My Testimony Is True

So we're picking things up where we left off.

Jesus is teaching at the temple courts.

And we can see that in verse 20,

kind of the last verse of our section this morning.

It says,

So Jesus is still there in Jerusalem,

everything we're about to read today that Jesus said,

and that was said to him,

happened there at the temple courts while he was teaching.

Up until now, the Pharisees have been kind of lurking around in the background.

If you remember back to chapter 7,

they sent some temple guards to arrest Jesus.

But then the guards decided not to arrest him

because they were amazed by Jesus' teaching.

They didn't think they should arrest a man who teaches like Jesus did.

So they came back empty-handed.

Well, now finally, the Pharisees are about to challenge Jesus openly.

And just imagine yourself there in the temple courts,

watching them, watching Jesus,

waiting for the opportune moment to confront him.

And finally, Jesus says something.

Something big that they simply cannot just let go unchecked,

at least in their minds.

Verse 12.

When Jesus spoke again to the people,

he said,

I am the light of the world.

Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness,

but will have the light of life.

What a claim to make.

The Pharisees see this as their opportune moment,

and they seize it.

Verse 13.

The Pharisees challenged him.

Here you are,

appearing as your own witness.

Your testimony is not valid.

Quite literally, they say to him,

you are testifying about yourself.

Your testimony is not true.

There's a bit of a translation issue here.

About half of the translations have the Pharisees saying,

your testimony is not true.

The other half have it,

your testimony is not valid.

It's not the easiest thing to translate.

The word used here usually means true,

but in this place,

and in at least one other place in John,

where Jesus has used this word,

it could mean valid.

It could mean dependable,

or trustworthy.

So, either the Pharisees are accusing Jesus outright

of speaking what is false.

Your testimony is not true.

Or, the Pharisees are trying to challenge

whether what Jesus is saying can be trusted.

Your testimony is not valid.

It's not trustworthy.

The first possibility,

a little more overt and direct.

The second, a little more subtle,

which it is, I'm not sure, to be honest.

But either way,

the Pharisees are challenging Jesus.

They are trying to cast doubt on him,

and to get the people to doubt what he is saying

about being the light of the world.

And their charge comes with a reason.

Here's how we know that what he's claiming is not true,

is not valid.

They say,

here you are appearing as your own witness.

You're testifying about yourself.

And we all know better than to just accept as true

what a person says about themselves.

Don't we?

We even think like that today, don't we?

Maybe you go online,

and you're looking for a specific product or service,

and you go to the webpage of that company,

and what does it say?

It says,

we offer the best service or product around.

We're the best in the business.

Our product is better than all the competitors.

By now, most of us probably know that

almost every company claims that for themselves.

No, we want to hear the testimony of others

about your product or your service.

We want to read some reviews.

We want to talk to somebody who's done business with you

to confirm that you really are the best.

Because anybody can claim for themselves

to be the best or to have the best.

So the Pharisees are trying to cause the people

to question and doubt Jesus.

And personally,

I don't think this is just the Pharisees talking here.

I hear the insidious whisper of Satan himself

in these words.

Can you really trust what this man is saying,

what he is claiming for himself?

Does that not sound familiar?

Verse 14.

Jesus answered,

Even if I testify about myself,

my testimony is true.

For I know where I came from

and where I am going.

But you do not know where I come from

or where I am going.

Again, there are both possibilities

possibilities with the word true or valid here.

It's possible even that there's a play

on that word going on here.

Maybe the Pharisees are subtly calling into question

whether Jesus' testimony is trustworthy, valid.

But Jesus, as he responds,

is claiming not just to have a valid testimony,

but a true one.

As Jesus responds,

he uses an if statement.

He says,

even if I testify about myself,

my testimony is true.

Now,

he gives a reason.

And it's kind of a strange reason.

For I know where I came from

and where I am going.

But you do not know where I come from

or where I am going.

I can testify about myself

and my testimony is true

because I know where I came from

and where I am going.

That's kind of a strange way to reason,

isn't it?

Doesn't that sound weird to you?

It kind of sounds weird to me.

How does Jesus,

knowing where he came from

and where he is going,

give validity

and credibility

to his testimony?

Well, I think to get a hang on this,

we kind of have to

step back for a minute

and think of the bigger conversation here.

One of the big issues right now with Jesus

is where he is from.

