"This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world"

How did the people know that this was the Prophet? How do YOU know that Jesus is the Prophet? --that he is the One that Moses said would come?

Notice what Jesus says in v34: "I say these things so that you may be saved"

Think about that. Jesus is saying that salvation depends upon listening to the right people. Who you listen to--whose testimony and counsel you receive--is very important.

To whom do you listen? Where do you go for counsel? Whose voice matters most to you? Kids, whose voice do you listen to? When your mom calls, do you come running? Have you ever been in the store and heard someone who sounded like your mom? You turn around and look--but it's not her! Jesus is telling us who to listen to.

These are the voices that will lead us down the path of salvation.

1. John Jesus starts by saying that his own testimony is not true. (v31) What does he mean? Well, if I came to you and told you that I was the Messiah, would YOU believe me? Of course not. Simply for Jesus to say that he is the Messiah doesn't mean that he is! Jesus is referring back to Deuteronomy 17 which requires at least two or three witnesses. Who does Jesus call as his witnesses. He starts with John (v33) John has born witness that Jesus is the Messiah. John has declared that Jesus is the Son of God. Good credentials right? Everyone knew that John was a prophet. You can trust John, right? No. Jesus says, "Yet I do not receive testimony from man." Remember back in John 2:24-25--Jesus did not entrust himself to the people, why? Because he knew what was in man. Jesus knows that human testimony--even John's testimony-- is not reliable enough. You see, Jesus is talking about salvation. Are you going to entrust your life--and not just THIS life--but your eternity!-- to mere human testimony? John's testimony is true. And it is valid--it comes from an independent witness. But Jesus says, "I do not receive testimony from man." It's good; but when it comes to salvation, it's not good enough. There are better witnesses to Jesus than John. John, Jesus says, "was a burning and shining lamp, and you were willing to rejoice for a while in his light." John 1 says that Jesus is the Light of the World. John 1 says that John was NOT that light. Here Jesus says, John was a light--but his light only lasts for a time. John's light will be snuffed out. If your hope and your trust is in John's light--then you will live in darkness.

Jesus is the Light of the World. The lesser light is good--but it is only good because it points you to the True Light. If you become preoccupied with John, Jesus says, then you have missed the whole point. John was a pointer to Christ. There are many other things that point us to Christ: the relationship between husbands and wives; or between parents and children; or between elders and the congregation; God has given us many good gifts to remind us of who He is and what He has done. But if you become preoccupied with the gift, rather than the giver, then you have missed the point of the gift. You've seen your children do that, haven't you? You give them something they've been wanting, and what happens? Do they throw themselves into your arms and say, "Thank you so much!!" Or do they immediately start playing with the new toy? What matters more? The gift or the giver? And yet this is what we often do to our Heavenly Father: He gives us good gifts--and we neglect to be grateful.

That's why Jesus says--look I have a greater witness than John's! John's witness is not enough. It is not enough to have this little shining lamp--John will burn out!

2. The works that Jesus does, bear witness of who He is. What are the works that Jesus does? Well, what have we seen so far in John's gospel? First, He turned water into wine: How did that bear witness that he is from the Father? Jesus took the water of purification and transformed it into the wine of rejoicing. The old has become new; Jesus is saying that HE is the bridegroom who will provide the wine of rejoicing for HIS wedding-feast. Second, He cleansed the temple--and declared that HE is the new temple. Again, the old has become new; the wood and stone of the old temple has given way to the true temple of Jesus' own body. Third, Jesus healed the nobleman's son and the man at Bethesda, claiming the right to give life to the dead.

How do these things tell us that Jesus is sent by the Father? Well, Nicodemus understood the answer to this. He said back in chapter 3--"Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him." The signs that Jesus did were demonstrations of who he is. This is how God had always operated. Miracles always accompanied revelation. The miraculous deed always goes with the revealed Word. There are actually very few times that miracles happen in the Bible. There are three main times (with a few others scattered here and there): 1) Moses was the first prophet. How were the people of Israel to know that God had sent him? Because he performed miracles and proclaimed the Word of God. The two went together. But then from Moses to Elijah, there are very few miracles in Israel. There are a few signs here and there (like the sun standing still for Joshua or Gideon's fleece), but even these are connected with the great events of God's redemption --the deliverance that God gives from their enemies. 2) Then in the day of Elijah and Elisha comes the second wave of miracles. This is also the time that God sends a new wave of prophets: God is sending forth his word in a new way, therefore God does miracles through these men. But then from Elisha to Jesus, there are very few miracles. 3) This is why Jesus performs miracles: that they might bear witness that the Father has sent Him. Jesus is the Final Word. He brings God's revelation in full measure. And the works that he does--the miracles and signs that he performs-- are the greatest and most powerful works of all. Incidentally, this is why we should not expect anyone to go around performing miracles! Sure, God can still heal people--I don't deny that. But God will not send any more prophets. And in the Bible, prophecy and miracles are always combined. Remember the parable of the vineyard? The master sends his servants to see how the vineyard is doing. But the workers beat them up and mistreat them. Then, finally, he sends his Son--and the workers kill him! God sent all his prophets in the OT, and now he has sent Jesus. Once he has sent his Son, he has no one left to send. If they won't listen to Jesus, then they certainly won't listen to a prophet!

