There is another that beareth witness of me; and I know that the witness which he witnesseth of me is true.
The saying belongs to the discourse that followed the healing of the impotent man at the pool of Bethesda, given when the Jews accused Him of breaking the Sabbath and addressed to the Jewish leaders after He had set forth His work in connection with the Father. The other who bears witness of Him is the Father, whose witness to Him is true beyond His own testimony. The other who bears witness is also John the Baptist, whose testimony about Him is declared to be true. John's mission was solely to prepare the way for Jesus and to testify to the truth about Him as the Christ, the Redeemer of the world, the Son of God, sent by God, speaking God's words, and come from heaven.
John described himself as the friend of the bridegroom who rejoices in the bridegroom's voice, and said that He must increase while he himself decreased. When some thought he was the Light he refused glory that did not belong to him, saying he was not that Light but was sent to bear witness of that Light, and his light came from Christ as the Word made flesh. He was a burning and shining light, accepted for a time as a prophet of God, in whose light and message the people rejoiced for a season. His witness was true because it was positive, based on what he had personally seen and heard, and given with the Spirit's power.
Jesus did not depend on or receive human testimony to establish His claims or sustain His authority, for no man by human knowledge can witness to the mysterious connection of Jesus with the Father that lies beyond human knowledge in the courts of heaven. He recalled John's testimony so that His hearers might be saved, to convince them of their blindness, expose their inconsistency, and help them recognize their error. His hearers were not ignorant of the evidence and are without excuse, for they had sent messengers to John and received his witness to the truth, including his account of the baptism of Jesus and the wonderful manifestations of God there; in rejecting Jesus they also reject John whom they had received with joy. Although His opponents had heard the report of John's witness, pride and unbelief led them to envy, jealousy, and hatred of Christ. The Father's witness is shown by the works the Father gave Jesus to do and by the heavenly voice at His baptism, providing a greater witness confirming that the Father sent Him.
The saying belongs to the discourse that followed the healing of the impotent man at the pool of Bethesda, given when the Jews accused Him of breaking the Sabbath and addressed to the Jewish leaders after He had set forth His work in connection with the Father. The other who bears witness of Him is the Father, whose witness to Him is true beyond His own testimony. The other who bears witness is also John the Baptist, whose testimony about Him is declared to be true. John's mission was solely to prepare the way for Jesus and to testify to the truth about Him as the Christ, the Redeemer of the world, the Son of God, sent by God, speaking God's words, and come from heaven.
John described himself as the friend of the bridegroom who rejoices in the bridegroom's voice, and said that He must increase while he himself decreased. When some thought he was the Light he refused glory that did not belong to him, saying he was not that Light but was sent to bear witness of that Light, and his light came from Christ as the Word made flesh. He was a burning and shining light, accepted for a time as a prophet of God, in whose light and message the people rejoiced for a season. His witness was true because it was positive, based on what he had personally seen and heard, and given with the Spirit's power.
Jesus did not depend on or receive human testimony to establish His claims or sustain His authority, for no man by human knowledge can witness to the mysterious connection of Jesus with the Father that lies beyond human knowledge in the courts of heaven. He recalled John's testimony so that His hearers might be saved, to convince them of their blindness, expose their inconsistency, and help them recognize their error. His hearers were not ignorant of the evidence and are without excuse, for they had sent messengers to John and received his witness to the truth, including his account of the baptism of Jesus and the wonderful manifestations of God there; in rejecting Jesus they also reject John whom they had received with joy. Although His opponents had heard the report of John's witness, pride and unbelief led them to envy, jealousy, and hatred of Christ. The Father's witness is shown by the works the Father gave Jesus to do and by the heavenly voice at His baptism, providing a greater witness confirming that the Father sent Him.