five witnesses & one truth
Pastor Frank Park | Founding and Senior Pastor
Scripture: John 5:30–47
In John 5, the religious leaders are furious. Jesus has healed a man on the Sabbath; an act they considered a violation of their man-made rules. Their outrage reveals something deeper: they were so committed to their traditions that they were blind to the very God they claimed to serve and the very God who was standing right in front of them. Their hearts were closed, not because Jesus broke God’s law, but because He challenged their version of it. In response, Jesus does something profound. He doesn’t merely defend Himself. He appeals to the very structure of Old Testament law they claimed to defend. According to the Law, major testimony required two or three witnesses (Deut. 19:15). Jesus could have stopped there. But in humility and divine intentionality, He presents not two witnesses, but five. Five undeniable voices converging to a single conclusion: Jesus is the Son of God.
1. John the Baptist // The Herald
John’s entire ministry was preparation. He wasn’t building a brand, gathering followers, or establishing a movement. His sole purpose was to point beyond himself: “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29) The leaders rejoiced for a moment in John’s light, but they refused to accept his message. They liked the spark, but rejected the flame that pointed to Jesus.
2. The Works of Jesus // Miracles With a Message
Jesus didn’t perform miracles to impress; He did them to reveal. Every healing, every deliverance, every supernatural act was a sign pointing to His identity. His works didn’t just confirm His calling; they displayed that He was greater than John, greater than the prophets, and greater than any religious structure. The very fact that He healed on the Sabbath wasn’t rebellion; it was revelation: the Lord of the Sabbath had arrived.
3. The Father // Heaven’s Testimony & Star Witness
At His baptism, the heavens opened and the Father spoke unmistakably: “This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” (Matt. 3:17) You can’t get a higher witness than that. The Father Himself publicly validated Jesus. Yet the religious leaders, experts in Scripture, fluent in theology ignored the voice of God Himself, because it didn’t fit their expectations.
4. The Scriptures // Every Page Points to Jesus
Jesus drops the hammer in John 5:39: “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about Me.” These men studied Scripture relentlessly, but missed the Author standing in front of them. They knew chapter and verse, but didn’t recognize the fulfillment of every prophecy, pattern, symbol, and story. To know Scripture but miss Jesus is to miss everything.
5. Moses // The One They Trusted the Most
If anyone held authority in their minds, it was Moses. Yet Jesus says something shocking: Moses wasn’t their ally, he was their accuser. Why? Because Moses wrote about Jesus. The Passover lamb, the serpent lifted in the wilderness, the promised Prophet. Moses was pointing forward the entire time. The leaders revered Moses’ words but refused Moses’ meaning.
The Tragedy of Spiritual Blindness
Five witnesses. Five confirmations. Five voices saying the same thing: Jesus is the One. And yet they missed Him, not because they lacked information, but because they lacked transformation. Their hearts were calcified by pride, tradition, and familiarity. They were so busy defending their religious system that they couldn’t recognize the God standing in front of them.
Reflection Questions:
Before we shake our heads at the Pharisees, we must consider:
Jesus still calls us to believe; not just intellectually, but relationally. The evidence has always been there. The question remains: Are we willing to see it?
In John 5, the religious leaders are furious. Jesus has healed a man on the Sabbath; an act they considered a violation of their man-made rules. Their outrage reveals something deeper: they were so committed to their traditions that they were blind to the very God they claimed to serve and the very God who was standing right in front of them. Their hearts were closed, not because Jesus broke God’s law, but because He challenged their version of it. In response, Jesus does something profound. He doesn’t merely defend Himself. He appeals to the very structure of Old Testament law they claimed to defend. According to the Law, major testimony required two or three witnesses (Deut. 19:15). Jesus could have stopped there. But in humility and divine intentionality, He presents not two witnesses, but five. Five undeniable voices converging to a single conclusion: Jesus is the Son of God.
1. John the Baptist // The Herald
John’s entire ministry was preparation. He wasn’t building a brand, gathering followers, or establishing a movement. His sole purpose was to point beyond himself: “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29) The leaders rejoiced for a moment in John’s light, but they refused to accept his message. They liked the spark, but rejected the flame that pointed to Jesus.
2. The Works of Jesus // Miracles With a Message
Jesus didn’t perform miracles to impress; He did them to reveal. Every healing, every deliverance, every supernatural act was a sign pointing to His identity. His works didn’t just confirm His calling; they displayed that He was greater than John, greater than the prophets, and greater than any religious structure. The very fact that He healed on the Sabbath wasn’t rebellion; it was revelation: the Lord of the Sabbath had arrived.
3. The Father // Heaven’s Testimony & Star Witness
At His baptism, the heavens opened and the Father spoke unmistakably: “This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” (Matt. 3:17) You can’t get a higher witness than that. The Father Himself publicly validated Jesus. Yet the religious leaders, experts in Scripture, fluent in theology ignored the voice of God Himself, because it didn’t fit their expectations.
4. The Scriptures // Every Page Points to Jesus
Jesus drops the hammer in John 5:39: “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about Me.” These men studied Scripture relentlessly, but missed the Author standing in front of them. They knew chapter and verse, but didn’t recognize the fulfillment of every prophecy, pattern, symbol, and story. To know Scripture but miss Jesus is to miss everything.
5. Moses // The One They Trusted the Most
If anyone held authority in their minds, it was Moses. Yet Jesus says something shocking: Moses wasn’t their ally, he was their accuser. Why? Because Moses wrote about Jesus. The Passover lamb, the serpent lifted in the wilderness, the promised Prophet. Moses was pointing forward the entire time. The leaders revered Moses’ words but refused Moses’ meaning.
The Tragedy of Spiritual Blindness
Five witnesses. Five confirmations. Five voices saying the same thing: Jesus is the One. And yet they missed Him, not because they lacked information, but because they lacked transformation. Their hearts were calcified by pride, tradition, and familiarity. They were so busy defending their religious system that they couldn’t recognize the God standing in front of them.
Reflection Questions:
Before we shake our heads at the Pharisees, we must consider:
- Are we so attached to our traditions we miss God’s presence?
- Do we read Scripture for knowledge, but not for encounter?
- Do we enjoy the light of spiritual things without receiving the Light of the world?
Jesus still calls us to believe; not just intellectually, but relationally. The evidence has always been there. The question remains: Are we willing to see it?