What we can learn from Jesus’ Defense
John 5
Jesus had just healed a man on the Sabbath and he commanded him to pick up his mat and the leaders were furious and today we will see how Jesus reasons with them. This is important for us because this is a master class on sharing your faith in a God-honoring way.
Therefore, the Jews began persecuting Jesus because He was doing these things on the Sabbath. 17 But Jesus responded to them, “My Father is still working, and I am working also.” 18 This is why the Jews began trying all the more to kill Him: Not only was He breaking the Sabbath, but He was even calling God His own Father, making Himself equal with God.
John 5:16-47
Next, we’ll see Jesus compare himself to an apprentice son whose father is a skilled craftsman who he submits to, watches, and then is able to repeat what he has learned.
19 Then Jesus replied, “I assure you: The Son is not able to do anything on His own, but only what He sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, the Son also does these things in the same way. 20 For the Father loves the Son and shows Him everything He is doing, and He will show Him greater works than these so that you will be amazed.
John 5:16-47
21 And just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so the Son also gives life to anyone He wants to. 22 The Father, in fact, judges no one but has given all judgment to the Son, 23 so that all people will honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Anyone who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.
John 5:16-47
24 “I assure you: Anyone who hears My word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life and will not come under judgment but has passed from death to life.
25 “I assure you: An hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. 26 For just as the Father has life in Himself, so also He has granted to the Son to have life in Himself. 27 And He has granted Him the right to pass judgment, because He is the Son of Man. [Daniel 7:13–14]
John 5:16-47
28 Do not be amazed at this, because a time is coming when all who are in the graves will hear His voice 29 and come out—those who have done good things, to the resurrection of life, but those who have done wicked things, to the resurrection of judgment.
John 5:16-47
30 “I can do nothing on My own. I judge only as I hear, and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.
John 5:16-47
Jesus presents his evidence…
31 “If I testify about Myself, My testimony is not valid. 32 There is Another who testifies about Me, and I know that the testimony He gives about Me is valid. 33 You have sent messengers to John, and he has testified to the truth.
34 I don’t receive man’s testimony, but I say these things so that you may be saved. 35 John was a burning and shining lamp, and for a time you were willing to enjoy his light.
John 5:16-47
36 “But I have a greater testimony than John’s because of the works that the Father has given Me to accomplish. These very works I am doing testify about Me that the Father has sent Me. 37 The Father who sent Me has Himself testified about Me. You have not heard His voice at any time, and you haven’t seen His form.
John 5:16-47
38 You don’t have His word living in you, because you don’t believe the One He sent. 39 You pore over the Scriptures because you think you have eternal life in them, yet they testify about Me. 40 And you are not willing to come to Me so that you may have life.
John 5:16-47
41 “I do not accept glory from men, 42 but I know you—that you have no love for God within you. 43 I have come in My Father’s name, yet you don’t accept Me. If someone else comes in his own name, you will accept him. 44 How can you believe? While accepting glory from one another, you don’t seek the glory that comes from the only God.
John 5:16-47
45 Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father. Your accuser is Moses, on whom you have set your hope. 46 For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me, because he wrote about Me. 47 But if you don’t believe his writings, how will you believe My words?”
John 5:16-47
1. Declare the Truth unapologetically
"Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!"
Isaiah 5:20
Effective defense begins with clarity. Jesus used parables, told stories, and walked people through his arguments but he never diluted the truth of our faith even when it was offensive. We are here to love people but we are not here to make Christianity culturally palatable.
We see Jesus doing this throughout the entire argument. Jesus said, “my father is still at work…” which is a reference to the Sabbath and the book of Genesis where he explained that though God took a break from creating, he did not take a break from judging right from wrong.
For us, this means that we need to unapologetically declare that good and evil are real and they never take a break. God’s goodness is hard at work but so is sin.
The reality of sin and evil is one of the core beliefs people need to grasp in order to be saved because if they do not believe they are sinners, they will never realize they need to be saved. The problem is that people are more than happy to point out evil in the world, but they are hesitant to confess the sin in their own life. This is why we need to set an example of confession and…
2. Provide evidence
Jesus provided four witnesses to what he was saying: John the Baptist, his works, the Father himself, and God’s word. Each was real and relevant to his listeners because they could see, feel, hear, understand, and/or touch these things. We have these options as well.