We've heard this

again and again.

You remember back to chapter 7?

What did the crowd say there?

Isn't this the man they're trying to kill?

Here he is,

speaking publicly

and they're not saying a word to him.

Have the authorities really concluded

that he is the Messiah?

Oh, but we know

where this man is from.

When the Messiah comes,

no one will know

where he is from.

We know where this man is from,

they said.

He can't be the Messiah.

Again,

down in verse 40.

On hearing his words,

some of the people said,

surely this man is the prophet.

Others said,

he is the Messiah.

Still others asked,

well,

how can the Messiah come from Galilee?

Does not scripture say

that the Messiah will come from

David's descendants

and from Bethlehem,

the town where David lived?

Again,

again,

we see this whole discussion

of where Jesus is from.

He can't be the Messiah

because he's not from the right place.

And now finally,

we come to Jesus' own words

in verse 14.

He says,

I know where I came from,

but you have no idea

where I came from.

So the big question is,

where does Jesus come from?

Well,

they're right in a sense.

He does come from Galilee.

That's where he's been traveling.

That's where he's been doing his ministry.

He does come from Nazareth.

That's where,

that's his hometown.

That's where he's been living

with his parents

for the last while.

He also comes from Bethlehem,

the town of David.

We talked about this

a couple weeks ago.

He was born there.

But none of these things

are what Jesus has in mind.

No,

Jesus has something else in mind.

And we've heard him say it

back in Galilee.

Where is Jesus from?

What did he say

after the feeding of the 5,000?

John 6,

John 6:38

verse 38.

For I have come down from heaven.

For I have come down from heaven.

Let those words sink in.

What does that mean?

As we've seen right from the beginning

of John's gospel,

it means that Jesus is no ordinary man.

It means that before Jesus

took on human flesh,

he was

in heaven.

Do you remember what Jesus said

to Nicodemus?

John 3,

John 3:31

verse 31.

He said to Nicodemus,

I have spoken to you

of earthly things

and you do not believe.

How then will you believe

if I speak of heavenly things?

And we can imagine Nicodemus wondering,

well, what do you mean?

Speak of heavenly things.

How can you tell us

about heavenly things?

Jesus answers

that question.

He says,

no one has ever

gone into heaven

except

the one who came from heaven.

The son of man.

Essentially,

he tells Nicodemus,

yes,

I can tell you

about heavenly things

because unlike every other

human being on the planet,

I've been there.

I'm from there.

I came down from heaven.

We can't miss the significance of this.

This isn't just trivia,

like where is so-and-so born?

Where are they from?

No,

this is,

this means,

this has huge implications

implications.

And John,

the gospel writer,

spells it out for us

a little bit

in chapter 3,

verse 31.

He says,

the one who comes from above

is above all.

The one who's from the earth

belongs to the earth

and speaks as one

from the earth.

But the one who comes from heaven

is above all.

He testifies to what he has seen

and heard.

From where?

Seen from heaven,

heard from heaven,

from God,

from his Father in heaven.

But no one accepts his testimony.

Whoever has accepted it

has certified that God is truthful.

For the one whom God has sent

speaks the words of God.

this is what the Pharisees

do not know

about where Jesus is from.

And probably more precisely,

this is what the Pharisees

refuse to acknowledge

or believe

about Jesus.

No,

you are just a man

and being a man

like the rest of us,

you need someone else

to confirm

your testimony.

You need someone else

to validate

your grandiose claims

about yourself.

But Jesus is saying,

actually,

I don't.

I know who I am.

And you guys have no idea

who I am.

Because Jesus comes from heaven,

he doesn't need

a second human witness.

He doesn't need any man

here on earth

to validate

the truthfulness

of his testimony,

of what he's saying.

And actually,

I think it's maybe

implied a little bit

in these words.

I think Jesus is saying,

you Pharisees

are not in a position

to judge me.

You don't even know

where I came from

or where I'm going.

How could you possibly

judge me rightly,

accurately?

Now,

we're not going to talk

too much this morning

about where Jesus

is going.

We'll get to that

after Easter.

But we've already heard

that Jesus

tell the people

that he's going away.

And where he's going,

they can't come.

They can't follow him.

And the people

are confused.

Where is that?

But as we'll see

later in John's gospel,

the place he is going

is to the Father.

