As we read through John 5:19-47, let the words of John 3:30 echo in the background, “He must increase, but I must decrease.” In what ways does Christ expose the shortcomings of the Jews? Do we deserve a similar indictment by Christ? We would prefer that Christ’s indictments be viewed as historical and that the people were from a different time, which is now past. However, the concerns Christ raises in these verses are timeless, and humanity is always at risk of repeating the same errors.
First, we see Christ’s example of decreasing Himself by yielding His will to God the Father. Christ decreased while the Father increased.
One of the most telling verses in this section is verse 39, “You search the Scriptures, because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is these that bear witness of Me”. How was Christ increasing among the Jews? He was not, and Christ is pointing this out. The Old Testament points to Christ, and Christ fulfilled Old Testament prophecy.
The problem with self-righteousness and a works-based salvation is that we increase ourselves at the expense of any rule or reign Christ would have in our hearts. Christ decreases while we increase.
Coupled with the principle of increasing Christ while decreasing ourselves is that of our witness. Christ refers to “testify” or “testimony” 11 times in John 5. For words to be true, culture and society require verification. In my line of work, we operate by a “trust but verify” principle. What we say must be capable of independent verification for it to be accepted as true.
In the accounting field, a client may say they believe their revenue was $1 million. In a tax audit, the tax return may report $1 million in deductions. Do bank statements or receipts support the claim? If they do, then the testimony is true.
Christ’s testimony of Himself is verified by Scripture and by God the Father. The Jews in Christ’s day accepted the law of Moses and the prophets as the revelation of God. However, despite both pointing to Christ and Christ having fulfilled the prophecy the Jews accepted, the Jews rejected His testimony. In the face of independent verification, we are on a wrong path when we reject the verification.
For example, in the previous chapter, the woman at the well verified that Christ was the Messiah because He told her what she had done. She knew that this would be a hallmark of the Messiah. She had independent verification.
By the end of John 5, Christ indicts the Jews because they are seeking glory from one another and not measuring their behavior or words against Scripture. Though they professed adherence to the Law of Moses, they were not actually following the law. Thus, Christ rightly states that Moses judged them for their disobedience (verse 45).
Our profession of faith or profession to be aligned with God must be verified through our actions lining up with Scripture. Scripture plainly states that through the Holy Spirit we have a new nature leading unto righteousness. Scripture plainly states what is expected of us in Christian perfection. Our lives must reflect our new nature through the Holy Spirit for our profession of faith to be valid.
Our decrease and Christ’s increase is also reflected in verse 42, when Christ says “that you do not have the love of God in yourselves.” This is a very tragic statement, yet it reveals that the Jews were not seeking to increase God nor decrease themselves.
Throughout chapters 4 and 5, we continue to see Christ’s call for new birth and the imparting of a new nature through the Holy Spirit. The woman at the well and the lame man both represent decreasing sin and increasing righteousness. In both chapters, Christ emphasizes our increasing love for God and our decreasing love for the world. Both the increase in righteousness and increase in love for God are only possible through the aid of the Holy Spirit who is working a new nature in us.
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