5:31 thru 5:47 (Feb 27)

I must say, this is not a very uplifting passage. Jesus lists the things that testify on his behalf to the Jews who were persecuting him (back in 5:16). These include John the Baptist; God the father, who testifies through the teaching and miracles of Jesus; the scriptures; and Moses himself, who wrote about Jesus. These things testify to the truth. But the sad truth is that some will not believe. As Jesus said, "You refuse to come to me to have life". This is a difficult thing to ponder.

Some observations: Jesus is not quieted by persecution - he repeats his message. When some don't believe his message, Jesus does not change it. He continues to speak the truth very directly to them.

I was wondering what it means when Jesus says "If I testify about myself, my testimony is not valid". Somewhat puzzling since Jesus' divinity would seemingly carry some weight. I think this is a statement that Jesus is doing God's will. If he were not - if he were doing his own thing, independent from God - then the Holy Spirit would not speak through John the Baptist. And God the Father would not work through Jesus' miracles. And there would be disconnects with what the scriptures say. And the Holy Spirit would not be working in the hearts of the ones who chose to follow Jesus, convicting them of their sin and moving them to believe. Jesus was doing the work that was given to him by the Father to do (5:36).