The Jews hated this man Jesus, and wanted to kill him. We read in chapter 5 where they wanted to kill Him because first, he had healed on the Sabbath day, and more importantly, He claimed to be the very Son Of God, making Himself equal to God. (5:16, and 5:18) They considered this to be blasphemy. And indeed it would have been blasphemy, had Jesus not been just exactly who He claimed to be!
Jesus himself told the Samaritan women that He was the Messiah. (4:26) He also bore witness of Himself in John 8:18. However, Jewish law required the testimony of two or three witnesses. (Deut. 17:6, also John 8:17) Jesus was well aware of the law, and said that if He only testified of Himself, His testimony wouldn't be valid. (5:31) He offered far more PROOF that He was in fact, who He claimed to be.
The word translated throughout these passages of Scripture as "testified", "testimony", "bare record", or "bare witness" comes from the original word "martureo" (mar-too-reh'-o), meaning to be a witness, i.e. to testify (literally or figuratively); to give evidence, bear record, report honestly; give testimony, be a witness, or give evidence. Jesus didn't just claim to be the Messiah; there were other witnesses to the truth of His claim. His claims would meet and exceed all the requirements of Jewish law.
- The Heavenly Father bore witness of Jesus. (1:33; 5:32, 37 and 8:18; see also I John 5:7, 9) Also, at the baptism of Jesus, God spoke from heaven, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." (Matt. 3:17)
- John the Baptist testified of Jesus. (1:7-8, 1:15; 1:32 and also 5:33) He knew very well who he was: a "voice crying out in the wilderness" (1:23; refer to Isaiah 40:3) and he also knew very well who Jesus was. He testified that Jesus was the "Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world" (1:29, 1:36) and also of His being the "Son Of God" (1:34; 3:35)
- The Holy Spirit testified of Jesus. (1:33, 15:26)
- The apostles and disciples testified of Jesus.
First Andrew (1:41) and Philip, (1:45) then Nathanael,(1:49), and then the others, (2:11, also Acts 8:28 and I John 4:14,) all testified that Jesus was who He claimed to be.
Peter, who denied his Savior three times, later preached boldy that Jesus was in fact, both Lord, and Christ, (or Messiah). (Acts 2:36)
Paul was constantly testifying as to the identity of Jesus Christ. (Acts 18:5, 28:23)
The apostle John testified of Jesus as well.(John 21:21; also see I John 1:1-2)
- Nicodemis, a Pharisee and a member of the Sanhedrin, the Jewish court system, indicated his own belief in the validity of Christ's claim, when he acknowledged, "No Man could do these things, unless God was with him". (6:68-69)
- Even the centurian who was present at Christ's crucifixion acknowledged that "this man was truly the Son Of God". (Mark 15:30)
- Jesus said that the very works He did testified of Him. His miracles, His teachings, all of which God had planned for Him to do, were evidence in and of themselves that Jesus was who He claimed to be. (5:36, and 10:25) His miracles proved that he was the Messiah He professed to be, for God would not work a miracle to confirm the claims of an impostor.
- The Holy Scriptures testified of Jesus. (1:29; also 5:39, and 5:46; also see I John 5: 6-7)
- The Samaritan woman at the well testified that Jesus was the Messiah. (4:29)
The testimonies of all of these together are more than enough to prove that Jesus Christ was exactly who He claimed to be. Jewish law required two or three witnesses, here we have evidence of more than a dozen witnesses --- more than enough to satisfy the law.
In addition to all of these witnesses, there are 109 distinct prophecies that are fulfilled only in the person of Jesus Christ.
One hundred and nine--- think about that. The odds of any one person fulfilling even ten of these prophecies are astronomical; there is no one who has ever walked on the face of the earth that has ever come close to fulfilling even half of these prophecies except Jesus Christ himself. Just a few of the prophesies which prove that Jesus was the Messiah were:
(a.) He was born at Bethlehem. (Micah 5:2)
(b.) He was of the tribe of Judah. (Gen. 49:10)
(c.) He was descended from Jesse, and of the royal line of David. (Isaiah 11:1,10)
(d.) He came at the time predicted. (Daniel 9:24-27)
(e.) His appearance, character, work, etc., corresponded with the predictions of Isaiah. (53:1-12)
The miracles He performed also proved that he was the Messiah, for God would not work a miracle to confirm the claims of an impostor. For the same reason, his resurrection from the dead proved that he was the Messiah. (Acts 17:31)
Yes, there is more than enough proof that Jesus Christ was and is just exactly who He claimed to be. The question is: Will you believe the proof? Or will you be one of those the Bible speaks of: Someone who is "Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth." (II Timothy 3:70) That is such a sad state to be in, dear friend.
In our legal system, there is a saying; "Ignorance of the law is no excuse." It means quite simply what it says. You cannot get by with breaking the law because you claim you have no knowledge of that law.
This same concept applies to the Bible, and the claims made by Jesus Christ and others that He was the long awaited Messiah, the one and only way for sinful man to be reconciled to a pure and holy God. The Bible says: "And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commands all men every where to repent: Because He has appointed a day, when He will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom He has ordained; whereof He hath given assurance unto all men, in that He has raised Him from the dead." (Acts 17:30,31)
God is calling all men, everywhere, to believe, and repent. There is no reason not to. Ignorance is no excuse. The proof is there, if you will only believe it. Believe. Repent. Be saved, through Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son Of God.
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