A. Learn about sources they trust
Jesus’ first witness was John the Baptist. Jesus refers to John as a light in the darkness and historians like Josephus tell us that lots of Jewish people followed the teachings of John. He was someone they trusted, so Jesus explained himself through the teaching of John and he did this again at the end with Moses.
Paul did this as well. When he was witnessing to the philosophers on Mars Hill, Paul referred them to the altar dedicated to the Unknown God and he quoted the pagan poet, Aratus.
28 For in Him we live and move and exist, as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also His offspring.’
Acts 17:28-29
And, based on the testimony of this trusted pagan poet, Paul shows them a deeper truth,
29 Being God’s offspring then, we shouldn’t think that the divine nature is like gold or silver or stone, an image fashioned by human art and imagination. (ie idols)
Here we see Jesus reference John the Baptist and Moses which were men the Jewish leaders trusted and Paul referenced Aratus, a pagan, whom the philosophers trusted. In both cases they were used to show how close their views are to our own and to introduce a deeper truth. This also helps people see that we do our homework and that we care about the truth because we...
B. Live the truth
These very works I am doing testify about Me that the Father has sent Me.
John 5:16-47
Making the effort to be familiar with the people others trust is proof you are willing to learn and be wrong, which is exactly what you are hoping they will do. In a similar way, Jesus did many things to show who he was and what he believed and you should be able to show how God’s truth has changed your life and the lives of those around you.
Your life should be filled with works that prove your love for Christ. If you are serving, this is proof of faith. If you are serving at church you are literally seeing people grow and turn their lives around. For every sinner saved, there is a life that is changed and proof of God’s love.
This means you will need to get to know your church family to see how God has been moving and you should want to because changed lives is a powerful piece of evidence for those who don’t believe whether they are family or friends. And once they see the truth in your life…
C. Let their conscience convict them
So, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, instinctively do what the law demands…the law is written on their hearts. Their consciences confirm this. Their competing thoughts will either accuse or excuse them…
Romans 2:14–15
Jesus told the leaders that the the Father himself testifies of him and this is true today as the Holy Spirit regularly convicts the hearts of sinners. As Jesus said, we want the word to live in them, this means letting the HS do its work. We are not here to fight or argue, we are here to help people make the connection between their guilt and the God they have sinned against.
D. Always Point them to Scripture
"How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard?...faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ."
Romans 10:14-17
Living our faith is living with humility which is part of the reason why we must point people back to scripture. We are submissive to God. We are not walking around making up new rules, new ideas, or speaking on our own. When our feelings contradict the bible, we submit to God’s word. We see this when Jesus told the religious leaders he did only what the father would have him do. We must also bring people back to scripture because God’s word lights our path.
The problem is that knowledge can puff us up. The more we know can actually make us think we are smarter or better than other people which is why Jesus kept bringing the leaders back to God’s character. The problem was they knew the word of God but they did not know the God who gave us his word because they refused to accept his son which is why,
3. It always comes back to knowing Jesus
And you are not willing to come to Me so that you may have life…you have no love for God within you.
John 5:16-47
The warning was given because all people look for approval. Approval from the crowd, approval from friends, etc. If you want to be right with God it begins with Jesus first and his approval.
44 How can you believe? While accepting glory from one another, you don’t seek the glory that comes from the only God.
John 5:16-47
The problem we must accept is that we are dead in our sins. There is no inherent good in any of us. Even the great John the Baptists, who was called a “lamp,” was not goodness itself. He was not the source of light and truth. Jesus Christ is the light of life itself.
Any good in us is a reflection of God, therefore any true glory we seek comes from God alone and that relationship begins with knowing Jesus and imitating him so that others can know him as well. If there is to be any light in our lives, it must come from the source which is Christ.
As Jesus warns, if we do not depend on him and him alone, we will end up worshiping at the feet of false prophets, false teachers, and false gods. The only way to avoid this is to focus on Christ first and make him your life and purpose. This means imitating him, doing what he did, and this walk begins with taking the step into baptism…
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