Christ before the Sanhedrin

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Even The Scriptures Testifies of Me

Posted by The Bible In Your Hand on August 2, 2018
Posted in: Christian, Christianity, Religion, Spirituality, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , .

Jesus before SanhedrinEven The Scripture Testifies of Me

39 “You search the scriptures for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. 40 But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life. 41 I do not receive honor from men. 42 But I know you, that you do not have the love of God in you. 43 I have come in My Father’s name, and you do not receive Me; If another comes in his own name, him you will receive. 44 How can you believe, who receive honor from one another, and do not seek the honor that comes from only God? 45 Do not think that I shall accuse you to the Father; there is one who accuses you – Moses in whom you trust. 46 For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote about Me. 47 But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?”

I have read these passages of Christ before the Sanhedrin many times but failed to see the stinging rebuke given by Christ. The opening line of verse thirty-nine says, “You search the Scriptures.” There are two ways to take this passage. The first being stated exactly as written. “You search the Scriptures.” This implication is that they search the Scriptures believing that the Scriptures will give them eternal life.

Perhaps the harsher way of looking at this is more accurate. Hey you, go search the Scriptures. By searching you believe you will find eternal life. But instead of finding eternal life, you will find that they testify of Me!

As Christ stated before Nicodemus and the woman at the well, the only way to salvation is through Christ Jesus of which I am He. The scriptures on their own will not give us eternal life, it is only through Christ Jesus and a personal relationship with him that we will find salvation. The scriptures only testify, bear witness by the testimony of two witnesses of who I am.

Yes you are correct, at the time Christ spoke these words there was but one Testament, the Old Testament. But yet there was still two witness contained in the one Testament. They being the law, and the prophets, having all Testified that Jesus is the Messiah.

But Christ ends the statement by saying, “But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.”

You see the law in and of itself assures no man of eternal life. Yet according to the Jews and their own writings, by Rabi Hillel of the 1st Century BCE (BC) “One who has acquired unto himself the words of Torah, has acquired for himself the life of the world to come.” (Mishnah Aboth 2, 7, Soncino ed. Of the Talmud, p. 17). Jesus here makes use of this belief to remind the Jews that the Scriptures in which they thought to find eternal life were the very writings that testified of Him.

Christ continues, yet despite all the evidence presented by the witnesses and their testimony you will are not willing to come to Me. For it is only by coming to Me that you will have life.

I do not receive or seek honor from men, but I know you that you do not have the love of God in you. Why would Jesus say this? Because when one has the love of God in them, they are not seeking the approval of their fellow men. Because you seek the approval of others, I have come in the name of My Father, but you do not receive Me for you feel there is no need within you.

You seek honor from one another, yet fail to seek honor that comes from the only God? Because you do not seek the approval of God, do not think that I shall accuse you to the Father. Why? Because there is one whom you honor and respect. That would be Moses, and in Moses you trust. But if you really believed in Moses, then you would believe Me; for he wrote about Me. But if you do not believe even his writings, how will you believe in Me.

John cuts off the narrative of Christ before the Sanhedrin. It is like he left it open ended, but finishes with a startling question. “If you do not believe in the scriptures, how will you believe in My words?”

This should all cause us to ponder. How often have we cut out a portion of scripture because it made us uncomfortable? How often have we failed to listen to the Holy Spirit as He leads us into the path of righteousness because it requires us to change? To the listeners of Christ before the Sanhedrin, these same questions were being asked, and to each of us, Christ asks the same. Who will you follow?

Bear Witness

Posted by The Bible In Your Hand on July 30, 2018
Posted in: Christian, Christianity, Religion, Spirituality, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , .

March-24Bear Witness

31 If I bear witness of Myself, My witness is not true. 32 There is another who bears witness of Me, and I know that the witness which he witnesses of Me is true.  33 You have sent John and he has borne witness to the truth.  34 Yet I do not receive testimony from man, but I say these things, that you may be saved.  35 He was the burning and the shining lamp, and you were willing for a time to rejoice in his light. 36 But I have a greater witness than John’s for the works which the Father has given Me to finish – the very works that I do – Bear witness of Me, that the Father has sent Me. 37 And the Father Himself, who sent Me, has testified of Me. You have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen His form.  38 But you do not have His word abiding in you, because whom He sent, Him you do not believe. 39 You search the Scriptures for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. 40 But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.

To prevent a case of he said she said, one cannot be a witness for them self.  In order for my testimony to bear any weight of legitimacy there must be another witness on my behalf.  Also the more that can testify on my behalf the more legitimate my claims become.   

This is why Christ starts out this section by saying, “If I bear witness of Myself, My witness is not true. 

Therefore, there must be another that bears witness of Christ.  We have read about John the Baptizer before.  John was born, to bear witness or shed light on the fact that the Messiah, the lamb of God was about to start his ministry.  John bore testimony to the fact that Jesus was the messiah, which was confirmed at Christ’s baptism, by the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove resting upon Christ.

Therefore Christ is building up John and John’s ministry to further his own claim he had been making before the Sanhedrin.  What was this claim? That Christ is the Messiah.  John’s message of repentance and the soon coming of the messiah was the burning of the shining lamp.  It was the gospel message being illuminated before the people.  For a while, you paid attention and were willing to rejoice in the light, but soon you tired of this light, and therefore began searching for another.  As John testified and all Heaven also testified, this is the light that John prophesied of. 

John bore witness that the Father testifies of me and has send me.  But as prolific as John’s teaching and preaching was, it pales in comparison to the works of Him who sent me which is the Father and by the Father’s will, I have performed the miracles you have witnessed.  Therefore the very works that I do bear witness of Me, that the Father has sent me. 

As the members of the Sanhedrin heard these words their hearts grew hard. Unbelief crept into their minds and so they rejected Christ that day.

You and I are not able to see the miracles that Christ performed but we are able to read the testimony of those that saw them take place.  Yet all around us our churches are filled with lives that have been changed by coming into contact with Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit. 

So as you read this and contemplate upon the things seen and learned, we each are faced with the same decision the Sanhedrin had to make nearly two thousand years ago. 

Based on the body of evidence and the testimonies of those present, will you accept Christ as your messiah, Lord and Saviour. 

Like the Jews of old, will your acceptance only be for a season, or will it last the rest of your life?