Commentary on the Gospel of
John 5:31-47. Jesus’ triple Witnesses
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John testified to the truth – he was a burning & shining lamp
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The Father’s testimony: the works that the Father gave me to do
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The Scriptures testify on Jesus’ behalf
Our Lord calls our attention to the triple witnesses that testify to his divinity, namely: John the Baptist; the Father’s works and the Scriptures.
John the Baptist was like a dazzling dynamite through his actions, he blazed like wild fire to the extent that people deserted the temple for the wilderness in search of his voice. And so, no one doubted the authenticity of his prophetic message! And this worthy prophet introduced Jesus to the world: ‘behold the Lamb of God!’ His testimony is credible enough and the Jews respected John the Baptist.
Furthermore, our Lord accomplished many signs and wonders that liberated people from all sorts of bondages: the sick were healed publicly, the blind regained their sights, thousands were fed to their satisfaction with few loaves of bread. Each of these signs and many more were clear signals that God’s hand was at work in the life of Jesus the Christ. And the Jews saw them all!
In addition to the witnesses of John the Baptist and the signs that our Lord worked, the Scripture through the highly esteemed Moses foretold the advent of the Messiah. And so, our Lord reminds them: ‘if you had believed Moses, you would believe me, because he wrote about me.’
Now the Jesus’ surprise is: amid all this knowledge, why are his contemporaries not believing Him? And to us, the Lenten season raises alarm: with all the knowledge of the virtues, of the eternal values, why do we, Christians, from time to time relapse to the pleasures of temporal things, and even sometimes get attached to them as if they matter most? Lord Jesus, please grant us the grace to persevere on our spiritual journey to reunion with You till the end, amen.
