about God’s Word would impact my life until I started using it as a ministry and a mission. This is how I found my zeal. I don’t say this to toot my horn at all, but only to toot God’s horn, because He is the reason that I have made it this far. He is the reason that I am able to do this. He is my confidence. He has had so much patience with me, and I am so thankful. I also toot my sister in Christ and dear friend’s horn for encouraging me to step out of my comfort zone and find my niche. How do you keep your zeal? It is different for everyone. Everyone has to find their thing that helps them stay zealous in their Christian walk. I’m so thankful that God helped me find mine. The fear and shame that I once had is gone…..finally. Now, I can actually use the struggles from my past to help others not feel so alone. Hopefully I can help others realize that they can change. If I can…..anyone can.

As Christians, we are the witnesses for Jesus today. We are not primary source witnesses like the people back then were. We did not see Jesus do all the miracles. We did not physically hear His words in person. But…..we have believed the overwhelming evidence of the primary source witnesses that we read about in the Bible, and we are secondary source witnesses for lost souls today. Here is an AI generated comparison between primary and secondary sources: “A primary source is a firsthand account of an event, providing original information created during the time period being studied, while a secondary source analyzes and interprets information from primary sources, offering a second-hand perspective on the event or topic, often with commentary and analysis from the author.” Western Governors University website compared them this way: “Primary sources function as the main object of analysis in a research study, whereas secondary resources are used to describe, interpret, generalize, or synthesize primary sources. Secondary sources help readers understand second-hand information and commentary and can detail how and why a historical event occurred.” I ask myself this question, and you can ask yourself this as well, “Am I testifying for Jesus as I should be? Am I being a secondary source witness for Jesus to the lost?” 

God means for everyone to learn what the Bible teaches about how to be saved. It only takes an open heart for Jesus, and a willingness to put away what we’ve been taught in the past, and truly read what God’s Word says for ourselves…..and then accept what it says and obey it. If I can help you in any way, I would love to! Are you walking in the light? Are you in Christ? Are you saved? If you aren’t or you are not sure if you are, I’d love to help you. Are you a member of the Lord’s church, but are struggling spiritually in your walk with Christ? If you are…..believe me, I’ve been there many times, and I’d love to help you. If you have any questions, please reach out. 

I love God’s Word. It challenges me to be better…..to do more in His service. It is interesting and keeps me on the edge of my seat wondering what is going to happen next. It gives me confidence and builds me up, and it brings me to my knees when my soul needs convicting! Thank you Father for the wonderful gift of Your Word!

God’s Plan of Salvation

Below is the plan that God has set forth in His Word, for humankind to receive His grace that leads to salvation and an eternity with God in heaven. This plan is straight from the Bible. 

We have to hear His word. (Romans 10:17) 

Upon hearing the message of Jesus, we believe it. (Mark 16:16) 

Then, we confess Jesus’ name before men. (Matthew 10:32) 

Next, we repent of our sins. (Acts 2:38, Acts 3:19) 

Finally, we are baptized into Christ for the remission of our sins.  (Acts 2:38, Matthew 28:18-20, Mark 16:16, Romans 6:3-4, Acts 22:16, 1 Corinthians 12:13, Galatians 3:26-27) After baptism, God adds us to His church. (Acts 2:47)

Then, we remain faithful in our commitment to Christ until death. (Revelation 2:10, 2 Peter 2:20-22)