But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my words?
To reject the writings of Moses makes it impossible to believe the words of Jesus, because those writings testify of Him and Moses wrote of Him. He said this in answer after healing the paralytic at Bethesda, when the authorities charged Him with breaking the Sabbath and with making Himself equal with God by claiming the same right as His Father to do a sacred work. To profess to believe Moses while rejecting Jesus is false belief without excuse, leaving opposers condemned by the very writings they claimed to revere, with Moses himself as their accuser so Christ need not accuse them. That unbelief springs from pride and seeking honor from men instead of God, from hearts without the love of God that slight the word because it reproves sin and undermine its authority when unwilling to obey. The same history will be repeated when deceivers work apparent miracles and claim to be Christ, and only those who have made the instruction of John 5 and 6 a part of daily life will discern the true from the false and refuse to follow them.
Context and Meaning
The verse belongs to Jesus' answer after He healed the paralytic at the pool of Bethesda, at the time of the Second Passover. The Jewish authorities accused Him of breaking the Sabbath law and of making Himself equal with God. He had claimed equal rights with God in doing a work equally sacred and of the same character as the work of His Father in heaven, declaring that He could do nothing of Himself but what He sees the Father do and nothing against His will. He spoke knowing His hearers were determined to take His life, yet in the same discourse He fully set forth His Sonship, His relation to the Father, and His equality with the Father.
Refusing to believe Moses' writings makes it impossible to believe Jesus' words, because those writings testify of Him and Moses wrote about Him. The rulers' claim to believe Moses could not excuse their rejection of Jesus, for refusal of the writings that testified about Him exposed their unbelief and left them without excuse. The Pharisees searched the Scriptures but rejected the One to whom they testified, since Moses wrote about Christ and the Prophet God would raise up, so true belief in Scripture leads to recognizing and accepting Christ. People slight the word because it reproves and condemns sin, and those unwilling to obey its requirements try to undermine its authority, so distrust of Scripture connects with rejecting its Author and leaves people unwilling to believe Christ's words.
Moses' testimony of Christ includes types of the Messiah, promises of His coming, and the promise of the Prophet God would raise up, so those who claimed to believe Moses were condemned by those writings when they rejected the One Moses described. Christ Himself had spoken to Israel through Moses, so those who truly believed Moses would have recognized and believed Christ. Moses himself accuses those who trust in Moses yet reject Christ, so Christ has no need to accuse them before the Father.
Unbelief Exposed and Applied
To claim to believe Moses while rejecting Jesus is not belief at all but a contradiction that exposes unbelief. Refusal to believe Moses' writings makes belief in Jesus' words impossible, because those writings testify of Him in types of the Messiah and promises of His coming. The rulers' profession of reverence for Scripture could not excuse their rejection of the One Moses described, and their refusal of the testimony about Him left them without excuse. They were condemned by the very writings they claimed to revere, for to believe Moses would have led to believing Jesus because Moses wrote of Him. Moses himself accuses those who trust in Moses yet reject Christ, so Christ has no need to accuse them before the Father.
Such unbelief springs from pride and arrogance that rejects the evidence of divine power. Those who receive honor from men rather than seeking the honor that comes from God only, and who do not have the love of God within, will not believe Moses and therefore cannot believe Christ. The word is slighted because it reproves and condemns sin, and those unwilling to obey its requirements try to undermine its authority. Distrust of Scripture is thus joined to rejection of its Author, since Moses wrote of Christ and belief in Moses' writings and belief in Christ's words stand or fall together.
Even while baffled, overawed by divine eloquence and truth, and convicted by the convincing power attending His ministry, His opponents would not yield. They could not close their understanding against that power, yet pride bound them to resist His appeals and reject the evidence. They locked themselves in darkness and kept their murderous hatred unquenched, persisting in blind opposition and rage though fully confronted with His Sonship, His relation to the Father, and His equality with the Father.
This is the trouble of those with great light who will not come to Christ for life. They receive Him not when He comes in His Father's name, but another coming in his own name they will receive. History in this will be repeated in days of peril when Satan works miracles of apparent healing and many deceivers go forth declaring themselves to be the Christ. Only knowledge of the Word will enable distinguishing the true from the false and refusing to go after them, and that knowledge is gained by studying the instruction of the fifth and sixth chapters of John, which is the mystery of godliness, making it part of life and daily experience and living its teachings.