It's back

to heaven.

And if Jesus can go

where no man has gone,

it's proof

that his testimony

is indeed true.

Verse 15.

Jesus says,

you judge by human standards.

I pass judgment

on no one.

But if I do judge,

my decisions are true

because I am not alone.

I stand

with the Father

who sent me.

So Jesus makes it

somewhat plain.

He tells them,

you guys are judging

by human standards.

Literally,

it's according to the flesh.

According to that part of me

that you can see

and touch.

But Jesus is more

than just flesh

and blood

like we are.

The problem

with the Pharisees

is that they're trying

to judge Jesus

as if he were

any other man.

They're trying

to apply the law

to him

as if he were

just any other

Jewish guy.

But Jesus is more

than just a man.

He is the divine

Son of God

who has come down

from heaven

to live among us.

Jesus says,

I'm not here to judge.

but even if I were

to judge,

my judgment

is true.

But listen to this.

He says,

my judgment

is true

because

I am not alone.

I stand

with the Father

who sent me.

What is Jesus

saying here?

I think what he's

saying is simply

that he is not here

now to judge

in this moment

in the temple courts.

I don't think

he means

that he will

never judge anyone.

In fact,

the last time

he was here

in Jerusalem,

he told them

that God,

his Father,

has entrusted

all judgment,

the final judgment

to him,

the Son.

But I think

he means

that right now,

right here,

he is not here

now to judge

anyone.

But even

if he was

to judge

right now,

his judgment

would be true.

His verdicts

would be just.

His decisions

would be right.

Why?

Because he would

not judge alone.

He says,

I stand

with the Father

who sent me.

If we recall

back to John

John 5 · chapter mention

chapter 5,

when he was

last in Jerusalem,

Jesus said this.

He said,

do not be amazed

at this.

For a time

is coming

when all

who are

in their graves

will hear

his voice

and come out.

Those who

have done

what is good

will rise

to live.

And those

who have

done

what is evil

will rise

to be condemned.

And then

Jesus says this.

He says,

by myself

I can do

nothing.

I judge

only as I

hear.

And my

judgment

is just.

For I

seek not

to please

myself,

but him

who sent

me.

Jesus

will judge

perfectly

when he

does.

Justly.

Rightly.

Because his

judgment will

be based on

what he

hears from

God,

the Father.

The one

who knows

and sees

everything

about everyone.

At this

point,

Jesus comes

back to

the charge

that the

Pharisees

have made

against him.

I don't

need a

human

testimony.

I don't

need a

human

stamp of

approval

on my

testimony.

But let's

come back

to that

law,

which says

that there

should be

two witnesses.

Chapter

8,

verse 17,

Jesus says,

in your

own law

it is

written

that the

testimony

of two

witnesses

is true.

I am

one who

testifies

for myself.

My other

witness is

the Father

who sent

me.

If you've

read through

the first

couple books

of the

Bible,

you'll know

that God

said back

in the

law for

Israel that

people weren't

to be

condemned in

court unless

there was

two witnesses

of the

crime that

had been

committed.

This was

partly to

give extra

protection to

those who

might be

falsely

accused by

someone.

Even though

Jesus has

no need

of another

witness to

verify the

truthfulness of

his claims,

he comes back

to this law

that they're

trying to

use against

him and

he says,

actually in

my case,

there are

two witnesses.

I'm one of

them and my

Father who sent

me is the

other witness.

God, my

Father, does

not expect

you to

just take

my word

for it.

He himself

is testifying

about me.

And we're

not going to

go into a

full look at

how the

Father testifies

about Jesus

this morning.

We did that

back on

September 20th.

You can

look it up

online in

the message

Why Should

We Believe

You?

But basically

we looked at

three ways that

the Father

testifies about

Jesus.

Jesus.

The Father

testifies about

Jesus through

the miraculous

works that

he does,

through the

words that

God gave the

prophets to

speak about

Jesus long

before Jesus

came, and

through the

audible voice

from heaven

that came at

Jesus' baptism.

And we can

add a fourth

way to that

that we've seen

as we've been

going along

here.

Since Jesus

in his own

words only

ever speaks

what he hears

from the

Father and

what the

Father commands

him to

say, we

might say

that the

Father himself

is actually

testifying about

Jesus every

time that Jesus

opens his

mouth to

speak.