Word and Deed go together. Jesus IS the Word of God; he both speaks the Word, and he does the Word. And both his words and his deeds testify that the Father has sent him.

You know the saying, "actions speak louder than words"? That's what Jesus is saying. You are now in Christ. He has raised you from the dead, and has given you new life. Indeed, it is now HIS life that is at work in you. Your actions; your words; now reveal Christ to others. Do you know why God doesn't send any more prophets? It is because Christ--the great prophet-- is in YOU! As Jesus will say in John 6:53-58...(read) If you partake of Christ, then Christ abides in you--and you will live forever!

But it is not merely his works that testify to who Jesus is--there is another... (v37)

3. The Father testifies to who Jesus is. Jesus says that the Jews (and here he is referring to the Pharisees in particular), have neither heard the Father's voice, nor seen his form. How then can anyone know what the Father says about Jesus? Where has the Father testified to Jesus? (v38) The Father has testified to Jesus in the Word--in the Scriptures. What does it mean to have the "word abiding in you"? Obviously it's not simply studying the Bible. Look at v39. The Jews are already searching the Scriptures. They are studying zealously, because they think that eternal life can be found in its pages. You see, it's not enough to simply study the Scriptures. Oh, you MUST study the Scriptures--Jesus agrees with them there! But it is not simply in the act of studying Scripture that you find eternal life. You must understand what the Father is saying about Jesus IN Scripture. The Bible is NOT our highest authority. God is. Jesus is saying that it's not enough to know the Bible. You must know the AUTHOR of the Bible. It's not enough to simply quote Scripture. You must have the Word abiding in you. You must accept what the Father is saying about Jesus.

And finally, 4. The Scriptures themselves testify to Jesus. Now let's be clear here: the Scriptures at this time means the OT. The NT hasn't been written yet! And yet Jesus says that the OT is written about Him! So if you read the OT and don't learn about Christ, then you aren't reading the OT correctly! Look down to v45-47. Jesus says that if you really believe Moses, then you will understand who Jesus is! If you do not believe Moses words, then you will not believe Jesus' words! Let me ask you something: How well do you know your Old Testament? How well do you understand and believe Moses and the prophets? Do you believe that they testify to Christ? Do you understand what they are saying about Christ? Jesus says that Moses wrote about himself. All of the OT points to Christ. In Sunday School we've been examining how this works. Both in the teaching and in the actions of the OT, we can see how they all point us to Christ.

Well, after these things, Jesus gives a demonstration of what he means. After all, word and deed go together, right?!! In chapter 6, Jesus starts by healing the sick, and then he takes his disciples up to a mountain to teach them Well, it says that the Passover was near (v4)--and remember what we saw last time about the importance of the feasts in the Gospel of John The crowds are following Jesus again. And so Jesus asks, "where shall we buy bread, that these may eat?" Philip says that it would take 8-9 months wages to feed them! Andrew mentions that a boy has five loaves and two fish--but that's not enough So Jesus has the 5,000 sit down, and then he gave thanks and gave it to his disciples, and they gave it to those who were seated. The disciples then gathered 12 baskets of leftovers!

What does this remind you of? The people are gathered in the wilderness--and they have no food. They have gathered because they have seen the signs that Jesus has performed. They are gathered around the time of the Passover! Isn't this the exact same situation that the Israelites were in when they came out of Egypt? They were gathered in the wilderness--and they had no food. They had come because they had seen the signs that Moses had performed. They were gathered around the time of the Passover. And what did God do in Exodus? He gave them bread from heaven. And what did Jesus do in John? He gave them bread from heaven. And 12 baskets were left over--enough to feed the 12 tribes of Israel. The bread from heaven that Jesus gives is enough to feed ALL of his people.

Well, the crowd understands this! They see the sign that Jesus did, and what do they say? "This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world" (v14)

If you believed Moses you would believe me. Jesus is demonstrating that he is indeed the one of whom Moses had written. God has given abundant testimony that Jesus is indeed the Son of God. Do you believe it?

Copyright © 2003 Peter J. Wallace