To reject the writings of Moses makes it impossible to believe the words of Jesus, because those writings testify of Him and Moses wrote of Him. He said this in answer after healing the paralytic at Bethesda, when the authorities charged Him with breaking the Sabbath and with making Himself equal with God by claiming the same right as His Father to do a sacred work. To profess to believe Moses while rejecting Jesus is false belief without excuse, leaving opposers condemned by the very writings they claimed to revere, with Moses himself as their accuser so Christ need not accuse them. That unbelief springs from pride and seeking honor from men instead of God, from hearts without the love of God that slight the word because it reproves sin and undermine its authority when unwilling to obey. The same history will be repeated when deceivers work apparent miracles and claim to be Christ, and only those who have made the instruction of John 5 and 6 a part of daily life will discern the true from the false and refuse to follow them.
Context and Meaning
The verse belongs to Jesus' answer after He healed the paralytic at the pool of Bethesda, at the time of the Second Passover. The Jewish authorities accused Him of breaking the Sabbath law and of making Himself equal with God. He had claimed equal rights with God in doing a work equally sacred and of the same character as the work of His Father in heaven, declaring that He could do nothing of Himself but what He sees the Father do and nothing against His will. He spoke knowing His hearers were determined to take His life, yet in the same discourse He fully set forth His Sonship, His relation to the Father, and His equality with the Father.
Refusing to believe Moses' writings makes it impossible to believe Jesus' words, because those writings testify of Him and Moses wrote about Him. The rulers' claim to believe Moses could not excuse their rejection of Jesus, for refusal of the writings that testified about Him exposed their unbelief and left them without excuse. The Pharisees searched the Scriptures but rejected the One to whom they testified, since Moses wrote about Christ and the Prophet God would raise up, so true belief in Scripture leads to recognizing and accepting Christ. People slight the word because it reproves and condemns sin, and those unwilling to obey its requirements try to undermine its authority, so distrust of Scripture connects with rejecting its Author and leaves people unwilling to believe Christ's words.
Moses' testimony of Christ includes types of the Messiah, promises of His coming, and the promise of the Prophet God would raise up, so those who claimed to believe Moses were condemned by those writings when they rejected the One Moses described. Christ Himself had spoken to Israel through Moses, so those who truly believed Moses would have recognized and believed Christ. Moses himself accuses those who trust in Moses yet reject Christ, so Christ has no need to accuse them before the Father.
Unbelief Exposed and Applied
To claim to believe Moses while rejecting Jesus is not belief at all but a contradiction that exposes unbelief. Refusal to believe Moses' writings makes belief in Jesus' words impossible, because those writings testify of Him in types of the Messiah and promises of His coming. The rulers' profession of reverence for Scripture could not excuse their rejection of the One Moses described, and their refusal of the testimony about Him left them without excuse. They were condemned by the very writings they claimed to revere, for to believe Moses would have led to believing Jesus because Moses wrote of Him. Moses himself accuses those who trust in Moses yet reject Christ, so Christ has no need to accuse them before the Father.
Such unbelief springs from pride and arrogance that rejects the evidence of divine power. Those who receive honor from men rather than seeking the honor that comes from God only, and who do not have the love of God within, will not believe Moses and therefore cannot believe Christ. The word is slighted because it reproves and condemns sin, and those unwilling to obey its requirements try to undermine its authority. Distrust of Scripture is thus joined to rejection of its Author, since Moses wrote of Christ and belief in Moses' writings and belief in Christ's words stand or fall together.
Even while baffled, overawed by divine eloquence and truth, and convicted by the convincing power attending His ministry, His opponents would not yield. They could not close their understanding against that power, yet pride bound them to resist His appeals and reject the evidence. They locked themselves in darkness and kept their murderous hatred unquenched, persisting in blind opposition and rage though fully confronted with His Sonship, His relation to the Father, and His equality with the Father.
This is the trouble of those with great light who will not come to Christ for life. They receive Him not when He comes in His Father's name, but another coming in his own name they will receive. History in this will be repeated in days of peril when Satan works miracles of apparent healing and many deceivers go forth declaring themselves to be the Christ. Only knowledge of the Word will enable distinguishing the true from the false and refusing to go after them, and that knowledge is gained by studying the instruction of the fifth and sixth chapters of John, which is the mystery of godliness, making it part of life and daily experience and living its teachings.