It's kind

of a hard

thing to wrap

our minds

around, but

when Jesus

speaks, both

he and his

Father are

speaking at

the same

time.

According to

Jesus, that's

how they work

together.

But it's

here that it

would have been

interesting to

listen, to

watch the

reaction of

the people

as Jesus

says this.

As he

says, I

call my

father as

my other

witness.

The Pharisees,

they don't

miss a beat.

They say,

where is your

father?

Where is your

father?

father?

Of course, they

already know that

Jesus is

referring to

God.

This has

already come

up before with

them.

They didn't

like him.

They were

going after

him back in

chapter 5

because he

was calling

God his

own father.

But even

though they

know he's

talking about

God, they

still ask the

question, oh,

you have a

second witness,

do you?

Great.

Let's bring

him in to

testify.

where is

your

father?

Now, Jesus

could have

simply said,

my father's

in heaven.

But instead,

Jesus says to

them, you

do not know

me or my

father.

You do not

know me or

my father.

And the

crowd, I

don't know if

they realized

it or not,

but Jesus

just told the

Pharisees to

their faces,

you do

not know

God.

You do

not know

my father,

God.

And then he

throws in this

little statement

that probably

struck a nerve

in them,

but I think

is also a

gracious

opportunity to

them.

He says,

if you knew

me,

you would

know my

father also.

if you

knew me,

you would

know my

father also.

What a

statement.

Notice that

he didn't

say, if you

knew my

father, then

you would

recognize that

I'm his

son.

That's maybe

what we

expected him

to say.

No, he

doesn't say

that.

He says, if

you knew

me, you

would know

my father

also.

do you

want to

know

God?

Then get

to know

me, says

Jesus, and

you will.

Wow.

Jesus has

been sent

by God

from heaven

into our

world so

that you

and I

can know

God.

God.

God.

He is the

messenger.

He is the

prophet.

He is the

one who

speaks for

God.

He is the

son who

has come

on behalf

of his

father.

And as

we'll find

out in a

few more

chapters,

next chapter,

he himself

is one

with the

father.

And

mysteriously

is himself

God in

human flesh.

church.

So it

all started

with that

amazing

declaration

by Jesus,

I am the

light of

the world.

And we

will talk

about that

more another

day.

But what

John wants

us to see

here is

how that

day when

he said

it, the

religious

leaders challenged

him to his

face.

What John

wants us to

see is how

Jesus responded

to their

challenge that

day in

front of

everyone.

in the

temple

courts.

Not only

did he

claim to

be the

light of

the world,

but he

claimed to

be from

heaven.

He claimed

to be sent

from God.

He claimed

to be one

who, unlike

every other

human being,

needs no

secondary human

witness to

his truthfulness.

And yet, he

claimed to be

one who has

the greatest

witness of

all, God

himself.

He claimed

to be the

one who

could judge

justly,

today,

had it

been the

day for

judgment.

Do you

hear what

Jesus is

saying?

Do you

believe him?

Do you

believe that

God speaks

through him?

God speaks

to be the

Lord?

I want to

encourage you

to put

yourself in

the crowd

that day

as you're

listening to

this back

and forth.

What's going

on in your

mind?

As I was

thinking that,

I couldn't

help but think

it all comes

back to this

question.

Do I

know God?

Do you

know God?

God?

And I

don't mean

know about

him.

The

religious

leaders,

they knew

about God,

but they

didn't know

God,

as in

personally,

as in

relationship.

Do you

know God?

Do you

want to

know God

more,

better,

deeper?

Jesus

says,

then get

to know

me,

and you

will.

One

amazing

invitation.

I pray

that we

all respond

to it.

Lord

Jesus,

thank you

for your

words.

We admit,

we confess

that you

don't always

say what

we expect

or what

we maybe

think you

should say

or want

to say,

but these

are your

words.

we do

want to

know God.

Would you

reveal more

and more

to our

hearts who

the Father

is?

We don't

want to be

like the

Pharisees,

Lord.

We don't

want to be

people who

just put

on a

masquerade

of religiosity

for others

to see.

This is

real or

it's not

real,

and I

pray,

Lord,

that in

all of

our

hearts,

it would

be real.

Make it

real.

In our

hearts,

we pray.

We ask

this in

your name.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Thank you.